1955 Porsche 550 Spyder Replica - Beck Chassis on 2040-cars

Beck replica of 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder, built in 2007.  Speedometer and odometer and metric and read in km/hr and kilometers.  Usage is 2292 km/1424 miles. This vehicle has been seldom driven over the past 7 years; and always garaged when not being driven on a trip.

Original owner. Purchased from Special Edition in 2007, which is official Beck design which is the best replica made of this classic car and matches the original DOM tube side frame and chassis design. Beautifully made car.  This is not a cheaper copy using a cage frame or VW pan conversion.  Fun car to drive and a real eye catcher. 

Pictures of the ID plates (one on door jamb and one under the hood). This is unit #978. The letters stamped on the under hood plate are the assemblers. The "CH" is for Carey Hines, currently VP at Special Edition. For history buffs and purists, Chuck Beck is the original developer of these most wanted replicas of the 550 Spyder. Some call it the "golden standard" for this car replica as it most closely matches the original Porsche design built in the early 1950s for motorsport competition. The 1950s originals were all aluminum bodies; and these replicas are fiberglass.  Beck started making them in California in the early 1980s. In the 1990s the California tooling was sold to Thunder Ranch; and Chuck Beck and Kevin Hines (Carey Hines' father) became partners and built a new factory in Brazil, Chamonix Karosserie, to build the body and chassis. Final assembly of the cars is done by Special Edition in Indiana. Hence you will see the Chamonix logo on all current versions of a true "Beck". You may find companies which build versions that look like a Beck, but they are only licensed to do so.

Custom built 1985cc VW-based Type-1 engine with 90mm bore x 78mm stroke. All new components, not just simply a rebuilt engine. Dual Weber 44 IDF carbs with electric fuel pump, MSD 6A ignition and 12V alternator. High Flow 044 Heads with Engle W110 camshaft and lightened flywheel. Custom 4-into-1 exhaust with triple resonators for better exhaust flow and lower sound level than the typical 4-into-2-into-1 setup.  Design power output approximately 130 hp.  This car was built to install EFI, so there is a fuel tank return hose to the back and a bung on the exhaust header for an O2 sensor.  For a few years, I actually ran with EFI; but found that it was more trouble to keep tuned than a good pair of Webers.   Engine is very dry with no significant oil leaks.

Completely refurbished 4-speed transaxle with 4.12 final drive.

Unique Indio Red (also known as Bahia Red) exterior color with Whiskey Tan interior.  Gold colored Porsche badges.  Racing mirrors on both sides.  

Disk brakes on all four wheels. The front and rear rotors are drilled for a 4x100 bolt circle with standard 12mm studs. The rotors are not made to take advantage of hub-centric wheels.  Borbet alloy wheels are 14x6 with a 38 offset and use conical seat lug nuts.  Falken Ziex 195/60R14 tires.  Ground clearance is about 2-inches with the driver.  I had to jack up the car just to get a camera underneath!  For street use or bumpy roads the suspension can be adjusted for higher clearance.  

Prepared to compete in SCCA Solo autocross competition classes under either DM or EM (with added ballast).  Master power switch behind passenger seat.  Also included is a removable 3-point roll bar built to SCCA autocross specifications with a custom tan tonneau cover that fits around the bars.  Roll bar mounts onto two stubs welded to the 3-inch DOM frame behind the seats with a cross brace to a threaded floor plate in front of the passenger seat.   A passenger can still wiggle their way into the passenger seat with the roll bar in place; but it is not comfortable.   Mounting bolts included.

Complete with removable tan canvas top and side screens.   Top is like new and has never been used on a road trip. Front trunk designed to hold the top, side curtains and tonneau cover inside the lower nose section.

The first picture shows the "fluted" glass Porsche style headlight covers currently on the car.  I broke the original smooth glass version on the passenger side and could not get an exact match, so I upgraded to a pair of these.  

Due to the very low ground clearance the under body has numerous places where the paint has been knocked off the black colored fiberglass, but there are no holes, deep cuts or cracks.   There is an ugly line along each side of the belly plate that looks like a huge line of rust.  It is not rust, but actually dirt sticking to the adhesive used when the body was assembled.  The upper body is one-piece fiberglass and a separate fiberglass belly plate covers the bottom. When the belly plate is attached an adhesive is applied around the edges and a huge number of bolts clamp the belly plate to the one-piece body.  This adhesive oozes out and they just paint over it.   With time and road debris this adhesive edge starts to break off.  Not pretty, but also not a defect.  A show car enthusiast might want to sand this down and apply stone guard over the entire belly plate, but those seams are well under the body and cannot be seen unless you jack up the car to look underneath.

Approximately 2300 km of total use.  Professional appraisal done in 2009 resulted in a $36,950 value.  Current list price for a new turn-key version like this one from Special Edition is over $38000.  Vehicle has always been stored inside a garage when not driven.

The cockpit is quite snug, and some people might not actually fit comfortably into this small car.  So, I added photos of the basic dimensions for the driver's seat, pedals, steering wheel and top of windshield (all measurements in inches with seat at its farthest back position).  Seat can be moved with a release lever up to 2-inches forward.  The back of the seat to the pedals dimension is for the clutch from further released to fully depressed.   I have had several people drive this car OK over the years; and have yet to encounter somebody too tall or too wide to fit.  I am 5-8, 200 lbs with 38 waist and fit fine with the seat fully forward.  Just wanted to alert anybody over 6-feet tall, over 200 lbs, and waist over 40-inches to check the measurements given in your current car.  Bidder is responsible for making sure they can fit into the seat and operate the controls properly.

If you have other questions about the builder or the pricing for a new model, google "beckspeedster" to find Special Edition's website.

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Vehicle is titled in Arizona as a 1955 Porsche Special Construction. Title allows the car to be exempt from emissions inspection and eligible for historic license plates in Arizona.   This may not apply to other states.  Bidder is responsible for knowing the title/registration/emissions laws for their state. 

Bidders may inspect/drive the car by arrangement during any day of the auction time frame.  Arrangement should be made at least 24 hours in advance. Any costs to inspect/drive the vehicle must be paid by the prospective bidder, even if they do not win the auction.

Winning bidder must provide a $2000 down payment within 5 days after the end of the auction.  Such payment must be made by certified check delivered by certified mail or in person.  Failure to send this timely deposit will void that winning bidder's rank; and the vehicle will pass to the next highest bidder above the reserve price.

Final payment must be made within 14 days after the end of the auction; and must be made by certified check delivered by certified mail or in person.  Failure to complete this timely full payment will void that winning bidder's rank and forfeit any $2000 deposit they made.  The vehicle will then pass to the next highest bidder above the reserve price.

Vehicle will remain inside a protective garage after the end of auction until which time the winning bidder can make final payment per above rules and arrange for pickup or transport.  The maximum time of this storage will be 30 days after the end of the auction.    If the vehicle is not picked up within those 30 days, the winning bidder will lose ALL monies paid and the vehicle will be put back up for auction.

Buyer to arrange and pay for any shipment or transport of the vehicle.

Cash or PayPal may not be used for any payment.  Only bids or offers made to the eBay auction web page will be accepted.  Please do not make private bids/offers while the auction is active, as they will not be considered.