1957 Porsche Speedster Replica

- Custom Built by Classic Motor Carriages of Miami, Florida
- 1973 Volkswagen Platform
- 1600cc with 4 Speed Manual
- New Soft Top
- Quad Tip Exhaust
- Fun and Affordable (compared to the original)

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1957 Porsche Speedster Replica on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 130 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“Buy the 356 Speedster replica for the weekends, because it's the most fun you'll ever have for (the price).” – Doug Demuro, 2015

In a 2018 article, TopGear provided a compelling (if somewhat long-winded) argument on choosing a replica versus a mega-bucks original Speedster: “It's not just the original sum of money needed for a real classic car – which, it seems, you'd recoup with interest when you decide to sell – it's that when something is hideously expensive, you treat it differently. Take, for instance, the most expensive thing in your wardrobe. You behave differently when you're wearing it, don't you? More careful. More wary of tomato sauce and red wine. This is called solicitude.

"It's the same story with a properly pricey car – you have second thoughts about driving it in the rain, or down an unknown road, or taking it all the way to the redline in each gear. And it's hard to have fun when you're fretting over what you're doing to your car. Or, indeed, your fancy trousers.”

“Conversely, absolute freedom comes from a lack of solicitude. If you can just be in the car, enjoying its feedback, heading off down a remote, unknown road in search of freedom and adventure, that's worth more than driving around on eggshells, fearful of every bump and pothole.”

Offered here is a replica of a 1957 Porsche Speedster built as a “Classic Speedster C” by Classic Motor Carriages of Miami Florida. The car is black over black under a tan fabric soft top, and sports flared fenders at all four corners. It currently shows just 3,389 miles on its odometer.

The exterior, non-metallic black paint shows quite well (with slight patina from age) thanks to professional quality application in keeping with the overall build's high standards. The choice of black nicely highlights the classically curved Speedster design and the added fender flares while remaining within the Porsche color-selection palate of the era. There is no damage to the fiberglass body and all panels and doors fit properly. (To best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) Cabin glass and all lighting lenses—including the beautiful., oval-design taillights—are clear and free of imperfections. Proper Porsche badging—the Porsche-logo crest with Porsche lettering badge below—is present front and rear. Tastefully limited chrome work on the windshield surround, headlight trim, both bumpers, door hardware, and rear-deck grille all retains good shine with light patina in places, but no damage. Proper chromed steel wheels with Porsche-crest hubcaps are mounted with 15-inch radial tires.

The car's black interior is a simple and tasteful cockpit in keeping with a Porsche aesthetic. Black seat upholstery employs a vertically pleated design, black carpeting covers the cabin floors, and door trim is black with flat, unadorned, racing-style panels. All interior surfaces are free of damage or obvious signs of wear. A 3-spoke steering wheel with Porsche crest center emblem frames an elegant and complete VDO® instrument array with a period look including gold bezels and old-style lettering on parchment-color faces. A simple gold “Speedster” badge is the only ornamentation on the dashboard. The shift lever for the 4-speed manual transmission is mounted on the floor. The newer tan soft top folds and stores behind the seats.

The car is built on a 1973 Volkswagen Beetle platform. Under the rear-deck grille, the 1,600-cc, 4-cylinder powerplant is clean, properly installed, and wears a chrome air-cleaner cover for visual interest. Original Speedsters featured a similar size and power-output, VW-designed engine. Viewed from below, the chassis is straight with original protective cover in place. The exposed lower-engine surfaces are clean and well ordered. The 4-outlet exhaust is a visual focal point. The front trunk houses the gas tank and a small amount of storage space, all tidy and clean.

The car's original manufacturer's identification plate remains mounted.

While the more than 130 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '57 Speedster replica in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

TopGear concluded their Speedster replica article with this question: “… isn't it better to experience something that's 99 percent the same… rather than just pine for something you'll never be able to afford?”

We're pretty sure the next owner of this Speedster C just answered, “Hell, yes!”