1957 Porsche Speedster Replica

- White over Black with Black Soft Top
- 1600cc I4
- 4 Speed Manual
- Air Conditioning
- Kenwood Stereo
- Lots of fun on a budget... real ones are $500k!

(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 135 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 (roughly $500,000 today): “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. The car is white over black under a black fabric soft top. It currently shows just 3,724 miles on its odometer.

The exterior, white paint shows quite well thanks to professional-quality application in keeping with the overall build's high standards. The paint choice nicely highlights the classically curved Speedster design 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 round-design quad taillights—are clear and free of imperfections. Proper Porsche badging—the Porsche-logo crest on the hood, gold “speedster” front-fender badges, and “1600 Super” badge on the rear—is present. 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 15-inch steel wheels with chrome hubcaps and trim rings are mounted with Pirelli® 285/65 radial tires.

The car's black interior is a simple and tasteful cockpit in keeping with the Porsche aesthetic. Black leather upholstery on the racing-bucket-style seats (with open-panel backrests) employs a wide-panel design, black carpeting (with textured black protective carpet mats) covers the cabin floors, and door trim is black with flat, unadorned, racing-style panels and storage pockets and speakers incorporated. All interior surfaces are free of damage or obvious signs of wear. The body-color-painted dash mirrors the original Speedster look and feel. A classic-design, 3-spoke, banjo-style steering wheel with Porsche-crest center emblem frames an elegant and complete instrument array with a period look and lettering on black faces. Air-conditioning controls and vents are mounted below the dash. A Kenwood® audio head unit is installed in the factory-radio location. The shift lever for the 4-speed manual transmission is mounted on the floor. The newer black soft top folds and stores behind the seats. The carpeted front trunk houses the gas tank and a small amount of storage space, all tidy and clean.

Under the rear-deck grille, the 1,600-cc, 4-cylinder VW powerplant is properly installed, with components—including air conditioning—exhibiting perfectly clean surfaces. Original Speedsters featured a similar size and power-output, VW-designed engine. Viewed from below, the chassis is straight, complete, and free of damage. Expected light surface rust is present on some untreated metal. The air-conditioning radiators are a visual focal point.

While the more than 135 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '57 Porsche 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 just answered, “Hell, yes!”