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The Story behind these wheels
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This car is the 356 California Widebody Racing version of the original. It was molded by Fiberfab out of Minneapolis, MN. They allied with CMC or Classic Motor Carriages in Miami the company who filed bankruptcy in the early to mid ninties. It sports Jet black 2k in paint, chrome smoothie 10x15 wheels and matching 50 series tires, chrome tipped exhaust, with matching hubcaps and emblems, a black vinyl top in like new condition, original Speedster side and rear mirrors, Speedster embroidered carpets, side curtains with lexan inserts, custom trunk carpeting, black interior, underdash carpeting, working gauges, tach, speedometer, oil temperature, etc., a tripple plated chromed roll bar welded to the chassis through custom ports in the fiberglass cockpit - a component purchased through Autospeed somewhere in Orange California from John Steele. Anyone who knows anything about kitcars knows this guy. He builds them all and is a regular in Kit Car magazine. I bought many parts for my Speedy from him. He also purchased a chrome gas tank from John which unfortunately had to be replaced due to rustout, but received the stock tank in its place. It has original Speedster emblems, engine grill, nice tires, authentic hood ornament, a killer 1915B motor or you can call it a 1914cc thumper - middle of the road power plant with plenty of juice and very reliable - It is a low compression engine, meaning it won't give you whiplash, but still very spunky and fast, approximately 150 hp. James Dean himself would have tried this one out... It sports dual Weber DRLA 40mm carburetors, lots of chrome on it to boot, shroud, tins, etc. Check out the photos. Recent details: three point seat harnesses, gas tank detailing and carpet tacking, enterior detailing, fire extinguisher, stereo by Xtreme and quality speakers, carburetor rebuilding and tweaking, chrome pulley guard, gasket replacement for fuel pump, all door latches well lubricated and hatch handles replaced with custom versions, German canvas tonneau cover modified for Speedster fit. The guy who built/owned it was well read on the 356 having owned versions of the real McCoy as well. I owned another 356 just like this one before the car you are looking at became mine. He told me once while we were showing our cars at a show that the Replica handles much better than the original due to its lightweight construction - fiberglass body and modern racing technology that is available to upgrade the engine which he did. He built it correctly using a 71-74 donor VW Beetle.
The rest of the project was a spare time hobby and no mistakes were made. I only wish I had the step by step Kodaks that he took each night to show his progress. He did the same thing with the second 356 straight body replica he built shortly thereafter selling both cars. He told me he was moving to the mountains of NC where he would continue his trade and test his results on the hairpin roads of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I have all papers showing clear title - 97 Pors 2Door in Florida. The body was purchaed in 94 so you can see how many hours were put in to put this rigg together and finally street. Important fact for customers in cold states or countries: This car like most replicas found in Florida was built for Florida's subtropical weather. There are no heat exchangers on this engine, just J-Tubes, so unfortunately there is no heat or defrost to push a button for. Let me know if you are interested in converting it over. I could at least offer those facts and figures to do so. It would not set you back that much.
This sports car is trully in like new condition. The interior looks great as well with no rips or tears. The paint glows and the engine sounds deep throaty, no pun intended, and recently tweaked in. See Repair document with pics. I dare anyone to find a Speedster like this one for the price. You would pay between 25k and 35k for a turnkey. The turnkeys that I've seen out there built by CMC frankly aren't that great. They had ugly gold rims, cheap bolt on roll bars, and used cheap parts charging clients arms and legs. Not in this car! Only quality components were bolted in...
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Write me at JFScaturo@Hotmail.com or call me on my cell 305-725-3535 after 9:00pm Eastern Miami time. The best time to call me is anytime on the weekends. I stay out late sometimes!
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