Just how bad a idea is one of these things. I have had 3 356 replicas, and a couple real ones, and I love the heck out of them but always end up selling due to perceived safety issues. This is way, way lower and even more crazy.
The one I am looking has only the basics, wide five brakes, freeway flyer box, 1776 motor, better shifter and no major interior upgrades. lets just say sub 22K.
Properly registered in California under SB100. Would mean no more space in the garage for building another hot rod and more then likely keep me from going bonkers on the Viper upgrades. But ACVW means that I could go nuts on this in the future.
In before Little Bastard reference.
Also, buy it, make it safe by making it fast enough to power out of dangerous situations.
Did you buy it yet??? What are you waiting for? :D
It's a kit car.
You'll die!
It will break all the time and cost too much to fix it!
Everyone will laugh because you don't have a real car!
It's not a real car!
ad infinitum 
yamaha
UberDork
6/21/13 10:26 p.m.
There aren't any '40 Fords around you are there?
Guy near me has a "550 Spyder" that he shows and drives occasionally. He swears it's real, even when you point out the fiberglass body. And the VW engine. Then he says "it's real - I wrecked it, but it's the 550 frame, I had to use a VW engine and a Beck body to restore it."
Right.
If he'd just enter it as a Beck 550, all of us hard-core guys would love the car. 550 kits are cool, I'd love one (although I'd REALLY love a Beck 904) - I just wish some kit car people wouldn't try to pass them off as the real thing. They shouldn't have to feel the need, good kits are really cool, a good Cobra-type kit can actually be a better car than the original.
Slippery wrote:
Did you buy it yet??? What are you waiting for? :D
Waiting on a response from the seller to my offer. I low balled him but I was on the fence at the time.
I would love a 904 but flat out I do not fit in it. With the lowered seats in the the 550's and next to no padding I don't look like to much of a monkey humping a football. I have had more then enough kit cars to know what I a getting myself into.
Chuck Beck is a cool motherberkeleyer. I think that's all I have to add. Sorry.
Last Sunday, somebody actually brought a real one of these to our local C&C; he had even driven in the Mille Miglia.
From what I understand, most of them are based off of VWs. Back in 2007, Car and Driver had an article n these- http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/build-your-own-supercars-specialty-file-2001-thunder-ranch-550a-spyder-page-3
the Beck 550s are very cool and well thought out. They might be better than the originals
These guys are close to me:
http://www.alloycars.com/
I've always wanted to check out their 550 aluminum replica but they are way too expensive. They use Porsche motors and are made to the Porsche blueprint.
poopshovel wrote:
Chuck Beck is a cool motherberkeleyer. I think that's all I have to add. Sorry.
Yes he is, I have met him a few times.
Also I actually sat in a real 550 twice in my life. Both time I was blown away and the thing was just sitting there.
Those 550 replicas are tied with the FF Cobra in the "Most Likely To Spin" voting.
In reply to jstein77:
Where's the fun if it isn't actively trying to kill you?
jstein77 wrote:
Those 550 replicas are tied with the FF Cobra in the "Most Likely To Spin" voting.
I can't imagine why, unless it's the drivers. Who is the typical buyer?
alex
UberDork
6/22/13 9:19 p.m.
All I can add is that I've wanted one for a long time. I will probably look like I'm driving a Power Wheels car, but I also won't give a damn.
In reply to alex:
I am quite confused how a grown man, let alone two of them, fits in that thing, but those are minor details when you have something that cool.
alex
UberDork
6/23/13 12:13 a.m.
wearymicrobe, care to share your 356 replica experiences? Both the 550 and 356 are on my bucket list, and recently the 356 has been creeping up in priority.
Two things... I see some guy in Covington Kentucky has one of these, I see him drive by from time to time and the car is cool. Secondly, people tend to bash VW's and I don't know why. Who cares, VW engines can make a lot of power and be a lot of fun.
All of you kit car bashers make me laugh. Usually the complaints come because the car you built or saw was poorly designed or built. Beck Cars are very well built, I'd love one. My SuperStalker is daily driver reliable. Granted, there tends to be a little more emphasis on performance over comfort but if you want comfort buy a Lincoln Town Car
alex
UberDork
6/23/13 7:08 p.m.
Where are the kit car bashers?
550 Spyder is one of the all-time good lookers. Even if you sell it after 6 months, you still get to say you owned one once.
