I will not insult everyone by attempting to align this car with James Dean’s career and tragic ending or pretend this is the real 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder that sold at Bonhams' for 6.1 million dollars recently. This car is a beautiful, incredibly light, very fast replica built by Vintage Motor Cars in Stanton, California in about 2008 that has only accumulated 13,643 miles.

The fit and finish of the body is remarkable, the seams and door fits are even and the body straight as a pin. The paint is almost without fault other then a couple of small marks on the front. The tube chassis that supports it and the drive train is beautifully put together with welds uniform and professional through out. The front deck lid and rear engine cover are well finished underneath and fit as good or better then the factory built Corvettes we have had come through the shop. There are no stress cracks or signs of impact anywhere in the bodywork, it could have been built this year.

The interior is done in red leather with racing style lap belts to hold the occupants securely. The front luggage compartment will hold a couple of small suitcases for longer trips, but you should make sure it is not going to rain as there is no soft top, only a Tonneau cover that snaps in place over the passenger area. There is a set of Neal Hydraulic Pedals operating the Clutch and Brakes.

The best part is when the rear engine hatch is lifted. What a sight. CB Performance supplied a 2276cc Type 1 Engine topped by Weber 44 IDF Carburetors on either side. A 911 Engine Fan Shroud sits on top of the motor, driven by the crank pulley using Electronic Ignition for spark. There is a Remote Oil Cooler attached to the rear firewall with a thermostatically controlled fan along with a massive CB Performance Oil Sump under the engine, everything filtered by a remote filter mounted under the oil cooler. A Swing Axle Transmission is installed with a Billet Side Cover on the Ring Gear Side of the housing which we believe was supplied by CB Performance running 3.88 gears. There are disk brakes in front with drums in the rear, both covered by aluminum covers replicating the original look of the factory aluminum drum brakes as installed by Porsche on the original car.

The estimated weight of the car is less then 1,500 pounds and the engine is said to be putting out over 180hp. Simple math would suggest this to be very quick and quite a boost over the original car that ran with 110hp. Not just a pretty face but entertaining as well!

Miles are 13,643 and the VIN# is 56921684R. The selling price is $36,495. For other interesting bikes and collectable vehicles, visit http://www.automaniagp.com , call 541 479 8888 or come by and see us at 895 SE Gladiola Drive, Grants Pass, Oregon, 97526. Oregon Dealer DA1287.

Automania is a Consignment Oregon Dealer selling quality, privately owned vehicles including Aprilia, Buell, BMW, Citroen, Ducati, Harley Davidson, Honda, Hummer, Kawasaki, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Nissan, Ossa, Piaggio, Suzuki, Triumph, Vespa, Classic Hot Rods, Buick, Dodge, Ford, Chevrolet, Lamborghini, MG, Packard, Porsche, Rover, Shelby, Toyota, Triumph, Volkswagen and any other vehicle of interest