Beck is still in business in the Upland, California area. I ran into him at
a vintage race recently where he had the Spyder and a Lister/Chevy replica
on display. I've always loved the Spyders, I see one 2-3 days a week on my
daily commute, but that Lister replica is just too cool for words. A 1500 lb
tube frame chassis with a small block Chevy and totally street legal. I
think I'd paint mine yellow<g>.
--
don
New GPL Program Covers for Converted Tracks:
http://www.ianparker1.clara.co.uk/clara.net/i/a/n/ianparker1/webspace/gpl/
"John Bodin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:8MnW4.588$[email hidden]...
> I really love the various older Porsches in NFSPU, especially the 550
> Spyder. I've never really been a true-blue Porsche afficionado, but the
550
> Spyder in NFSPU rekindled my love for that particular model, and it got me
> to thinking about past reviews that I've seen for older Porsches and
> replicas, so I went through my old back issues of Car & Driver, and I ran
> across an issue that recalled saving specifically for one article in
> particular. The issue is dated September 1988, and the article is about a
> 550 Spyder replica called the Beck Vintage 550 Spyder. The designer
> basically used an original 550 Spyder as as the master for the fiberglass
> body molds, and then bent frame tubes virtually identical to the 550's,
and
> applied VW Beetle suspension and drivetrain pieces to complete the
package.
>
> According to the Car & Driver article, the Vintage 550 is a tidy and
fairly
> authentic 550 replica, and the description of the Vintage 550 Spyder's
> handling reaffirmed my belief that NFSPU's driving physics are pretty much
> dead-on -- the 550 in NFSPU handles remarkably like the 550 Spyder
replica.
> Here's an excerpt from the article:
>
> =====
>
> Beck Vintage 550 Spyder
> Classic Evil
>
> The Vintage 550 Spyder, a near clone of the famous 550 Spyder, is the
> product of Beck Development, of Upland, California.
>
<snipped the C&D article>
There is a comparison of various "replicas", including the Beck Spyder and
Lister Chevy, in the latest Road & Track. Verrry nice cars.
Stephen
"don hodgdon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:8gd3ov$pp7$[email hidden]...
> Beck is still in business in the Upland, California area. I ran into himat
> a vintage race recently where he had the Spyder and a Lister/Chevy replica
> on display. I've always loved the Spyders, I see one 2-3 days a week on my
> daily commute, but that Lister replica is just too cool for words. A 1500lb
me
> > to thinking about past reviews that I've seen for older Porsches and
> > replicas, so I went through my old back issues of Car & Driver, and Iran
> > across an issue that recalled saving specifically for one article in
> > particular. The issue is dated September 1988, and the article is abouta
> > 550 Spyder replica called the Beck Vintage 550 Spyder. The designer
> > basically used an original 550 Spyder as as the master for thefiberglass
ch
Quoted text (14 lines)
> tube frame chassis with a small block Chevy and totally street legal. I > think I'd paint mine yellow<g>. > -- > don > > New GPL Program Covers for Converted Tracks: > http://www.ianparker1.clara.co.uk/clara.net/i/a/n/ianparker1/webspace/gpl/ > > "John Bodin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:8MnW4.588$[email hidden]... > > I really love the various older Porsches in NFSPU, especially the 550 > > Spyder. I've never really been a true-blue Porsche afficionado, but the > 550 > > Spyder in NFSPU rekindled my love for that particular model, and it gotQuoted text (9 lines)
> > body molds, and then bent frame tubes virtually identical to the 550's, > and > > applied VW Beetle suspension and drivetrain pieces to complete the > package. > > > > According to the Car & Driver article, the Vintage 550 is a tidy and > fairly > > authentic 550 replica, and the description of the Vintage 550 Spyder's > > handling reaffirmed my belief that NFSPU's driving physics are pretty muQuoted text (15 lines)
> > dead-on -- the 550 in NFSPU handles remarkably like the 550 Spyder > replica. > > Here's an excerpt from the article: > > > > ===== > > > > Beck Vintage 550 Spyder > > Classic Evil > > > > The Vintage 550 Spyder, a near clone of the famous 550 Spyder, is the > > product of Beck Development, of Upland, California. > > > <snipped the C&D article> > >I really love the various older Porsches in NFSPU, especially the 550
Spyder. I've never really been a true-blue Porsche afficionado, but the 550
Spyder in NFSPU rekindled my love for that particular model, and it got me
to thinking about past reviews that I've seen for older Porsches and
replicas, so I went through my old back issues of Car & Driver, and I ran
across an issue that recalled saving specifically for one article in
particular. The issue is dated September 1988, and the article is about a
550 Spyder replica called the Beck Vintage 550 Spyder. The designer
basically used an original 550 Spyder as as the master for the fiberglass
body molds, and then bent frame tubes virtually identical to the 550's, and
applied VW Beetle suspension and drivetrain pieces to complete the package.
According to the Car & Driver article, the Vintage 550 is a tidy and fairly
authentic 550 replica, and the description of the Vintage 550 Spyder's
handling reaffirmed my belief that NFSPU's driving physics are pretty much
dead-on -- the 550 in NFSPU handles remarkably like the 550 Spyder replica.
Here's an excerpt from the article:
=====
Beck Vintage 550 Spyder
Classic Evil
The Vintage 550 Spyder, a near clone of the famous 550 Spyder, is the
product of Beck Development, of Upland, California.
The Spyder's acceleration numbers are impressive, but the fun-house doors
really fly open on a winding road. We have to warn you; at the limit, or
even in its neighborhood, this car is only for the stout of heart and the
quick of reflex. That limit is fairly high -- we turned 0.82 g on our
skidpad -- but the Spyder keeps you busy all the way.
First off, there is so much power on hand for the skinny tires that you'll
get wheelspin just accelerating normally in a straight line. And whatever
school of cornering technique you graduated from, getting through a corner
smoothly in this car is an exercise in delicacy, car savvy, and guts. In
other words, it's next to impossible to keep the Spyder from swapping ends.
Trail-braking makes it want to swap ends. Braking in a straight line makes
it want to swap ends. Tiptoeing around like a baloonfoot in his first race
makes it want to swap ends. Looking at it parked in the pits makes it want
to swap ends. This is evil handling, the kind of tail-happiness we remember
from the good old days, before computers and highly hysterical tires taught
suspension engineers that automobiles could go around corners like slot
cars. In a word, this car is just plain fun -- provided that the road is
wide, the traffic light, and there is nothing solid to hit in your runoff
areas.
=====
When the article was written in 1988, a fully finished, made-in-Brazil,
ready-to-oversteer Spyder with a stock 65-hp 1.6-liter engine would have
cost you $15,900.
You can check out the entire Car & Driver article here:
http://www.spyderclub.com/articles/beckCD88/beckCD1988.htm
Unfortunately, Beck Development doesn't have an active Web site, but I did
find one for Dream Vehicles, Inc. -- they also make a 550 Spyder replica.
Current pricing for their base model Spyder is $18,900, according to their
Web site:
http://dreamvehicles.com/replicas/spyder550.html
I can almost afford that kind of money -- now if I can just convince the
wife that we need one!
--- JB
On Mon, 22 May 2000 23:19:13 -0500, "John Bodin"
<[email hidden]> wrote:
and what is more this UK-based r.a.s. lurker and occasional VROC
mobile chicane is actually building a 550 Spyder replica !
Pictures to follow
Ian
