Kit Car Builder, February 2005

The blazing red car you see here was built by Thunder Ranch for San Diegan, Chuck Hirsch. Chuck is a regular at the Ranch and had the opportunity for considerable input while the car was being constructed. The goal here was to give the Speedster some 1958 Porsche GT touches that are fairly atypical in the 356- replica world. Chuck's car got a louvered decklid, some Deco bumpers and an "austere" (his word) cockpit, in keeping with the '58 model. The car will soon wear a GT- style rollbar as well.

Chuck has only put a bit over 800 miles on his Speedster since delivery, but he reports a great deal of satisfaction so far with the 2275cc air- cooled mill. Thunder Ranch used a brand- new Scat zero- mile block, good for about 150 horsepower. In addition to some solid internal components like a chromemoly billet crankshaft, a pair of 44 mm Weber carbs were added along with a 1.5 quart oil sump and a remote oil cooler mounted in the wheelwell. Keeping things cool on a VW engine is key to longevity so, along with the oil cooling gear, an optional Thunder Ranch 911- style fan and shroud system, with an integrated alternator, was also added. Chuck reports very little movement of the needle on the temp gauge, even during a hard run last summer in the Arizona desert.

We're so used to seeing a bunch of Cobra replicas with racecar- stark interiors, so we'd have to disagree a little with Chuck when he describes his Speedster's interior as "austere." After all, it has upholstered door panels, square-weave carpeting, coco mats, upholstered dash, leather swathed bucket seats, a fitted tonneau cover, full instrumentation, chrome fire extinguisher and a wood Nardi wheel. What more could you want?

The Thunder Ranch Speedster is available in several levels from a Basic Kit ($8,995) to full- on turnkey. The company also offers a list of options including several engine choices. If you really looked into thecomposition of the kit car marketplace, 356 Speedster replicas probably rank second (to Cobra replicas) in terms of units sold overall, though from the outside it would appear to be a very small portion given the handful of companies offering them. It is an enduring design that just seems to get better with age, particularly when companies come to market with new stuff like this TR bathtub