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Thread: Thinking About a Beck Spyder...

  1. #1

    Thinking About a Beck Spyder...

    What do the rest of you guys think about a Beck Spyder? Anyone have one, driven one, want one? I know it's a kit car, but seems like they could be a fun for not much money?
    I have seen in numerous places that they are pretty well built replicars. Never owned one, but have been playing with the idea.

  2. #2
    I've been eyeballing the Beck 904 kit car with a 2.7L/915 in it....
    Paul Schooley
    71 911T (RS wanabe w/2.7L juice)
    S Reg #863
    R Gruppe #330

  3. #3
    How tall are you? I've seen them at various events, and agree that they seem to be a well made kit car, and look like a very fun toy. Alas, I'm 6'3", 240, would NEVER fit. I'd say guys 5'10" or less will have a ball in one...
    Paul D. Early S Registry #8 - Cyclops Minister of West Coast Affairs
    "Now, to put a water-cooled engine in the rear and to have the radiator in the front, that's not very intelligent." -Ferry Porsche (PANO, Oct. 1973)

  4. #4
    PWD,
    That was one of my biggest considerations. I am 6'2" 180lbs. Could be very snug in there. Anyone tall ever been in one who can confirm that its too small for us vertically challenged guys?


  5. #5

    spyder

    I too am thinking of same thing. I read, if you have one built for you they can move the firewall back a couple if inches for people over 6'. In my case i need blocks of wood on the pedals(5'7") good luck and keep us informed.
    Mark
    1969 911S-SOLD but not forgotten.
    1973 RSC

    Early S Registry #298
    RGruppe #258

  6. #6
    I've got a 550 spyder replica for sale. Very nice shape, silver. $17,900. I'm 6' tall and fit in it just fine. The leg room is plenty. If you like the arms out steering you could always move the wheel back a bit, but it's not bad. Very similar to a early 911, at least as far as fit goes. If anyones interested give me a shout, its in the garage and my new RS rep has to sit outside. Ah jeeze.
    Tom
    email; scylla66@yahoo.com

  7. #7
    @gruen911:

    Try www.spyderclub.com to get more info on these great cars.

    Ed

  8. #8
    This is the one that has me toying with the idea.
    Looks nice from the pic's, but seems like the reserve price may be set too high for me to take the leap of faith.
    http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6058

  9. #9

    Smile Beck Spyders

    We have a really nice Beck in our local 356 Chapter and a couple that aren't so nice. The one I like has a 912 motor with S cams, etc and almost perfect fit and finish - much of it refined by its engineer owner. I am 6'2" and I have driven it alright in the modified Italian car driving position (slumped down with arms out) for an hour or two (although wind burn is a risk about about 80 mph due to the low windshield). It runs extremely well and is a real hoot for the money. Any collisions with even a Mini would be lethal. Like a Speedster, cross-country runs are only recommended for members of the "iron butt" club.

    GB68
    '55 Speedster
    '59 Sunroof coupe
    '64 Cab
    '68 911
    '04 Cayenne tow truck

  10. #10
    Early S Reg #1395 LongRanger's Avatar
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    Beck (part 1)

    Quote Originally Posted by gruen911 View Post
    . . . What do the rest of you guys think about a Beck Spyder? Anyone . . . driven one, want one? I know it's a kit car, but seems like they could be a fun . . . . playing with the idea . . .
    I vividly remember my one-and-only drive in a Beck Spyder

    Musta been the early ‘80s --- still in college + dead-broke. Twiddling thru the Sunday L.A. Times classifieds, I’d seen an ad for a Beck for sale, out in The Valley. I thought about blowing the gas money on a movie --- but I’d read about/followed Chuck Beck’s exploits over the years, and thought . . . hey! --- why not?

    So? --- gave a call, asked if the car was still available? ---- yup! . . . then jumped in + fired-up the Old Plymouth + drove on out. Warmish + hazy/smoggy day, not much traffic, but still took me an hour to find the place, trusty/well-thumbed Thomas Guide on my lap

    Dealership’ was a converted gas station, sitting out on the edge of a sprawling mid-50s-built sub-division, out in Van Nuys, somewhere. I think. Not a big business --- but still, 40-some cars jammed-in to this not-so-big lot. Pulled up, parked at the curb-side . . . didn’t see the Beck

    Got out, walked up, could see a Sales Guy through glass, sitting in a chair in the station’s office. And as I came up past those first few cars . . . . .

    Glowing. A sickly orange-tinged red, kinda ghastly, actually --- clean enough, I suppose . . . but not exactly ready for Pebble. OK, never

    And tiny . . . like, at-my-knees kinda . . .

    Introduced myself --- I’m the Guy that called + etc . . . so Sales Guy nods, stands up, shakes my hand + we walk out/over to the car . . . . + hands me the keys

    Hmm

    Notta lotta car. I’m ~6’4’’ and I’m just towering over this thing. No kidding --- thing barely comes up to my knee-caps. I jack-knife myself over, fumble ‘round inside the door, pop the release --- and I do mean pop --- touch the inside pull + boink . . . thing may’ve been made of FG but it was tight as a drum, and about as big --- smooth finish, a little dull, maybe, tight shut-lines, w/ firm + slick door pull. I remember the seat looked lumpy + rumply, and the cockpit was a little dusty inside, but . . . good enough for a Test Drive

    Getting in, almost had to stand on the seat, then negotiate/stagger-over this big bulkhead thingy that wrapped around the inside of the car, trying to get my size-twelves out under the dash + knees behind this old-fashioned kinda kooky-big steering wheel, but once in the seat . . . car fit me, fine --- like a SCUBA suit

    Steering wheel in my chest, knees bent comfortably, shifter a swing-of-the-wrist away --- I look up/right/back at the Sales Guy . . . who has taken a (few?) GIANT steps back

    Glance at the key, find/feel the throttle + brake + clutch, select . . . shifter is this kooky Gene Berg T-handle thingy, maybe 5 mm’s-worth of travel, in any direction --- more toggle-switch than anything w/ linkage . . . then? . . . key the starter

    Rrr-RRrrr-RRR-wwwwOOOOMB-ba-ba-dah-ba-ba-dah-ba-ba-dah . . . . etc

    Didn’t know what the heck was going on out back, under that lid --- but what ever was growling/prowling around back there sounded like it was in the middle of digesting some of the engine ancillaries, so --- unless I wanted to wait for this digestive process to complete? . . . . better get going

    Toggle reverse

    Clutch was, like, 5 mm of travel, too. Wumpf! Dead. Embarrassed, re-key ---- rrR-wwWOMB, re-select . . . tippy-toe back-up

    Car had a ridiculous ‘stinger-type’ exhaust . . . don’t/won’t call it a muffler. The only noise suppression it proffered was to move the racket out someplace ‘back yonder’

    Sales Guy is no where . . . prolly inside. Under his desk. Or behind a blast wall

    Toggle 1st

    The drive down + out feels like looking down a frickin’ Olympic Ski-jump --- old sub-division streets + multiple re-paves = heavily crowned. And so as soon as I so-much-as-tickle the clutch, the Beck darts out for the street. I brace for impact . . . . nothing

    Big dip taken @ some speed --- and not a creak or squawk or rattle anywhere (. . . not that I could hear it, anyway) --- totally soaked-up. Car didn’t just feel solid . . . .

    . . . more like muscular-elastic

    And fantastic

    There’s a tach, but the gearing is so suicidally low + the engine so d@mned hyper-active that the whole power-train spins to red in about a half-a-second . . .

    Toggle 2nd

    OK --- the racket in back seems to’ve subsided, some . . . or maybe it’s just being drowned-out out by all the wind noise washing over me. No top + 6-inches of clear plastic for something --- not wind protection, that’s for sure. Barely touching the gas. NO idea how fast I’m going --- I’m skating along, 2 inches off/over a suburban residential street, no traffic/reference points . . . accelerating smartly . . . no, make that stupidly ---- hopefully out of ear-shot of Sales Guy. Speedo? . . .

    It’s really all I can do to hang on

    Stop sign coming up --- fast. Pretty over-whelming, inside, small --- feel like I’m sticking out, too far. Car feels totally un-stressed --- kinda unnerving . . . but I’m still trying to adjust to the pace-vs-ease of operation curve --- uh . . . they don’t match up. At all. Just looking at the brakes? --- she stops . . . . smoothly/effortlessly/immediately

    Engine seems to have settled down (to a tiger-fight), so ---- toggle 1st, let out the clutch . . . now, this time? . . . . give it some gas

    Even on what look like bicycle tires, the Beck just blasts off. Acceleration? More like de-materilization . . . was here . . . now there --- poof! Toggle 2nd + toggle 3rd = warp speeds . . . . inch-wide expansion joints merrily punching at the tires, car’s trajectory + composure totally/utterly un-affected. Reflexively, or defensively maybe . . . I put my head down

    Speed? No idea

    Noise? Can’t hear

    I sling around a corner, head out onto a larger feeder road, engine boiling + car coasting. Motorcycle comes along, pulls up, drifts alongside. Don’t look over. Kawi GPz 550

    OK . . . I’m done. Game over
    Last edited by LongRanger; 01-08-2013 at 01:20 PM.

    .........

    We Can Be Heroes

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