Pilgrim Speedster :: FactFile

The original Porsche Speedster of the 1950s was rare and fashionable. Less than 5,000 such cars were made. As nostalgia built up, replica Speedsters were produced. Complete with its glass-fibre two-seater body, which is an accurate copy of the original Speedster shape, the rear-engined Pilgrim 356 Speedster two-seater provides all the charm of the 1950s Porsche, at a much lower price.

Speedster replicas are built in several countries - notably in the USA and in the UK - all of them being based on the VW Beetle steel platform and suspension. Although the most authentic replicas use flat-four VW-based engines (just as the real Speedster did in the 1950s), all manner of modern engines have been used. Speedster replicas which utilise the pre-1971 VW Beetle platform therefore have the authentic torsion bar suspension at front and rear. Although Porsche Speedsters had drum brakes, many replicas used front disc brake conversion kits to match the extra power of the modern engines.

Most Speedster replicas are made individually from complete body kits provided by manufacturers. Owners usually find their own VW Beetle donor cars, stripping off the entire body shell, and using the refurbished platform. Depending on the specification, a 1.6-litre Beetle-engined replica can be built for less than £12,000. Because the GRP body is corrosion resistant, this can be a very long-lived machine.