There’s a lot of weird, wild stuff on eBay. Right now, someone is selling molds, jigs, and plans to build your own replica of a classic Porsche. You could make a 550 Spyder, 356 Speedster, or 356 Super 90, all of which are very desirable replicas.
The listing is a little vague about who exactly is selling this stuff, but it claims to be from a “world recognized replica car manufacturer, known to build the best 550 Spyder replicas in the market since 1987.” We’re not sure what that means and the eBay profile doesn’t give us much more information. All we know is that they’re based in Brazil and they’re not normally very active on eBay.
So what do you actually get? You get jigs and molds which are used with raw materials to make the body, floor, and other individual parts that make the shell of the car. Just add a drivetrain and some seats and you’re ready to go. It also comes with a Microsoft Access file that contains everything you need to know about suppliers, applications, and basically directions on how to use this stuff. They even throw in a master chassis of a Super 90 to work off of. Perhaps most importantly, you get the trademark to make and sell these replicas.
If you’ve ever wanted to get into the replica Porsche business, this is actually an excellent opportunity. You’d need a commercial building and a supplier for engines, transmissions, and suspension parts, but these replica kits would be a great start for a business.
The listing gives a suggestion of what to use for a drivetrain. It recommends a Subaru EJ20 boxer engine which is getting pretty popular in Porsche replicas. It’s a true flat four with some modern engineering and technology. It’s quick enough to do a Porsche replica justice, it has the right sound, and it’s reliable enough that you can actually drive it regularly without a lot of headaches. For a transmission, the listing suggests a VW transaxle gearbox.
The seller is ambitiously asking a Buy it Now price of $250,000 USD or best offer for everything. As of this writing, there’s one day left on the auction with 93 people watching it and 5 inquiries made. There’s a decent chance the seller won’t get an offer he likes and relist it, so keep an eye out.
A quarter-million dollars sounds like a lot, especially considering you don’t even get an actual car out of the deal. If you just want a nice Porsche replica, you’re not really the target audience for this auction. It’s really aimed at people looking to get a business going making and selling replica Porsche 550s and Porsche 356s.
Of course a replica will never be as desirable or as valuable as the real deal, but replicas have many advantages over original survivors. Like we mentioned earlier, a modern Subaru engine is in many ways superior to a mid-century Porsche engine. You can get a replica brand new meaning it’s in brand new condition with a new body, new paint, a new interior, new everything! If you’re buying a real classic Porsche, it has decades of ownership under its belt. By the time it gets to you, all you can do it hope the previous owner(s) took really good care of it.
My favorite thing about replicas is the price! You might be surprised by how little a brand new replica of a classic car costs. Many of them are about the price of a moderately priced new car and much cheaper than any brand new Porsche. Replicas are a great way to get the aesthetic of a classic on a budget with many of the perks of a brand new car.
Scope out your local area and see if anyone is filling the classic Porsche replica market around you. If you live in a dry spot for this specific niche, you could make a profitable business starting with this bizarre eBay auction. It might be worth asking around at car meets and doing a little bit of your own market research to see if there’s a market for these things near you.
Other than the steep price tag, another thing to consider is the fact that you’re on your own for shipping. It’s local pick-up only and this stuff is in Brazil. The logistics of moving this stuff to your shop will probably add a significant amount to the pricetag.
If, for some reason, you’re not considering starting your own replica Porsche shop or if you don’t have $250,000 sitting in your PayPal account, this is still a cool eBay listing to check out. They have pictures of the jigs and molds along with some of the finished products and they’re gorgeous. It’s easy to see that whoever put this stuff together really knew what they were doing. To the untrained eye, these cars look like they easily could have come out of Stuttgart, not your garage at home.