Porsche replicas made in Bremen

    BREMEN - Only 90 Porsche 550 Spyders were ever made. The car gave Porsche its first win in the 1956 Targa Florio and is famous for being the car James Dean died in. The price tag for such a rare piece of vehicular history: $1 million. To own one you'd either have to be a millionaire or steal one.

    Or just call Kevin Hines.

    He and his son, Carey Hines, of Special Editions Inc. build replica 550 Spyders and make them available for a cool $35,000. They also replicate the Porsche Speedster 356A, another very rare and expensive piece of automobile history for about the same price.

 

    Hines was always a big fan of classic sports cars and wanted to make a career around them.

  
    "It's definitely a labor of love," said Hines. "I'm fortunate I can make a living at what I love to do and equally as important work with my son."

    After living in Brazil and working with production companies of classic cars, Hines moved around a bit before settling in Bremen about 10 years ago to assemble the cars in the states. Now the father-son duo, along with five assembly workers, make the cars at their North Street location in Bremen. Though the cars are assembled here, the parts come from all over the world including South America , China, Italy and the good old USA.

    Though both cars are '50s replicas, there's nothing classic about how they perform. Despite having engines that only produce 75-125 horsepower, their extremely light chassis and low ride makes them very fast and maneuverable. With an impressive 0-60 in 6.7 for the stock Speedster and just 5.5 for the stock Spyder, these cars can compete with almost any new car on the road today. Both cars can also be upgraded for around $2,000 to bring the Speedsters 0-60 time down to 5.0 seconds and the Spyders to a face-warping 4.2 seconds

    To build one of these "little giants," it takes about 12 weeks from the moment you order one, to have it in your driveway. However, it only takes about a week to assemble one of these cars from scratch. Both cars offer an enormous amount of options and add-ons from the rearview mirrors to the interior.

    "Really no two are alike," said Hines. They look alike, but they have their own personalities."

    They come with a 12-month or 12,000-mile warranty and seven dealers in almost every major city that service or sell these vehicles.

    The mechanically inclined can build their own. The Hines sell a kit for $19,000 that includes everything needed to build a Spyder or Speedster minus the brakes, transaxles, engine, lights and trim. It comes already upholstered, painted and with complete wiring. The average build time for these is estimated between 20 and 30 hours.    

    To date, Special Editions Inc. has made over 2,000 Spyders and 400 Speedsters. The performance and racing ability of the replica cars Special Editions Inc. makes is so well-known that it has landed them in magazines such as Motor Trend, Car & Driver and even the New York Times. They were also on the television show, "Blow It Up" which was aired on the Speed network and has clients the likes of Slash from Guns N' Roses, and the classic car lover Jay Leno.

    This may leave you scratching your head and wondering why Jay Leno or Slash would buy a replica. Surely they have the funds to afford an original. Hines believes most of his clients can afford it. So why a replica?

    "They just know they don't want an original Speedster for $250,000," he said.  "They just want something they can drive and have fun, take to their summer home ... restored vintage cars only stay that way if you don't drive it."