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Topic starter
01/06/2025 2:40 pm
After WWll, GIs returning from the European Theater of Operations came home with a yen for little European sports cars. Some actually brought some home like British MGs. Porsche was dying to tap into the American market. To provide a speedy little car that would be within a vet's budget, they offered in 1954, the Porsche 356 stripped to the core called the Speedster that sold for just under $3000, about $750 less than the coupe or cabriolet. With its detachable windscreen, it was seen as race ready in the under 2.0 liter class and 3944 were produced. In later models the engine was upgraded to 1600 ccs making it quite a little powerhouse.
AUTOart produced what was the first Speedster produced and its spartan appearance seemed to fit the bill (even a heater was optional). Then, years later, AUTOart issued their "Revised" model with an entirely different dash configuration with two patches of red padding for two occupants:
which seems a bit too opulent for the stripped down version that was touted. The dash configuration changed over the years with production ending with the advent of the 911 in 1965. So, there can't be two different #Ones, and I really am at a loss here.
Note: the Maisto Speedster's dash is laid out the same as the first AUTOart edition:
01/06/2025 3:33 pm
Rich, this is an AWESOME model, and those are great pics! You just gotta love the simplicity of this thing! 😎 😎 😎 😎
Rich Sufficool reacted
01/06/2025 11:41 pm
In any case, these are fine images of this exceptionally cool car and model. What type was James Dean's final Porsche the "Lil' Bastard" ? It was a neat automobile with a short, very sad and tragic history.
Christopher Moroni and Rich Sufficool reacted
02/06/2025 7:09 am
Another great writeup Rich. I always learn something from your writeups and pictures. I have the model and now a bit more of the 1/1 history.
Rich Sufficool reacted
02/06/2025 6:15 pm
It looks like a very remarkable 1/24 diecast replica. There are some remarkable details here.
Many years ago I had a photo book called "Cars of the Stars" and it showed and discussed many of the automobiles that Hollywood stars drove. One car was the James Dean 1955 Porsche and mentioned the crashed car went on a flatbed truck sponsored by the State Police to promote the importance of highway safety. At some point perhaps in the late '50's or early '60's the car's remains disappeared and were never seen again.
Christopher Moroni reacted
03/06/2025 12:34 am
03/06/2025 8:19 am
@marty-johnson I just knew you'd chime in with these pics! 😎 😎
Marty Johnson and Rich Sufficool reacted
04/06/2025 8:59 am
@marty-johnson Well, my initial thought was, "That looks like the Mission Inn." 🤔 🤨