Dare to Be Different:

When introduced in 1986, the Porsche 959 was the world's fastest street legal production car. Since Porsche didn't agree to supply four of these rare supercars to the EPA so that they could crush them and confirm that the car was safe enough for Americans, not a single one of these cars was steet legal in the United States.

Most people have never seen a Porsche 959, as they are now in firm 7-figure territory and thus live in automotive vaults. So driving a Porsche 959 tribute car through traffic is quite an event.

Starting in 1988, CMC in Miami, Florida offered a Porsche 959 Speedster body kit to the public. It was to be mounted on a shortened Volkswagen floorpan, welded to a tubular steel frame structure. Customers could fit a multitude of engines and transaxles, budget being the limit.

The Porsche 959 Speedster tribute car featured here was built through 2003. Initially titled in Virginia, the car made its way to California in 2008 where it's been residing ever since. In 2009 the California BAR re-certified it as a Special Construction vehicle, persuant to the California SB-100 law, and it received a clear California title. Since the car's Boxer engine dates back to 1973, the car is Smog Exempt in the Golden State and many other States of the Union.

Let's have a closer look now, starting up front.
The sparkling clean trunk houses a fuel tank, the brake master cylinder reservoir, and a battery, nothing else.

The body is constructed of reinforced fiberglass. The Speedster tonnau cover is easily removable and hides a small rear bench seat, should you desire to take man's best friend with you. Most striking, however, is how utterly stiff and solid this car is. There's no body flex and the doors and hoods shut with the typical "ping" sound of a Porsche.

The Indian Red paint appears to be all original and the car looks absolutely stunning. There are no dings, dents, scatches, or rock chips to note; however, upon close inspection, you'll notice some fine cracks in the paint.

BBS-style mesh alloys with chromed outer rim are shod with B.F. Goodrich Advantage T/A radials all around. Purchased last year, they have less than 1,000 miles on them.

The aerodynamic chrome mirrors feature LED running lights.

Dash with upholstered top frames no less than 6 round Vintage instruments.

All of the gauges and lights work, but the speedometer is too optimistic and would benefit from calibration. Mileage shown on the odometer is now 11,499, believed to be the original and total mileage since the car was built 17 years ago.

Pro Car sport seats, covered in black leatherette, are brand new. They are mounted as low as possible. Leg room is plenty, even for a long legged pilot and his or her passenger.

Utterly impressive, wide rear end, with aero wing, genuine Porsche lights, and four exhaust pipes.

Motorvation comes from a dual port Boxer that looks bone stock, but is too powerful to be just a 1.6-liter. Most likely it got 1,776cc, perhaps even more. If that's not powerful enough for your taste, you can also install a turbocharged Corvair 6 or a Porsche 3.0 SC engine if your budget allows it.

The engine is clean as a whistle and runs like a scalded cat. There are no leaks or any other issues to report.

Undercarriage is 100% rust free, as you'd expect it from a California car that has never seen a drop of rain in its lifetime.
Note the tube frame, front and back.