Hampshire

So, I started this build way back in 2019, with the chassis from my 1972 Beetle.

 

I shortened the chassis by 300mm and added extra strengthening as I wanted a good rigid base for the Speedster. The gear lever and hand brake were also moved back by 50mm to improve the position. Front suspension is a RED9 fully independent adjustable coil over set with rack and pinion steering to which I added 11” cross drilled discs and Willwood callipers and a tubular anti roll bar. The rear is Beetle with dropped adjustable spring plates, short gas shock, travel limited to stop wheel tuck, anti-roll bar, Empi cross-drilled disc brakes and a truss between shock towers that also goes down to the gearbox mount. The gearbox and motor have been raised by 1” and the gearbox also has a mid-mount and heavy duty mountings and you will see from the photos that the car is “flat bottomed” and has belly pans. 

​

The engine is a Type 1 with 87mm barrels and a 74mm crank to give 1760cc, W100 cam, straight cut cam gears, ported 044 heads, all internals are forged and balanced, with twin 34 ICT Webers on ported and modified manifolds, Type 4 oil cooler conversion, oil pump with filter, electronic ignition, electric fuel pump and regulator, full breather set up and a CSP stainless exhaust with modified tips. I was lucky that all the major parts I wanted from Europe & USA, I managed to get before Brexit and Covid hit us, so things slowed down a bit after that.

​

 I ordered the kit from Speedster Clinic in June 2021 and when it arrived it went straight on the rolling chassis A hole was cut for a new fuel tank, pedal box fitted, hard fuel line run, wiring harness made, brake line and hydraulic clutch line all run through chassis. I sunk the “Aston type” filler cap into the wing and did a few other body mods. 

​

The interior uses recovered “MX-5” seats, I made matching door cards, electronic speedo and rev counter plus auxiliary gauges. The roll hoops were made up and welded to a cross bar that bolts through to the sub-chassis and includes the seat belt mounts. There are many other little mods all over the car, and I am very lucky that I can carry out all this work myself and with the help of a good friend who is a certified welder.

​

The Speedster went straight through the IVA test in August and is now fully legal and on the road in September 2024, I am not going to finish the paint now until 2025, as its time to use as much as I can, weather permitting.