As a fan of all things Speedster and 356, I keep a keen eye not only on the UK scene (Chesil is hopefully making a comeback soon) but worldwide.
In the USA there are some fine manufacturers of 356/Speedsters in kit and/or fully built.
One that that I have heard good things about is Kitman Motors from Austin, Texas. Quite by coincidence, Kitman CEO, Andrew Namminga reached out across the Atlantic – all 4963 miles of it door to door!
Latest development from the company is the PRO Series launched in July 2026. Andrew tells me that the first kits are in customers’ hands. Andrew told me: “The kit world has sold the same old stuff for years; PRO is built to a higher standard for a new generation of builders. Our kits come with perfectly fitted doors, while (bonnet) hood and decklid come pre-hung. A built-in subframe bolts to the modified VW pan, saving about 40 hours of glassfibre work for a better-finished car.
”My colleague Danny and I are a two-person team and we fabricate chassis and build every kit in-house.”
Their PRO range features replica 356 Speedster and 356 Coupe (with kit prices from $14,500) and also a 550 Spyder replica. Power comes from a traditional air-cooled VW Beetle or Subaru Impreza power.
They are happy to talk to UK and European customers and are happy to talk about shipping to overseas destinations.
More from www.kitmanmotors.com or call 001 512 666 4385.