VANCOUVER -- Back in the 1980s, just about everyone, it seemed, had a replica kit car of some kind on the market. There were resurrected Jaguar SSs, bogus Lotus Super Sevens, fake AC Cobras, phony Morgans, Volkswagen-engined MGTDs and even ersatz Austin-Healeys being put forward by companies that seemed to fade into oblivion as fast as they appeared.
One of the more popular repro models was the Porsche 356 Speedster. Because of its distinctive design, relatively affordable drive train and simple construction, it was a natural for any backyard mechanic with a knowledge of fibreglass, a set of tools and a few active brain cells.
For a while there, faux Speedsters were popping up all over the place, often hastily built and treacherous to drive. Needless to say, most of the manufacturers of these cars are long gone.
The exception is Canadian builder Intermeccanica, which has been quietly selling second-generation Porsche 356 Speedsters and Roadsters for more 25 years. The reason they sell them quietly is because, in truly Canadian fashion, you can't buy one in this country unless you live in British Columbia.
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Intermeccanica was formed in 1959 in Turin, Italy. Founder Frank Reisner started out building performance kits for assorted Renault, Simca and Peugeot models, and moved on to various concept cars and one-off customs.
In the early 1970s, Reisner, along with distributor Erich Bitter, introduced the Indra sedan, which was eventually adapted by German manufacturer Opel and later repackaged and marketed as the Bitter CD.
Reisner also developed a Ford Mustang station wagon prototype, the Apollo 2+2 coupe, and eventually the Intermeccanica 356 Speedster replicar. In 1969, Intermeccanica had three different models on display at the New York Auto Show.
In his own way, Frank Reisner was as intriguing and iconic a character as Carroll Shelby or Preston Tucker and, if he'd been an American, they'd probably have made a movie about him by now.
Frank passed away several years ago and his son, Henry, has taken over the reins of Intermeccanica. Business is steady, and about two Speedsters and Roadsters per month roll out of the shop on Vancouver's Lower East Side.
Briefly put, Intermeccanicas are modelled after the 1958-59 Porsche 356A Speedster and constructed with a fibreglass body shell mounted on a stiff square steel chassis. Buyers can choose whatever paint scheme, trim, performance level and accessories they want.
Standard equipment includes things like a cloth top, roll-up windows, front disc brakes, four-speed transmission and a heater/defroster that actually works. Options are virtually endless, with leather interior, tonneau cover, air conditioning, power windows, heated seats, keyless entry and all the usual mod-cons.
Everything is handmade and the chassis is strong enough to handle just about any drive train you care to put in it. The engine of choice for most buyers is usually a "flat-four" VW boxer in varying degrees of tune, but you can actually squeeze a six-cylinder Porsche engine back there and there are plans afoot to start utilizing a Golf in-line four-cylinder.
"Our biggest markets are the U.S. and Japan," explains Henry Reisner, "but the strong Canadian dollar is really hurting us these days."
Unfortunately, there is no relief to be found in the great white north, because Transport Canada has decreed that the Intermeccanica is not suitable for Canadian drivers. If you live in B.C., you can buy one new, but elsewhere -- including the potentially lucrative Ontario and Alberta markets -- it is verboten to sell the Intermeccanica.
The problem, in a nutshell, is that, in order to sell the Intermeccanica across the country, Reisner would have to crash test it, comply with federal emissions standards and meet current new-car safety regulations.
Conform to all the same regulations as the major manufacturers, in other words. All of which would destroy the essential character of the car and is pretty tough sledding for a company that sells maybe 24 cars in a good year. The Intermeccanica is, after all, based on a 47-year-old design.
"It's not a matter of us not wanting to certify the car," adds Reisner, "but we simply can't do it with this design. I'd rather tackle this issue head-on than get around it, but right now, I'll do what I have to."
And there may be light at the end of the tunnel. "We had a customer, in Montreal, who bought one used and wanted to know why it wasn't available new. As it turns out, he is also a lawyer and basically spent a year of his own time getting to the heart of the problem.
"We expect to establish a new dealership for the car in Canada and hopefully introduce the Intermeccanica to the rest of the country within the next few months."
Also on the horizon is a change of engines. Because Brazil and Mexico no longer manufacture the old VW Beetle, Reisner's source of engines and components is gradually drying up. He does have a supplier in California, but VW's in-line, water-cooled, fuel-injected, Golf four cylinder is a likely replacement.
"For smog-certification purposes, we have no choice but to use the Golf engine. We have gone as far as we can with the flat-four."
However, for hard-core purists, the air-cooled boxer engine will never go away completely.
Prices for the Intermeccanica start at $40,685 for the low-windshield Speedster model, and each one takes about six months to build. For more info, visit: http://www.intermeccanica.com
