The Porsche 356 Speedster is a car all but a very, very select few can even consider owning, so most will inevitably turn to kit maker Chesil to realise those dreams.
Originally the VW-based replicas were built near Bridport in Dorset, having been started by Peter Bailey in 1991. Westfield took ownership of the family-run company in 2019 and today, thanks to the saviour of Westfield, every Chesil or Chesil kit are handmade right here in Bicester.
The Speedsters are produce on the same shop floor as they Caterham-like siblings, under the guidance of Classic Project Shop’s Simeon Cattle.
Like the Westfield, you’ll find an example of the three-model range on Local Heroes at the Scramble on Sunday 23 April.
Seeing a Chesil in the glassfibre really brings home how faithful these replicas are to the original, now million-dollar Porsche. Even down to the low folding room that separates the Speedster from the convertible.
Chesil is also protecting its future by joining the plug-in revolution. The E-Speedster sits alongside the aircooled traditional cars in the catalogue, with a range of up to 200 miles, 0-60mph time of around seven seconds and an output of 160bhp. Naturally the chassis has been strengthened to cope with the extra power and torque.
Like with sister company Westfield, you can tackle the build yourself or have the team at Bicester do the hard work for you, leaving you to simply enjoy the result.
There are two options for a combustion engine Chesil, the Heritage that makes use of a VW Beetle and the in-house developed Speedster with modern, reliable mechanicals.
You’ll find a Chesil Speedster on Local Heroes by Building 123 at the Scramble on Sunday 23 April.