Jun
5
Alan’s “359 Speedster” (356 meets 959) was the 202nd made by CMC, so he writes that there must have been at least that many, plus the ones that Thunder Ranch later built — one just sold on eBay to a guy in Calgary for $2,500 he says.
I have always thought that this kit was very well done..Great lines and big potential. I’m searching for a montage now, but this will be on my short list.
Just to clarify,,, the ThunderRanch kit that went to a Calgary buyer, was the shell only,, unbuilt, no chassis or powertrain. Boy !! I wish I had bought it up !!
Alan
Well,, Scot,,
Just saw this on Ebay. Depending on how the bid goes,, it could be a very good buy for someone, as long as they are up for the work !! Someone must have been sitting on this kit for about 20 years,,, I think,, And it looks to be in excellent condition,,, regards, Alan
Just for the record,, the 359 that I previously mentioned just sold on Ebay for $3100.us. That was a great buy on a complete unbuilt kit. Wish I’d had the time and money to buy it up. I hope the new owner finds us on this forum too.
My father-in-law bought the Ebay 359,and asked me if I wanted to build it for myself.He was going to build just to sell.I’ve agonised over the desicion to keep it.I don’t think I’ll find anything this rare again,in the perfect condition it is in.So I’m going to give it a try,this will be my first kit.The only parts missing from this unit are the headlight lens(959 style),I need some sugestions on what to do…
Wes,,
By all means,, get in touch !! I am thrilled to find someone to discuss 359’s with.
Alan
Believe or not I built several of these for CMC including one with a Porsche 6 and one with a Mazda rotary as wellas one I helped a customer build up in Port St. Lucie.
For the headlight lens I suggest using a plain piece of plexi, the fluted lens used by the factory made driving it at night uncomfortable.
That is interesting Mike. I have the plexi in mine, and I am still uncomfortable, and I am in the process of adding some additional lighting. When ThunderRanch did a prototype on the car, they took some glass and etched a Porsche badge onto it. It looked cool, but would not have been good optically. I also spoke with a Mr. Chris Agulera, who was a parts manager at CMC. He thought the fluted lens might have been an OEM piece. btw,, here is a very clean 359, currently on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors.....0298345208
Sure am glad to hear from you Mike. I have heard stories about that Porsche 6cyl. 359 !! Stay in touch,,, Alan
To the best of my recollection fluted lens were not OEM parts and were manufactured for CMC. Personally I never cared for them and a set of H-4 bulbs with HIDs would serve you much better in the lighting department.
The Six Cylinder 359 went to Japan as I recall and was a real screamer.
There was also a 359 that was converted to run on batteries alone by a Texas university.
Check out the headlight covers that are in the ebay link I posted a couple of spots earlier. I like ethe way they blend into the fenders and front end. If I can’t post a couple of pic’s here, I will try to put them on the forum,, so check there.
Alan
After seeing this 359 posted on Ebay,, I noted that it seemed to look a tad sleeker than mine !! Then I realized that it had no rearview side mirrors,,, and so,,, now mine has none. And I like it like that !! Not sure how this auction says “no reserve” and “reserve not met” at the same time ?? could go for a very low price:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors.....enameZWDVW
I noticed on this ad’s link, that the seller states CMC only made 119 kits. I know that ThunderRanch built one or two prototypes variants,, but I don’t know if they sold production kits ??
https://www.easypeddler.com/view_automotive.asp?viewitem=10782