The International Salon de L'automobile was held at Porte Versailles Convention Center in Paris from October 3-15th. It is a very large show, featuring all the established marques and dozens of specialized automobiles for the well-heeled few. The exhibition filled seven large halls and showcased the key elements in French marketing strategy--exotic cars, well lit settings and large numbers of attractive young women to explain the details.
Efforts at automotive retro included the introduction of the new Bugatti, the reintroduction of the Mini, and the display of the Porsche Speedster, a replica car produced by PGO

More contemporary undertakings included the new Porsche Carrera GT (an Arabian prince bought 4) and the La Zonda S, built in Modena but housing a V12 Mercedes engine, and the Koenigsegg CC from Sweden but sporting a 655 hp Ford V-8. All of these offer the prospect of class without the stigma of low price.

Brushing quickly past these items of lesser interest, I spent some time talking with the representatives at the PGO booth who are producing the speedster. It is offered with a Peugeot or VW engine, and has a base price of roughly US 20,000. The interior is "moderne" with some effort to catch the 356 essence in the dashboard and instrumentation.

An assortment of extras including a tonneau cover, special paint, "un
pack deco" and "un Chassis Sport" could add another US 5,000 to the base
price. One hesitated to inquire about how a "pack deco" and "un Chassis
Sport" would add to a car that was originally conceived as "une voiture
simple" and that once epitomized un Chassis Sportif.

The first three pictures above are of the speedster, these last two are of the
cutaway, which shows part of the bodywork for the water-cooled motor. Because of the rear vents, it looks like it migh be the Spyder Replica offered by PGO. Notice the transverse mounted, mid-engined, watercooled motor behind the rear uprights. The firm had introduced this model in 1999. However, there is a "Speedster" script clearly visible on the fender. The big radiator intake in front of the rear wheel is definitely a departure from the Kommenda lines of the original.

Updated: 9/20/01

The French Auto Magazine "Motorlegend" had a recent articleon the car, in French, by Gilles Bonnafous, which has more pictures. They report the following[my apologies for the rough, computer-assisted, translation --Ed.] :

"Production began in a factory located close to Montpellier [west of Nice, on the Mediteranian coast], the first cars were delivered at the end of 1999, but moved at the beginning of 2001 to a 10,000 square meter industrial park of close to d’Alès. The factory will be able to produce in 500 cars/year in the long term.

"PGO offers two models. Speedster I, nearest to the original car, is built on the platform of the Ladybird produced in Mexico. The chassis was shortened 23.5 centimetres to eliminate the back seats. Also from the Ladybird, the 60HP [DIN] air-cooled engine is mounted behind the rear wheels. The car has some modern equipment, with disc brakes and electronic guages. Capable of 160 km/h, Speedster I is priced at 146,500 francs [~$20,720 US (credit card rate) as of 9/20/01]

"The Speedster I may fall eventually to antipollution standards. PGO wishes to offer its customers a more modern car, with a better power-weight ratio, in order to preserve the mythical image of the original. This is provided in their Speedster II. With this car, PGO applies modern techniques to achieve both good handling and a feeling of speed with the classic car look.

"In the Speedster II, the format of the original Speedster was preserved, like its external dimensions. The overall length, however, was lengthened 12cm. It is now close to that of the 911. The principal modifications are due to a mid-engine placement and liquid cooling of the Peugeot 206 S16 motor. With improvements to the base engine, the power was improved to 150HP [DIN]. With a power to weight ratio of 5.5kg/hp [~14lb/hp], the 0-100 km/h is 5.5 seconds, while the top speed is 225 km/h. Four wheel disc brakes are added, the fronts vented, and ducted. PGO produces the chassis of Speedster II, as well as the body of both models.

"Speedster II will be produced at the rate annual of 300 cars and a targeted cost of 195,000 francs [~$27,575]. Fully loaded with all the options, (leather, sheepskin seat covers, etc) the cost goes up to 212,000 francs [~$29,980].

"The body of both cars is polyester
with a six layer, hand-applied paint job. Attentive to the quality of materials, PGO's goal is to execute a good quality automobile that has the advantages of the contemporary car and inspires the nostalgic passion of the classic original. "

Vive la 356!

Richard Miller
Fairfax, VA