The Knobbly-Lister race cars were built and campaigned in 1957-58 with similarities to the AC/Shelby Cobra introduced in 1961. The idea was the brainchild of Brian Lister and the cars were very successful in the 1958 season, powered by Jaguar I-6s and Corvette V8s. Fast forward 40 years and Chuck Beck (of Beck 550 Spyder fame) designed and built a number of Lister replicas and eventually sold the rights to a company called Avanti. Avanti went belly-up in 2006 due to allegations that the owners were involved in a Ponzi scheme...clearly in violation of the US federal government monopoly on such activities. The history of this
Lister Replicar is indeed fascinating and this one can be purchased for $12,500 sans drivetrain via craigslist, in San Clemente, CA.
Way back in 1986 a guy by the name of Chuck Beck partnered with Kevin Hines at Special Edition Inc out of Bremen, IN to build a high quality 356 replica. The rear engined 356 Speedster and mid engined 550 Spyder have been continuously rolling out of a small workshop for owners to finish assembly and drive around looking like a million bucks, but only costing about $30k. Find this 1957 Beck Porsche 356 Speedster Replica here on eBay bidding for $20,000 reserve-not-met with 2 days to go, located in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Tip from FK.
