Beck 550 spyder, AX Candidate? Options

[Joseph Mills]

Looking at some of the specs on this kit made me start thinking how good a candidate it might be for auto crossing.

As far as I know Beck is the only kit that has a hand made tubular frame instead of a VW frame. Maybe that accounts for it's lightweight?

Something around 1200 pounds total! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif)

We all know that light cars turn corners fast, and with even meager HP it's going to scoot in a straight line.

Suspension... well, maybe that is the bugaboo... Volkswagen. VW's on an autocross course are always scary with their positive camber from the swing axles. Maybe limit the amount of travel? Are there after market handling kits for such? Or additional link systems that bolt up?

Would a kit car be up to handling the torque and twisting forces of AX?

Thoughts? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/idea.gif)

[DBCooper]

QUOTE (rhodyguy @ Aug 12 2005, 07:21 AM)

you could make a whole lot more money finding a handful of cheap Pumas and shipping them north. do the swing arm cars use something similar to the camber bar that was the rage for swing axel cars in the 60s and 70s? k

Hey, anything can go into that container, just has to be sans motor and tranny to be considered "parts" so you can license it up here later as a homebuilt. But you need to know that those Pumas rattled like crazy after they'd spent a few years on cobblestone streets, and unless you speak Portuguese getting parts would be pretty much impossible.

The Becks don't come with camber compensators, but I think they have limit straps, and I know some people have adapted the later mostly european "z-bars" to the rear too. Chamonix also makes a 550 with fuel injected early Passat longitudinal drivetrain, radiator totally hidden up front. It's really nicely done, not authentic, but with all the wasser hot rod stuff you could make that one just about as fast as you'd ever want to go.