I surrendered to Speedster madness a few weeks ago when the thought of owning a copy of a famous automotive icon turned from a pipe dream to reality.

 My car is an Intermeccanica replica of a ’57 Porsche Speedster, and it was built about 27 years ago right here in Kansas City by William Van Keppel. The Speedster, sometimes known as the Bathtub Porsche because of its resemblance to an upside-down tub, has a tiny windshield, crude top and relatively little weatherproofing.

 When I rolled the car into my garage on that first day, my conscience bellowed, “What have you done?” In time it calmed down. For the next couple of days I would peek into the garage every couple of hours just to make sure that the beautiful little car in the garage was mine. 

 It’s been said that the best way to understand someone is to walk a mile in his or her shoes. The Speedster helps me understand what other people go through with their old cars while salving my desire to own a vintage car.  

 My car’s fiberglass body is an exact duplicate of a ’57 Porsche, and it rides on a shortened Volkswagen chassis with four-wheel disc brakes. The engine is a Volkswagen, but the transmission is a Porsche five-speed. 

 Along my path to Speedster ownership, I discovered SpeedsterOwners.com. This forum was an invaluable source of technical information and encouragement. Once I got my car, one member cheered, “Welcome to the madness.”

 The idea of a Speedster replica took root last summer while I was at the vintage sports car races in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Standing among the classic sports cars parked on the street of that tiny Wisconsin town with friends John Larsen and Phil Brown, I decided that next summer I wanted to drive a Speedster of my own to Elkhart.

 The Speedster is only a few years younger than my thirty-year-old son, and it needs considerable fixing up. The first order of business was a new exhaust. I ordered one online and the wrong muffler arrived. That was an inauspicious beginning. I’ve been to the auto parts store so many times they greet me by my first name.

 Since I’m of limited experience and short of tools, working on Speedie requires a lot of help. Robert Hunter, longtime VW enthusiast and technician, did a tuneup and oil change. Don Ipock, a Kansas City photographer and fellow car nut, spent two Friday afternoons in my garage lying on his back on a piece of dirty cardboard as he did the lion’s share of the work installing the exhaust system and lowering the front end. 

 I spent the better part of two days cleaning and rebuilding the Kadron carburetors only to discover that bad spark plug wires were the cause of a serious misfire. Paul Frame diagnosed that problem. 

 This last month has been a real learning experience. Tinkering with Speedie has sucked up most of my spare time and occasionally kept me awake at night as I tried to unravel a mechanical mystery. I’ve learned to have patience even though each mechanical glitch is as annoying as a rock in my shoe. It’s a toy car, and patience is the secret.

 Life with Speedie is in its infancy. I’ve been able to enjoy a couple of short drives on sunny fall days, but come winter it will be time for some major work. For an inexperienced mechanic like me, I’ve discovered that I have to call on help from countless friends to fix even small problems. Without them I’d be lost, and I’ve just begun.