|
|||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||
After doing a road test on two high horse powered cars I decided that it was time to have a look at the other end of the scale and compare two cars on the humble VW Beatle platform.
The Taipan has been around since the early 70’s and its origins are a little shrouded in mystery. However the first manufacturer that I know of is Cooke Brothers in Christchurch. Thanks to Kit Peveril I have one of the original sales brochures. The first two paragraphs say this…
“A low blur sweeping out of the corner and hurtling along the straight, with its snarl changing to a rasping bellow on overrun as the brakes go on for the corner. The taps are turned up again and the car squats on its haunches as it rockets through the turn and is gone – the fading beat of the motor is all that is left of its passing.
No, not all, locked into the memory bank is the sight of it and the indelible impression that you’ve seen a Can Am car blast by.”
The last paragraph starts... “Taipan Body Conversion Kit for VW – Bolts to shortened VW chassis.” Something miraculous must happen in the conversion from VW to Taipan. I have driven a couple of VW’s in the past and words like “blur”, “hurtling”, “snarl”, “bellow” and “rockets” would be straining to get into my mind. If they did it would like a group of punk rockers gate crashing a party being held in the Kings Court. I remember the expression “floor it and wait” and if you were lucky acceleration should have occurred by Christmas. In a VW, “Rockets through the turn” was something you only did once as there would never be a second time, ever. In its heyday the VW fronted up with its 44hp 1.6ltr engine and gasped its way from 0 to 100kmh in 27 seconds (World Cars 1991). “Fading beat of the motor is all that is left of its passing.” If you waited for long enough this may be the case but by then your tea would have gotten cold and your mum would have been out looking for you. In its heyday Lamborghini and Ferrari did not feel threatened.
It is unknown how many cars Cooke Bros produced. There were sufficient to become a reasonably well known kit and Southwards Museum has an example in their display. In 1981 the car and moulds was sold to Peter Clapham of Daytona Fibreglass in Porirua. He made less than ten and has not made any more since he sold up and moved to Wanganui in the late 80’s. Recently I heard that he still has the moulds.
Ken McAdam purchased his example of the marque after it was advertised in our club magazine, as a project for his son and him to tinker around with. I think he is the twentythird or twentyfourth owner of the car.
The Porsche 356 of Dave Bray has a pedigree which is far easier to fossick out, originally starting life in America as a body built by Vintage Speedsters of California. Graeme McRae of McRae Sports Cars purchased a body as he wished to put it into production along side his Porsche 550 Spyder replica. Once he had taken the mould off the body he no longer required it and it was at this opportune time that Dave and Sandra Bray happened by. At the time Dave was looking for a car that would fit a man of his stature. Two years later the car was finished and to all intents and purposes is a very accurate replica of the original.
EXTERIOR
The exterior of these cars hark back to two classic eras with the Porsche being a stunning example of the fifties and the Taipan being a true reflection of the flying wedge shaped cars of the late sixties and early seventies. The Porsche looks like it has just rolled out of the factory while the Taipan is showing signs of its multiplicity of owners. The original gelcoat is still unpainted and needs some attention. Ken is talking about restoring the car and it would be a relatively straightforward project. From all angles both cars are very different. It is from the front threequarter angle that the Taipan looks its best and its angular lines tend to overshadow the subtle curves of the Porsche. I have never liked exposed motors on a car, which is the main area where the Taipan designers give the impression that they intended to finish that bit at some stage but never quite got around to it. If the extended the tail just a couple of inches further and then dropped it over the body it would not only have covered the engine but given the length a better sense of proportion in profile view. The Porsche looks glamorous from every angle but lacks the aggressive stance that the Taipan has when it is standing still.
Detailing on the Porsche is excellent with strips of chrome and gold Speedster lettering. The Taipan cannot compete with its huge tailfin and fibreglass vents. From any distance it would be hard to tell this car apart from the real thing and several Porsche connoisseurs have been fooled by the attention that Dave has paid to the last detail. On the side of the car between the drivers door and the wheel arch is a little yellow badge of Reutter & Co, Coachbuilders of Stuttgart - found on all the originals built and also on Dave’s one It is only when they touch the fibreglass body that they discover it is actually a fake. Side by side it is easy to pick that the Porsche is clearly the superior. However with a bit of thought, a nice paint job in a pastel, some seventies graphics and a motor hidden behind some nice rear panels, the Taipan could give it a run for its money.
INTERIOR
The interior of the Taipan was one of the nicest I have seen in a such a car and very tastfully done again in seventies style. All the gauges are easy to read and the single stalk for the indicator is where you would expect it to be. The gear stick although tall was in the right place. Of the two cars the Taipan is the only one with weather protection with push in panels that slide into the slots of the Targa top. 
I was a little tall for the car and had to slouch slightly in the seat to see every thing. In both cars the top of the windscreen was at first obstructive for outside vision but I quickly got used to it and soon I forgot about it altogether. The seating in the Taipan could do with some more cushioning. Although it lacked doors it was still very easy to get in and out of. I liked it.
With the 256 it was like climbing into an era. Sports cars were simple things with no creature comforts. Dave has again been faithful to the original and nothing has been overlooked in relation to detailing. Indicator stalk has been placed on the left as it is in European cars. Steering wheel is out of an original 356 and was found by a friend visiting America. Seats are of the traditional bucket type and quite comfortable. Upholstery is done as per the original and is a very high standard. The car is as new and it is obvious that it is well looked after. Unlike the Taipan, the Porsche has opening doors with wind deflector screens perched upon them. In both cars the pedal are floor mounted and the gap between the accelerator and the clutch is further than I expected, the gauges on both cars are simple and easy to read.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
I had arranged to meet both Ken and Dave at the foot of the Heywoods Hill and when asked which car I wanted to drive first, I chose the closest one which was the Porsche. First impression was that the car was faster than I thought it would be with ample power to pull it up the hill with enough in reserve to keep it accelerating. The car understeers and its narrow tyres tended to follow big ruts in the road. Still it was like driving a brand new car. The short throw on the gearbox was always precise and the suspension absorbed the bumps flawlessly. The view from the car once you forgot about the top of the windscreen is panoramic. There is plenty of wind in the car but the windscreen and the side screens do a reasonable job at keeping out the worst of it. Flys and insects did not need to be filtered out through my teeth. Although its overall performance is not startling it would have no problems keeping up with modern day traffic. Power comes from a modified VW 1600 motor. It runs 1.3:1 ratio rollerrockers, twin Dellorto carbs and water injection into both manifolds. The pistons are Cima and are graphite coated. The crank, rods, lightened flywheel and clutch have all been balanced.
The Taipan also has twin carbs giving it a reasonable performance. Surprisingly the handling on this car was totally different with a strong tendency to oversteer, which wasn’t helped, I discovered later by the rear tyres having only about 13psi in them. While driving the 356 had been like driving a new car the Taipan was more “agricultural”. Here again it was showing its age. Some earlier owner had removed the pedal stops and these were now leaning forward that the only way they could be used was to get your foot under the pedal before pressing it down. If you got it wrong then the clutch or brake would end up under the arch of your foot. This meant that when the sole and the heel of your foot was firmly planted on the firewall the pedals still had a wee way to go. An event that caused the heart to go pitter patter was coming down Heywoods and braking because of traffic stopped at the traffic lights I realised that although my foot was firmly on the floor the brake pedal wasn’t and that I was not going to be stopped until the bonnet was several metres in front of the car in front. The only variables in this equation were the crumple zones on both cars. Instinct says to press harder and hopefully by the time your foot goes through the firewall the car will have stopped. Somehow I got the nerve to take my foot off the brake, flick my toes under the pedal and again apply sufficient pressure for the Taipan to pull up short in a time that only allowed half my life to flash before my eyes. Which was a pity as I was just getting to the good bits.
On the open road both cars are very quiet and there is no distinctive VW burble. In the Taipan I could see down the chisel nose to the road with the higher wheel arches on either side. Rear vision was a different story with the interior mirror designed to show absolutely nothing of any importance. Due to the wedge shape and the big rear wing the only thing that would ever be seen out the back was the top of a Kenworth truck radiator if it happened to pull up behind you at the traffic lights. Still this is not unusual in many exotic mid-engined cars and normal rearward vision was quite adequate through the wing mirrors. The Taipan felt faster than the 356 but this could have been because of the firmer suspension and the proximity of the road to your backside. There was less wind in the cockpit and once you got used to the cars quirks it was a pleasant driving experience.
Around town it was a different story. Again the 356 was a piece of cake to manoeuvre while the Taipan was a bit of a demon. The accelerator was very much a “go no go” button which caused a bit of excitement with pedestrians on crossings. Both cars got a lot of looks with the Taipan scoring the most points with the teenage set and the 356 doing the same with the more mature set. If a teenager ever waves a fist you with the thumb and little finger extended it can be considered a good thing while a single middle finger extended has a totally different meaning. After consulting with my teenage sons at home later I was told that the former means they think your car is cool while the latter is somewhere I didn’t want to go. The Taipan scored several points of coolness and the 356 got several friendly waves from the generations that occur after adolescence.
In summary the Taipan is by far more fun to drive in a heart stopping kind of way. The 356 is the sort of car that you could hop in and drive every day with no surprises. With the Taipan you could have a surprise for every day of the week not including Birthdays and Christmas.
AND THE WINNER IS…
It was a great experience driving both cars. I had not expected them to be quite so different but they were in almost every respect. The Taipan is a dramatic car to drive an aspect which isn’t lost even when parked at the side of the road. In the rear vision mirror it looks like a giant alien vacuum cleaner coming to get you while the 356 looks like a friendly ladybird on wheels. Still it is the rear and the tired finish which lets the Taipan down. With the tail being extended to look similar to the Porsche driven by Steve McQueen in the movie Le Mans it would improve it a lot.
The best all rounder car is the 356. It has been meticulously finished and is the easiest to drive. However depending on what Ken does to the Taipan in the future I may have to revise that opinion.
By Patrick Harlow
Porsche 356 goes against a Taipan
