Porsche 356A Speedster, Silver

The Speedster came about because Max Hoffman, Porsche's sole importer in the United States, convinced the factory that a stripped-down, cheaper open car would sell there. It arrived in late 1954 with a low, raked windscreen that owners could remove for weekend racing, a minimal folding top and bucket seats. A year later the 356 A brought a run of small but significant changes, a curved windscreen among them, and a 1.6-litre engine joined the range. Speedster output peaked at 1,171 cars in 1957, and 4,854 were built in all before the Convertible D replaced it in late 1958.

Amalgam Collection builds this one in silver, as a 1956 car. Chrome does much of the work: the bumpers with their tall overriders, the trim strip along each flank, the domed hubcaps, the headlamp rims, the Speedster script on the front wings and the Porsche lettering on the nose. The low windscreen has a bright frame and a small mirror beside it, and behind it the top is folded away under a black cover above a pale cabin. At the back, the slatted engine lid sits above the tail lamps and twin exhaust outlets. The car stands on a gloss black base. Amalgam Collection builds it in resin at 1:18.