Coachbuilding is one of the oldest crafts in the automotive world. Before manufacturers stamped bodies by the thousands, individual makers shaped aluminum by hand around a chassis, one panel at a time, until something entirely new emerged.
Tanner Boyes of @specterdesign learned that craft and spent the better part of a decade applying it to something he had always believed in: a Porsche 356.
The result is The Specter. A one-off, alloy-bodied special built around genuine Porsche 356 mechanicals, the engine, transaxle, suspension, brakes, and steering all untouched. What surrounds them is Tanner’s own hand, a slippery hand-formed aluminum body mounted to a specially designed triangulated space frame, conceived and built in his workshop in San Clemente, California. A specials tradition that stretches back to postwar Europe, executed by a craftsman who grew up obsessing over cars the same way earlier generations obsessed over them, as a medium for creative expression that happens to move.
The Specter makes a rare appearance at Air|Water on April 25 in Costa Mesa. A car unlike anything else on the floor, and a reminder that the most interesting Porsches have always been the ones that push furthest from the expected.
April 25. Costa Mesa. Tickets at air-water.com, link in bio.
#AirWater #Porsche #SpecterDesign #Coachbuilt
Sweetie I crashed .. well, the journey is full of highs and lows, crashing my priceless one off specter-porsche was not the best feeling but keeping positive and fixing it made me feel proud to get back on the horse as they say! It’s not all peachy all the time even though it seems that way on the internet ! Just gotta keep on rippin and not dwell on the setbacks
X-RAY VISION!! You’ll need it for this subject near and dear to my heart- Space frame chassis’. This portion of the project took a long time and a lot of thought. I buried my nose in old books, and picked smart people’s brains constantly to come up with what I feel is a key piece to the Specter car design. I don’t mention the specifics in this video, but making a true space frame poses a lot of challenges, like making the car easy to get in and out of (re Mercedes gullwing) as well as the complexity of welding a ton of joints and planning each node and how those nodes transfer loads through the chassis evenly. In the end it is one of the parts of the car I’m most proud of and ironically now invisible. But you feel it and everything that went into it when you drive the car, like going over a speed bump and the doors don’t chatter (not normal in an old open sportscar) thanks for watching and sharing these goofy videos!
#spaceframe #chassis #cardesign #sportscar #vintageporsche
Everything you wanted to know about old car paint! Nitrocellulose Lacquers and their forgotten advantages!
This video was over 15 minutes and I had to utterly butcher it down to fit everything in 3 minutes or less. But this nitrocellulose lacquer research has been a big project of mine for years now. I’m always anxious to learn about the history and science of old cars, and apply it to what I do in practical ways. This was one of the most exciting and interesting examples of that on my Porsche Special. Send this to someone who may find it interesting! #Vintagecars #history #nitrocelluloselacquer #chemistry #rare
Hey Mister! Everything you wanted to know about Sportscar Specials, and the one that I made called the “Specter Sports”
Share with anyone with an affinity for history, craft, design and engineering! #vintageporsche #handmade #rare #design #carsandcoffee
I wanted to thank everyone who came out to our Utah Launch party, the support was incredible. It was so exciting to share the prototype in its finished a state with my local friends and family, many of whom have been directly involved or witnessing the various steps to get to where we are with this project over the recent years. We are excited to be barreling headfirst into the the next chapter of the of Specter Design and feeling the excitement around this- in person- with you really gave me a boost to keep going. We are hunkering down now through the winter and focusing all efforts onto producing some incredibly special cars. I look forward to sharing those next steps with you in the near future! Much love! -Tanner
Thank you to the various friends who took these photos and sent them over
I finally added a rear view mirror after a lot of rubbernecking around town. It’s an original 50s Raydyot mirror. This particular mirror had an exciting past life on a 356 race car. Swipe for photo of the same mirror 60+ years ago. Driver is Jim Giese who still owns the car. Thank you Max for this very cool part with history living in it. @maxminshull
Absolutely crazy stills from the film @camerongoold is cooking up with the guys about the Specter sportscar company. I’m very much looking forward to sharing more about this film and the development of the first Specter cars which is underway now.
Pt.1 Testing at the old airstrip. Wendover, Utah Oct. 2, 2025. 35mm Photographs shot by Harrison Mark. @harrisonamark
This was the first hard testing of the car and its handling characteristics at high speed and hard cornering. It was so much better than I even imagined. The nimble responsiveness of a hot 356, the stiff and solid feel of a spaceframe chassis. The sheer lack of weight provided by the spartan alloy body. It’s a magical, low-slung combo that results in just pure, raw fun.
I just returned home from Los Angeles and I’m filled with gratitude for everyone who came out to the Launch party and supported what we are doing, it was so humbling and cool to feel so all the enthusiasm and excitement in sharing the car with people and meeting new friends. I’m so thankful for the conversations and encouragement. Also special thanks to one of my day-one best friends @robinson_brett_ for allowing us to display the prototype in his incredible studio. Looking forward to more opportunities to share the Specter with people in the flesh! -TB
