Anyone know about Specialty-auto Sports in Knoxville Tn

I just heard about them. They make a Speedster and cab.

Anyone with experience working with them?

They assemble an excellent car but the waiting period is lengthy and the queue is long. If you are not prepared to wait a year or two, then I suggest you look elsewhere. There are several on this site including myself that have products from SAW/SAS but we were extremely patient. I suppose the good news is that you will be extremely pleased with the outcome.

Check with Steve O'Brien or John Hallstrand. Steve has a website that show various aspects of his car. These cars are outstanding, but the wait time is very long. I'm in my 25th month but expect to see my Cabriolet completed within the next 60 days. All SAS car are Subaru powered, optional air conditioning, and have optional engines (2.2, 2.5 & turbo) and transmissions (4 speed automatic or 5 speed manual). At this time there are no used SAS cars available and none expected for quite a while. I don't know if you have visited the SAS website but it is linked above so check it out. Don't expect to contact them by phone as they are extremely busy but you can try, and seldom do they return phone messages or email. Try contacting them by snail mail. If you just want a Speedster I suggest you purchase something other than a SAS, but if you want a unique, head-turning, reliable car and have the patience of a Saint then visit SAS and decide which way to go.

They will reply if you are a perspective customer.... it's only when you have waited a couple of years will they fail to return phone calls or email.........

David,
Click the "Makers" tab on the menu at the top of the screen.
-=theron

John Hallstrand has a very good perspective as he owns the red car that is on the SAS website and was the first one sold. He also lives near Knoxville and goes by there on occassion, so he's been able to watch things as they've progressed. It IS a very nice car.

David,

I did a 3 part writeup on my visit to SAW/SAS last November. Wonderful folks, great driving cars. link to thread: https://www.speedsterowners.com/forum/readmsg.asp?t=10521


Tomm

David, if you have specific question or just want to chew the fat, feel free to send me an e-mail. I've owned my car for over three years and I still think it's just dandy.
John Hallstrand
(aka: Hoss)

Hi: I just got home from TN and while there paid a visit to Steve and Co. The are very gracious,warm folks who are slowly crafting cars of obvious integrity.

Truly impressive craftsmanship and interesting cars. True, patience is probably an essential virtue for the folks keen to be an SAS owners.

Peter, did you happen to see a flared dark metallic green one in assembly?

GOT PATIENCE?

Jeahhhh...

Not everybody does.

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=6855935

OK, OK, point taken. Not everyone has the patients that most SAS buyers have. Granted the time it takes them to build a car is beyond belief; but they are still producing cars. I've watched Boyd Coddingham and Chuck Foose and a couple of other car building shows finish projects in record time and get envious of those car owners, but after seeing one of Coddingham's car sell for over $200,000 I guess speed of constructions costs more than I'm willing to pay. I'm sure other manufacturers have had bad reports and lawsuits filed against them but it doesn't excuse the length of time it takes SAS to finish a car. I'm still saving my SEG until my cabrio is done.

Count me among the patient few who are waiting for a Specialty Auto Works car. I made a visit to Knoxville before ordering, drove one of the cars and spent most of an afternoon talking to Steve Lawing and observing his operation. I placed my order with confidence, and despite the frustrating delays, I remain confident that he's producing a high quality, unique product. Just not very quickly...

Everyone has to make their own decision. Surely the long wait isn't for everybody...

I did my own thing the way I wanted it, and I sometimes wish Hoss would've just sold me his.
That's got to be the most well-thought-out, super-fast-out-of-the-box engineering marvel on a Speedster motif, ever. I liked Steve O's car, too. Very, very much.
Come to think of it ... Yup. Every SAW I've left dirty eye-prints on has been stunning and well-built.

(When I'm old, though, I'm calling Henry. Talk about a comfortable ride ... )

Cory you will never get old....keep saying that over and over.

Oh yeah, Steve, that's really worked for me. Now where's my Metamucil?

Oh yeah, Lane, you just haven't been around long enough. Like, ah, where's my Lisinopril, my Simvistatin, my HCTZ, my baby aspirin, my vitamins.....and oh I guess maybe some fiber for the "slightly off schedule." And where's that stuff for my joints? And I'm losing some feeling in my fingers and toes. On a brighter note, I still have my own hair and teeth.

For further research on the joys of geezerdom, please check out the following:
http://speedsterowners.com/forum/anythinggoesreadmsg.asp?t=3168

Defining irony, I saw a very nice specimen of an original this morning. What are the odds? Blue, lots of chrome and an incomplete interior, but hot damn was that pretty.
Never saw the driver, but I got the plate numbers on the camera and it advertised itself as a 356 Registry car. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out the "who" element.
I'll post photos later today. Someone must be VERY happy.

Nolan, I saw your car,presumably, being readied for the paint shop--Steve pointed to a car on the rolling jig poised for transfer to paint shop, sorry ,still primer grey(!).

My timing was terrible ,as SAS delivered a red cabriolet to Alabama the day before I arrived, so there were no complete cars to see,hear,or drive. There is one car with a special manual 5 speed option which looks like it's going to have a black body. The finished (painted) body was sleeping peacefully in the office.

I didn't see any green bodies anywhere. That's my color of choice as well.

Thanks for the info. I spoke with Steve Lawling this morning and found out a bit more about the news story and lawsuits. Actually all is well with SAS, problem lies with disgruntled hot rod buyers who buyers wanted to protect them selves in case SAW went belly up (Steve and others have assured me that is not the case). Problem with the hot rods was that it was costing the buyers more money than they could sell the cars for and they wanted some recourse in recovering their investments. MCGutherie's car is next to roll out followed Hunnicutt, mine and I think Gonzo's.

Steve has three bodies with his body and paint subcontractors and perhaps there will be a flurry of activity when these painted bodies return. He has taken on a third body/paint shop in order to try and move this aspect of the assembly process along. Gutherie's car is absolutely beautiful and I was impressed with the configuration changes that have occurred as he has improved the SAS version of the Speedster replica family. This turbo car makes the term 'kitcar' sound like a bad word.

How's the calf-zipper, Nolan? You about ready to drive?

I'm pretty much sold on ordering from SAS, especially after wrtiting to Steve and reading his replies. But exactly how long have you other guys been waiting? Just give me a ballpark. More than a year? Two years?

With all this talk about waiting and with all the joking about aging, I feel waiting too long could be bad for my health.

Especially today. One of our co-workers dropped dead of a brain aneurism. Mid 40's. Life is short and it's only money.For those of you like Hoss and Steve, I envy you. And for you other potential SAS owners, enjoy em while you got em, when you get em.

I have to wait for some property to sell, but as soon as it closes, SAS will get a deposit and one more anxious customer.

Oh yeah, and thank God for this site!! You folks are terrific! I had a '58 356A back in the 60's. Passing a fellow Porshe always meant a hearty wave. I'm not sure if that's the same today, except for the people on this site.Get your hand out and ready to wave, I'll be out there someday!

Aloha!

Go for it ;)

Agree with you Dan. I think the old days of Porsche owners flicking lights is gone. This group is definitely different. I feel the love.

I don't know but I remember back when I lived in Illinois and was out for a drive on an expressway when I guy in a 911 passed me waving wildly. I was in my 2000 VS Speedster. I have found both of my replica Porsche cars well received by the general public and often by "real" Porsche guys as well. Life is good.

Cory and all: Well as you know the leg got infected and the Achilles Tendon had to removed along with the infected tissue. That wound closed pretty good but I got severe dermatitis around the scar from the anti-bacterial ointments used to keep the wound germ free. This leaves me with a quarter size patch of raw skin that's got the Dr puzzled. He started me on Cipro (bring on the Anthrax) to keep up my resistance to infection while directing me to just keep the patch covered. I'm 100% mobile, other than a slight limp from the tightness of the scar tissue and it feels like there's some sort of tendon present when I flex my calf. I am more than capable of driving my cabrio and probably will get a couple of more tickets showing off in it when it's done. Wow, to think about a flared coupe is fantastic. It's really a shame that SAS is a mom and pop business and can't produce their cars as fast as the other builders. Maybe in a few years having a SAW/SAS car with a single or low two digit production number may add value to it, I can only hope so. Just to be curious, anyone know if IM or anyone else are building mid-engine 356s?

Nolan, as far as I know SAS is the only builder of mid-engined 356 cars. I believe IM mounts their VW engine forward a few inches for better balance, but I believe it is still considered a rear engine car.

It seems to be that there is an opportunity for someone to potentially license the design work that SAW/SAS has done and dramatically improve the production process.

With all due respect to the good quality takes time reality, it does sound there are some significant production challenges at the SAW facility. IM does appear to consistently be turning out high quality product, unfortunately it's not using the drivetrain I desire so I remain planted on the fence...

I have no idea if Steve would consider licensing his work or not, but the product seems solid, it just needs more rigorous production capabilities behind it to consistently turn out a higher volume of cars on a reasonable timeframe. Whatever that may be. :)

-Jeff

While I am not prepared to substantiate, Steve lays the problem on the inability to hire dedicated, qualified workers in the Knoxville area. I can say that he has had numerous guys pass through the shop that did not demonstrate a strong work ethic. Steve indicates that many folks that have built a street rod think that they know all about automotives. I have heard Steve and other express concerns over the product produced by such schools as Wyoming Tech. I also see similar traits in some of his outsources, so it is really hard to say. I do agree that a more agressive management style could improve productivity but Steve is a difficlt one to change. I have had this discussion with him for almost 10 years now. The main improvement that I have seen is outsourcing body/paint, fiberglass molding and frame welding. There are so many car parts on site just waiting to be assembled.

Charles,

Ok - so good people are hard to find. That is true in any business.

Good leaders are hard to find too. Regardless of geography.

It seems Steve's skills in the engineering department are stellar, but that labor issues have dogged production. Why not specialize on the engineering front and license some of his forward thinking work to others who have found the key to production efficiency?

-Jeff

It's time for those of us in line at Specialty Auto to answer Dan's question above. I plunked my money down in June of '06. That's 15 months ago. I'm now at the stage where the body is prepped for paint, but there appears to still be a significant line in front of me. I'm not brave enough to give you a guess as to how long you'll be waiting if you order now, Dan. Any other SAW/SAS guys wanna take a crack at it?

Thanks, Paul! That's quite a wait! 15 months and you still don't have it. I'm sure once you get it, the wait will have been worth it to get what appears to be the ultimate replica Speedster. Anyone else waiting in line and how long have you been waiting?

I just scrolled up and saw Nolan Scott's reply that I missed earlier. Jeeze!! 27 months??!! I just turned 60, I don't think I want to wait that long no matter how superior the vehilcle is! Life IS short! At 60 I don't know how many miles I'll have left.

Thanks Nolan!

Hey no problem Dan, I wish I was 60 again. I'm 68 and got a good bill of health from my Cardiologist. I think my car will be done soon, but seriously doubt if I should order the Coupe. From what the latest visitors to SAS have to say, it seems as the production should be speeding up. Since these cars are actually one of a kind in each one built, new innovations are always coming into being. Don't even think about buying a used SAS car, I think you'd hit the lottery before one came on the market.

Nolan, I too am 68 and the SAS wait on the coupe concerns me as well. I do agree that it looks like Steve is beginning to pick up speed on his assembly but it has NOT come to pass as of yet. I agree with your assessment on a used SAS. I believe SAS has had two contract cancellations since the Suby tub era began and both were scooped up before they were finished and have been delivered. I think this speaks to just how rare and unique these cars are.

Charles

I purchase my SAS contract from my new best friend on October 2006; he probably was 10 months on line at that time, so do the math.

As you said Dan, it is a superior and unique vehicle, which well worth the wait.

In reference to buy a used SAS car, this is my philosophy: I rather wait 4 years for something that I

I ain't saying Steve isn't a stand-up guy. Those here who have dealt with him all seem to be of the opinion that he is. The couple of emails I have exchanged with him would point me in the same direction. If he were delivering cars within a year, he might have some of my money now. However, the amount involved and the time period involved exceed my personal comfort zone.

As far as the outstanding suit goes, it doesn't hurt to know it is out there. It may or may not result in liabilities. If someone asks about SAW/SAS, it might or might not be a factor for them. I don't see it as anything but neutral to mention its existence to someone who asked a question.