Autoworks Speedsters

I am new to the site and am in the market to buy a speedster.
At the early stages of research. Have visited a number of sites from manufacturers.
I am wondering if anyone has purcahsed a apeedster from Autoworks with the air cooled mid engine subaru engine.
If there is anyone in the NY area I would like to speak with you and possibly see your car.
The Autworks site is quite compeling and I am just wondering who has has experince with this car and manufacturer.

I think you mean a watercooled Suburu engine don't you?

Yes I do mean water cooled sorry.
I look at the different websites for Beck, Thunder Ranch and AutoWorks and my first thought is to go with tubular frame versus the chopped VW pan. My second instinct after reading the autoworks site goes directly to lack of maintence with the Subaru vs. the VW engine.
Seems to me what Autoworks say relative to advantages could make sense. However, just starting to research andnot drawing any quick conclusions until I here from more experinced people.
I could make the trade for the Subaru plant vs traditional VW plant.
I am a traditionalist in terms of exterior style however.

Hello Stuart. I assume you mean Specialty Autoworks, or SAW as we refer to it on this site frequently, located in Knoxville, TN. I am the owner of the first Subaru-powered Cabriolet (SubyTub) to hit the streets. I have owned the car for about a year and am very pleased. Steve Lawing (SAW owner) has documented my trips this year in April and May on his website, so I won't belabor the point here.

I would be happy to share my experiences with you if you would like to e-mail me with specific questions. There are currently no cars like mine in NY, but one is currently under construction, a Speedster. Also, there is a car in the Boston area, but unfortunately, neither of these guys are members of this forum.

Good hunting to you
John

To use the Subie engine it does not have to be mid-engine either. There are adapter kits to use it inplace of air cooled rear VW engine too. It is a popular conversion for the VW bus/Westie fans. Not sure I'd go 6 cylinder rear engine but the turbo 4 would be not that much more weight.

What IS THE LEAD TIME FOR YOUR CAR

6 months is standard, but the more you change to the normal build the more chance you have of delays.

I also have ordered the SAW. I like the liquid cooled engine and the modern fuel injection and the automatic transmission was a need for me as my left knee isn't very good and the clutch would make it hurt. You can do a manual as an option of you like.

I also much prefer the suspension, as apposed to the VW pan or tube frame suspensions on VW based cars.

I'm having a car built to look like a 1956, which is a little different and will be the first 56 liquid cooled Subaru powered SAW.

You can also email me if you have any specific questions?

stevenorkathy@aol.com just delete the red part for my email

porschereplica.1colony.com/ site dedicated to my car also see my photos section here

And welcome to the best 356 replica site on the net.

Stuart,

Are you looking for someone in NYC? If you click on the registry tab, you will get an idea of people around the area. I'm about 30 some miles from the city, and normally don't commute in with the speedy!

I might be able to drive in one weekend, if time would allow.

Best of luck with your search - I'm sure you will get your answers from many of the members here.

Mel

Mel
Thanks alot.
I was really surprised at what a nice response Ihave gotten from a number of members.
Basedupon much of what I have read and heard I am leaning toward the SAW version of the Speedster.
Are there many Speedsterowners in the NY area?

John and Steve:

Just spoke with Steve at SAW and bought a speedster. Paper work on the way.
I would like to thank you for being so kind and considerate. Your input and guidence was very helpful in helping me formulate my finale decision to go with SAW.
Look forward to seeing you on the road! I am planning on driving it to Idaho from SAW which should be a hoot!!!!!!!
Happy Trails and Happy 50th Birthday to me

Stuart, you should have a great time. Your first stop on the way to Idaho can be Des Moines, IA. It will be a great stopping point, free accomadations for speedster owners at my house!!!!!

Congratulations Stuart. Be sure to put the Carlisle gathering in Carlisle, PA on your calendar for next spring.
John as in Hoss

Congrats Stuart!

No wrong choices in getting a speedster - Only when you don't get one...

Stuart,

Congrats on your new car. You gave me a good chuckle: early post said not in a hurry just gathering information--later same day bought new car :) Reminds me all to much of my own purchase. jkl

Yeah:

Sure I was not in a hurry!!!! I am still laughing at that e-mail.
The best was the conversation I had with my wife. To put this in context My wife and I are pretty much self made and did not start out very with much on either side. We have been very conservative pretty much all our lives. I have NEVER made a financial decsion of substance outside of our very tight partnership and my wifes counsel is typically 100% on the money. My wife and I have a real partnership and we have both been fortunate in our careers,(she is the CEO of a small company and is a strong women)
So it goes like this;
Q)How many days of the year do you think you will drive this car?
A) As many as I can, how many will you?
Q) Do you think this is a practical decision
A) Answer absolutely not. Your point?
Q) It has no windows except like a boat what happens when it rains.
A) We get a little wet in style.
Q) What will you do if I think that this is not a wise purchase?
A) I know you would never say that cause it is my 50 birthday present from me to me and from you to me. I am not asking permission on this one. I bought the car 15 mins ago.
A) Looks like a really cute car, when will we have it.

Last night was a good night.

Congrats Stuart! I did the same last year when I ordered my VS as my own present for my 40th birthday. My wife gave me (and still does occasionally) a little bit of hell but in the end how are you going to enjoy life if you don't indulge in things like this every once in a while? Life would be very boring otherwise! You're in for a whole lot of fun!!!

Stuart,

Excellent logic and outstanding reasons to buy the car!

The tough part is when you actually get it. I must have check the garage at least 3 times that night, just to make sure it wasn't a dream. I even put a TV in the garage so I could watch from the car.

-=theron

You are not kidding Theron; with these cars you never grow out of them. In my case I've had mine for a year and I'm still thrilled to drive it, work on it or just look at it.......

Expect to see your option build list,soon. jkl

Congratulations Stuart. Your exhaustive 8 hours of research may pay off. Or.....

Stuart: Don't get to excited yet - I ordered my speedster from Steve @ SAW 1 Year ago, and still waiting with no solid due date and very little feedback or communication. Good Luck

I don't get it...if Luigi is accurate, Steve's car was ordered after that and it's getting delivered soon.....

Man you guys can be a little hard on a guy who has ordered a new build.

While it looks like this new SAW order did happen very rapidly, it's also fair to say that a lot of people have read, discussed, debated and outright disagreed on various vendors and products on this board for literally years and that doesn't make their decisions any better, it just took them longer to make them.

While I don't own a 356, I've lurked here and tried to absorb as much as I can for over a year and based on all that information, I would be comfortable ordering an SAW car. I've also talked to Steve at SAW in e-mail and on the phone. He definitely knows his stuff.

Luigi's comment did throw me a bit as it seems out of synch with all the other positive feedback about Steve at SAW, but then everyone has at least one bad/unusual story. I hope Luigi can tell us more about his delays.

Not everyone has the time/wants to spend months prepping a list of every intricate detail about their car before its built. Some people want a neat car, with the standard features and they just want to get rolling. The SAW speedster, with its modern drivetrain, represents a "no fuss" option for people who like the look and don't necessarily want to get in to every fan and pulley under the hood.

(BTW am I the only one who has often thought it strange that we spend more time reseraching and buying cars and sofas than we do six figure homes?? I mean, you don't even get a test drive during a house purchase...)

So... while making a $50K purchase decision in a day might seem a bit quick to those of us who obsess over cars, it certailny doesn't make it a bad decision. I think the body of experience and feedback on this forum points to the fact that SAW is a reliable vendor who has been around a long time and builds a good product. The ONLY complaint I've seen about them is, perhaps, length of build time (due to the volume of other product they put out, it seems - which to me is a very good omen).

Stuart - congrats on your new purchase and don't mind the momentary static from the other members. The group here is very welcoming and very informed, I'm sure you'll find it a comfortable place to hang out and discuss your new car.

-Jeff

I spent about one month researching. Actually this site and the internet in general are excellent tools. I also bougt a number of magazines read articles etc.
I would have to say that this site is very informative especially when you read all the strings and find what are peoples experinces and issues.
I am hoping I made a good decision purchasing from SAW.
Steve and Lisa have been very responsive.
I think that everyone has different motivations when they purchase and different buyer values.
The expectations/buyer values I wanted to fulfill were:

1)A new car and current tech. from the ground up.
2)As low maintence as possible. I did not sense that going with a VW system would get me there.
3)A licensed manufacturer with a curretn Vin number and COO for ease of registration. (spoke with someone in California who has been trying to register for 6 months)
4) A car I felt safe with me my wife and God forbid my daughter driving. No gas tank and battery in the boot together etc.

Lastly I spoke to a number of dealers. Figured out who manufactured vs were dealers and spoke at great length to both. IM was very proffessional and I would guess make a fine product but the $$ was a bit much for me. I really wanted the car fast but........ was not willing to buy a avaiable car based exclusively upon it being available if you know what I mean.
So was this an impluse purchase? Absolutely!!! and I feel great about it. Will I be sorry? Maybe, but if my research as limited as it may be considered pays off maybe not. Time will tell.
Yours truly
Ding Dong.

Jeff
Thanks for your e-mail.
I don't get wrapped around the axle about negative comments. everyone is entitled to their opinion as self serving as it may be. People on the site have been wonderful and in fact have reached out to share. I have had many conversations relative do's and don't off line.
While I wanted my car ASAP I was not going to spend the $$ for an onging project. I grew up building custom boats on Lake George and have built engines and raced boats for 10 years on the circut.
I wanted this car for driving pleasure NOT for a working hobby. I don't think that is a bad thing. I understand guys who like to tweak and work on the car all the time and are both passionate and love that aspect along with the driving. Just wasn't what I was looking for in this case.
I also think based upon some of the e-mail exchanges I have read is that a lot of people have gotten more than they have bargined for or, the car has fallen short of their expectations in terms of reliability. I just did not want to buy a helicopter which takes 10 hours of maintence for evry two hours of use (metaphor)but that is exactly what others want which is great for them.

Peace to all and enjoy your ride, or working on your ride or sharing with with all of stories about your ride and accomplishments building buying, upgrading, working on and driving.
PS: To those with an axe to grind find your happy place.

(sound effect) 'ding dong.' Someone's at the door.

Jim Ward:

Very sweet car!!!!!!
Great pictures on what looked liek a great trip

Thanks... I took three months to order my first replic, a very nice VS Speedster that is still on the road today, in better shape than ever.

My second Speedster, an IM, took nearly a year to plan and build. On both cars I wrote at least two dozen members/owners of all types before buying. Despite the 5 month wait for my IM, it is worth every penny..... and actually replicates a Speedster. My builder, IM, exchanged mail, calls, and photos 2x3 times a week all through the planning and the build.

Have fun with your car.

How tricked out it is engine and options?

John Legate:

-185/65 Tires
-Silver exterior (like yours)
-Side molding
-Red interior
-Cocoa MAts Red & Black weave
-Chrome mesh Headlight protectors
-HPC coating on the wheels for Chrome like look
-2x Aero door mounted mirrors.
-5 spedd manual trans
-Black ragtop and Tonneau + boot.
-Headrests
-Vinyl cause it is gonna be a Sun Valley car and with the Sun tan oil etc the dirt and sweat from hiking etc I did not think it worth the price of the leather and thought I could change lateer if I wanted to.

I think that is about it. I did not want to go to nuts.
I am picking up August 4 and driving across the heartland to Sun Valley.

Sounds like a perfect simple build. I highly recommend this type of build for the average person. It keeps things simple, and less expensive and makes it easier to get completed. Some of the lure of these cars can be the simple nature of the cars looks and not having so many things that can break or go wrong. My build is an example of the opposite and not the right way to go for the average person.

Stuart, looks like a great basic build list. My next will be much the same. No leather for sure--I have a circular stain on the drivers seat from a wet water bottle (or was it a beer?). 2.5 or 2.2 engine? Are those larger tires? Did you opt for the TA's? Good luck with her!! jkl

Steven, a firm date for pick-up yet? jkl

John:

2.2 engine. Don't need anymore (I think) for what I will be doing.
Tires are a bit wider with no risk of tire rub.
It is the basic build with a few add ons.
I think the simpler you make it the easier you make it to get the car within a reasonable time frame if such a thing exists with a ground up custom build?????
I am hoping I got very lucky. Supposed ot be out of paint July 15.

Stuart,
I have emailed and spoken with Steve Lawing on the phone several times. He is extremely prompt to call back or email back. Never had a problem with him. He has invited me out several times, but have not made it yet. Super guy! I appluad your decision to go with the SAW. That's my decision too. I feel exactly as you do. I want to DRIVE a beautiful car, not WORK on one. In this time, I think going with a modern drivetrain is the smartest choice. I have already made up my mind, I am just working on the wife. We are in a different boat. I'm 32, she's 28. I love cars and she knows it. She just quit work, b/c 7 months pregnant. If we can swing the finances, I am headed to Knoxville. Congratulations.
Shawn Clark

At this time I am planning an August 2nd pickup. I will only need to change that if the chromer doesn't come through on my overrider tubes? Planning on being there around 3pm.