Building a 356 Speedster kit - options

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Speedster project for sale near Philly | SpeedsterOwners.com - 356 Speedsters, 550 Spyders, Replicas and more

@Fman

A call to Vintage Motorcars in Hawaiian Gardens, CA would be a good move. Greg has sold "parts" in various stages of assembly/disassembly. One of our members assembled his own Speedster and sourced everything from Greg. Click on the blue text in the first sentence and it will take you to his website.

Thank you for the links and recommendations.  Maybe something partially completed will open up on the west coast.

Also check out what @Wright Conceptz is getting from Rafael Abiter in Mexico in this thread: https://www.speedsterowners.co...0#686862078589070280

@Fman posted:

Hello,

Just starting out researching kit car companies that offer a 356 Speedster.  I would like to build the car myself, recently completed a Factory 5 Cobra 427 last year.  There does not seem like there is much information available I can find about reputable kit car companies that let you build the car.  I did contact Beck but they seem like they are more geared toward building a car for you and there is a three year wait list.  I also contacted Kitman and this seems like an option that might be what I am looking for (body, subframe, pan and you source all the parts).  Does anyone have any other recommendations for other companies that will sell you a speedster kit similar to what Kitman is offering?

I am located in Northern, CA would be really nice to put my eyes on a car in my area. If you have built a car and are willing to talk about your build please send me a PM.  Trying to research and do my homework before I venture down this road.

Thank you for your time.

@Fman welcome to the madness. Where in Northern Cal are you ? How did you register your Cobra? As Special Vehicle? Probably good to have VW tags for the speedster being in Northern Cali.

We do kits, and although we have a "standard" kit that is VERY complete (no need to do things like:  painting, welding, upholstery, wiring, as that is all done for you), we do have less completed kits that we call "export" kits.  These are made for countries that do not allow the importation of a more completed package and can be anything from a basic body/chassis to an ala carte offering where we stop exactly where you want to pick it up.  That said, our "kits" would make less sense than a belly pan kit for the DIYer, because there is just so much to our tube chassis and suspension that you can't get from a donor car or build yourself.  And, yes, at present we have over 150 new builds in queue so the wait is roughly 3 years...

As for CA registration, don;t sweat pan vs. tube chassis, especially on abuld you are doing yourself.  There are very specific rules in the SB100 process that allow you as the end user to build your own and be smog exempt.  Just keep records and receipts, and where possible, take pictures of you doing the major work yourself.

Good advice from Carey above.  His last paragraph about the very specific rules for an SB 100 process in California are very important.

Also, anyone in California who is considering buying a completed Speedster from outside of California will potentially need "records, receipts and other documents" to complete the SB 100 process.  If they don't exist you may have difficulty registering the car.

@calmotion posted:

@Fman welcome to the madness. Where in Northern Cal are you ? How did you register your Cobra? As Special Vehicle? Probably good to have VW tags for the speedster being in Northern Cali.

I went through the SB100 process, took me four months.  As most are aware the SB100 is a crapshoot, I know another Cobra builder who started same time as me and took 10 months to finish his SB100.  I would think the process for a Speedster would be the same as the Cobra?  Especially if I ended up building the car myself?  Having a VW title would definitely be less head aches.  Another issue with SB100 is my car is titled as a 2021 Roadster, my reg fees are $589 with a custom plate this year.

@chines1 posted:

We do kits, and although we have a "standard" kit that is VERY complete (no need to do things like:  painting, welding, upholstery, wiring, as that is all done for you), we do have less completed kits that we call "export" kits.  These are made for countries that do not allow the importation of a more completed package and can be anything from a basic body/chassis to an ala carte offering where we stop exactly where you want to pick it up.  That said, our "kits" would make less sense than a belly pan kit for the DIYer, because there is just so much to our tube chassis and suspension that you can't get from a donor car or build yourself.  And, yes, at present we have over 150 new builds in queue so the wait is roughly 3 years...

As for CA registration, don;t sweat pan vs. tube chassis, especially on abuld you are doing yourself.  There are very specific rules in the SB100 process that allow you as the end user to build your own and be smog exempt.  Just keep records and receipts, and where possible, take pictures of you doing the major work yourself.

What company are you with?  I see Kitman and Vintage Motorcars are in So. Cal.

@Lane Anderson posted:

Also check out what @Wright Conceptz is getting from Rafael Abiter in Mexico in this thread: https://www.speedsterowners.co...0#686862078589070280

You meant Arden, right?

@Fman posted:

What company are you with?  I see Kitman and Vintage Motorcars are in So. Cal.

Sorry, most people here know me.  I own Beck.

http://beckspeedster.com/

@chines1 posted:

We do kits, and although we have a "standard" kit that is VERY complete (no need to do things like:  painting, welding, upholstery, wiring, as that is all done for you), we do have less completed kits that we call "export" kits.  These are made for countries that do not allow the importation of a more completed package and can be anything from a basic body/chassis to an ala carte offering where we stop exactly where you want to pick it up.  That said, our "kits" would make less sense than a belly pan kit for the DIYer, because there is just so much to our tube chassis and suspension that you can't get from a donor car or build yourself.  And, yes, at present we have over 150 new builds in queue so the wait is roughly 3 years...

As for CA registration, don;t sweat pan vs. tube chassis, especially on abuld you are doing yourself.  There are very specific rules in the SB100 process that allow you as the end user to build your own and be smog exempt.  Just keep records and receipts, and where possible, take pictures of you doing the major work yourself.

This information is good to know Carey, what stage of completion can be shipped to cross the Canadian border?  Inquiring minds want to know.

@DannyP posted:

You meant Arden, right?

DOH!!  Uh, yeah. 🥴

@IaM-Ray posted:

This information is good to know Carey, what stage of completion can be shipped to cross the Canadian border?  Inquiring minds want to know.

We have a Canadian spec kit and have sent dozens over the boarder the last few years.  Way to much to itemize here but in short you can get about 80% of the parts from us, most of which are boxed up ready for install.  The body itself is permanently mated to the chassis, panels hung, everything painted, hinges and latches done.