It's baaaack. SAS

Not a fan of how it looks at all!

Bill Prout posted:

Not a fan of how it looks at all!

 

ME TOO...but it is laded with 300HP SUBY and OTTO FUCHS on all FOURS? I will be happy with my BLACK IM6 and meager 220HP. I guess SAS comes with its own unique pedigree??

HOLY CARP!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Oh, yes......SAS cars are very unique.

I drove that thing at Carlisle!  To say that it is seriously quick is the understatement of the decade.  I have always thought that somewhere around 200hp is the upper limit for a Speedster and I still believe that.  Add another 100 Horsepower to that (with 50hp MORE with different ECU mapping) and you can approach "Ludicrous Speed" blasting out of every stoplight.  Mustangs (ANY Mustang) will quickly fade in your rear-view mirror and you will laugh at the approach of any Corvette or Viper.  Even Banzai's 6-cylinder Speedster would fall victem to this car.  

Why?  Becaue YOU would have absolute control over "power-to-weight-ratio" and will simply pull away from them at will, without breaking a sweat.  The only thing missing is full 4WD (I think Lawing only did one or two with 4WD and not this one) but to be honest, the asking price, if slightly negotiable to around $35K or less, is a VERY good price for what you're getting.  Hell!  If 300hp is too much, just select a less potent ECU map and bring it down to 180-200 and love it!

Now......the other side of the coin is a constant need for total awareness of everything going on in your car and around you because it is very unforgiving - You put your foot in it at the wrong moment and you will pay, either with massive oversteer or a need for a laundry for your shorts.  It is far more balanced and forgiving than a rear-engined, 6-cylinder Porsche motor or a Subaru rear-mounted, however.  Can this be fun?  SURE!!!  Can you get too much fun?  SURE!!!!  It would be more docile if it were 4WD, but still......It could be a lot of reliable fun for decent money.

This is a 356 body sitting on top of a Subaru WRX Turbo.  Think about that for a minute.

Forewarned is forearmed.....

Oh!....And those are NOT Fuchs wheels.  They are Fuchs look-alikes, but IIRC they're something like 17" or 18" diameter.  I always thought Lawing had a sucky choice in wheels.

One thing about the IM6 is that no matter WHAT IDO, and I'm cranking....I cannot shake its footing at all. Whether it be the full 911 suspension AND the IM chassis engineering along with the FAT tires, there is NO oversteer and the ASS stays in place nicely, I may add.....better than my new 87 911 did.

I'm sure that if I were blatantly SUICIDAL, I could attempt some RIDICULOUS "FAST and FURIOUS" moves but I'm not going there quite yet.......

I prefer the finesse of 220HP than the "WING IT" possibilities of 300HP in a SAS or any speedster without 911/930 suspension....

That "planted" sensation is the 911 suspension at work. It's transformational.

Yeah, the ad calls them "Fuchs style" wheels; they're definitely not originals, which is fine, as long as you know what you're getting. Notice it's call a "Cabriolet Speedster replica"- that ain't no Speedster windshield either.

In that side view there is something about that tail end that is not shaped right for a Cabriolet OR a Speedster, and I've never liked those tail lights pointing up at the sky.  Other than night it's a nice looking car.

What I liked about the SAS is, the Cabriolet design: body wrapping windshield, door angle for the window, glove box, etc... And the mid engine is cool, but a little tough for a guy 6'1" because the seat does not go as far back as a rear engine version.
What I did not like (with my limited experience with the SAS) was the spooky low quality build.  Also with mid engine, the only way to get the engine out is through the driver/passenger compartment...and the little radiators in the rear wheel wells for cooling ...maybe not the best location. But there is always something with every car , and like Gordon said, remap the engine, get it for under $35k, and enjoy it... (Those were not the same wheels as last time I saw it. I wonder if there is a second set available?)  But personally I was underwhelmed by the quality of the SAS that I almost bought. 

The right car is out there, and we are getting into that time of year when those who bought the image instead of the reality start looking to sell.

Good Luck!

Lane Anderson posted:

In that side view there is something about that tail end that is not shaped right for a Cabriolet OR a Speedster, and I've never liked those tail lights pointing up at the sky.  Other than night it's a nice looking car.

Line the pic up next to most any other Speedster shot from the same angle and it appears that the bottom of the body behind the rear wheel ends too high. Follow the respective curves of the rear wheel arches as they go back and it is obvious.

If you used the standard measurements for the placement of the tail lights up from the bottom of the body then you end up with them pointing to the heavens as those appear to be.

Lane Anderson posted:

In that side view there is something about that tail end that is not shaped right for a Cabriolet OR a Speedster, and I've never liked those tail lights pointing up at the sky.  Other than night it's a nice looking car.

It looks like a ski-boat cabriolet. There: I said it.

A SAS in the garage, is worth a lifetime in a queue.

Panhandle Bob posted:

The right car is out there, and we are getting into that time of year when those who bought the image instead of the reality start looking to sell.

Good Luck!

EXCELLENT and VERY EXACTING assessment of REALITY....the HARD TRUTH

I almost bought that car back when it was for sale in 2015, I think it was.

It's an older car, with a lot of upgrades performed by the original owner.

Jethro posted:

I almost bought that car back when it was for sale in 2015, I think it was.

It's an older car, with a lot of upgrades performed by the original owner.

If it was completed in 2006 it was probably commissioned in 1996.

Funny guy Robert :-) , but sadly it is probably true.

IIRC, It took about 18 mos. from second payment to delivery on that car.   That must have been back when Lawing had only a few orders which, in turn, sold more cars - Way more than his 2-3 guy operation could ever supply in a timely manner, especially with his penchance for totally re-designing everything that went out his door.  Remember that most of those who received their cars really liked them.  

So what was the answer?   Ponzi the hell out of the situation and live off of incoming deposit money as your business model implodes.

I love my SAS.  built in 2012.  Power assisted top is nice, especially on a Cabriolet!

That car was the fourth SAS Speedster replica built, likely in 2006, for Rob O----.  Unfortunately, that is prior to the start of the current SAS owners site, so no info there.  Regarding SAS completion of cars, there are rumors of them being built and delivered, unfortunately not to the guys at the top of the list.

Let's see, how would that go?  Uhhhh, if I sell to the guy who's next on the list, I'll only get about $35K, since he's already paid $18K in first and second payments.  Huh.  But, if I find a new buyer, he'll pay full price.  Hmmmmm.  Naturally, this is speculation only, since I don't have all the facts, despite trying to discover what's really going on.

What I do know is that the guys who are #1 & 2 on the list have been waiting since Nov 2007 for their cars.  Neither has been asked to pick a paint color.  Normal wait AFTER choosing paint is 18 months.  Ya gotta love it!

Criminal for sure.

I have tried to deal with Park Place for at least ten years and the only deal we ever made was that I sold one of the family a Boston Whaler boat....I might add, at a premium price.  He and his family were going to spend the summer on the Salish Sea, one of the most beautiful places on earth. 

I suspect they sell to those multi millionaire kids overlake with too much money and damn little knowledge...except about computers...

They used to sell replica speedsters....but I don't think that worked out for them. 

Ponzi scheme,,I think Madoff is in prison for about the same type scheme.

Yeah I remember that car, he almost killed me. Pulled out in front of me on I-81, I was already in the left lane with ludicrous-speed acceleration. No turbo spool-up on my ride, NA instant power. I think I stained my shorts on that one when I got on the binders at 85+!

I really do understand all about polar moments of inertia, the advantages of mid engine mount with respect thereto, Soobie power, torque and etc. etc. but I just don't want the engine in the car with me.  Sorry.  And you do an R&R through the door??  WTF?