Kit vs. turnkey---the ratio?

Here is an interesting little tidbit from an old magazine reprint I just bought off Ebay concerning Vintage Speedsters. I'n not sure of the date of the reprint but it states that Vintage has built "1,000 Speedster replicas" --so it's a few years old as they have passed 2,000 by now (August, '07).

The article says that about 3% of VS cars are kits so out of 2,000 cars so far about 60 were kits and 1,940 were turnkey. (Of course that's if that percentage held for all 2,000.)

I am just thrilled with my VS --it was made last March and is everything I had hoped forand more so far. I have avidly read every past post on VS I could find. It appears that many engines sort of blew up in the past---disintegrated mostly because of cheap cast partsin Mexican engine--and no doubt from some abuse. I am very hopeful that after 2,000 cars, this problem is not a factor with the more recent cars and this problem has been remedied.

Anyone have ant thoughts on this? ---Jack, Hot Springs

i personally think the whole fun part is the build itself.

if i wanted to buy a car, new, used, built, or whatever, it sort of makes me feel like it really wouldnt be *my* car.

That plus i love working with my hands and having "alone time" in the garage. ;)

i guess i am in the small percentage.

Factory Five (mostly cobras) puts out 800 per year... Talk about have your production down to a system!

angela

Jack,
Vintage produced their 2000th speedster October, 2006. It's on the main page of their website. You are probably right about the kit built estimate. There are very few people I have met who built their Vintage. For the most part, kit builders pickup old CMC kits cheap and augment with compatible Vintage parts.
-=theron

Funny though, when you explain to people it is a replica, you know the next question is "oh did you build it yourself?"

Theron said "For the most part, kit builders pickup old CMC kits cheap and augment with compatible Vintage parts."

BUT does Vintage actually produce any parts - other than perhaps their unique luggage rack - which you can't seem to find elswhere. Guess looking back to 1990 the CMC complete kit with pre-assembly (hung doors and interior subframe) was cheap at $6995 plus crating and shipping - when compared to a now finished car at $25k. Granted some CMC pieces were minimal (like the STAT front 18 wheeler running lights - now turn signals - but even VS chrome trim pieces seem to rust before your eyes.

I'd love to know the number of FF and CMC (and StreetBeasts) "kits" produced. To me CMC really started the speedster replica interest by putting a finished model in near every US major airport. "In only 40 hours with common household tools, you too can be behind the wheel." They sure had the advertising pitch down!

Right on Wolfgang!
"To me CMC really started the speedster replica interest by putting a finished model in near every US major airport"
That's exactly how I caught the illness about 13 years ago. I was flying out of Minneapolis when I 1st saw a Speedster replica. It was strategically located along the route of the "people mover" so it was pretty hard to miss.

What happened to CMC?

Their manual is very complete and I can see how a minimally talented guy like me might be able to actualluy build one.

I can see that CMC was market driven rather than engineering driven as are mots makers today.

Jack, Hot Springs

"Their manual is very complete" - yeah but its kind of like some of the assembly directions printed in China and translated into English. I recall the manual saying drill where the dimples in the fiberglass shell are --- and, of course, there were no dimples in the shell. They did fax me a template for drilling the windshield posts - it said NOT TO SCALE and who knows how many times it was copied and faxed (with size changes each time). Measuring and welding the shortened frame with 2 2x4" also left me scratching my head.

FF (who CMC bought out in 1983) was the real engineering pioneer - they had 9 models from 3 wheel motorcycle powered to V8 mid engined replicars (a total of 30 engine options!) Neither company was stressing a finished turnkey project though - which I suspect was their financial downfall. Had they arranged for cheap labor to develop near complete quality cars - say in Yugoslavia, Ireland or Mexico, Company would be golden today!

Somehow I think the fiberglass Speedster creator was Intermeccanica in 1976 or '77. They probably sold their first molds (for pan based cars) to Fiberfab after they started making tubular framed cars. Someone please correct me.

Street Beasts... there are 5 known speedsters kits produced.
AL Shapiro has #004
Someone in the south has #003 (has been on ebay)
In CT has the last #005 (on the Samba now)

CMC molds there were three molds, as they were used the dimples disappeared, the "1988" CMC project I am currently doing has all dimples and the door alignment is right on.

When CMC started the shell game of robbing Peter to pay Paul, an ever increasing number of customers were shorted parts or the kit was not shipped at all. ( - ask Gordon about this ) In steps one kit car advocate: Curt Scott who with the assistance of the then Florida Attorney General shut CMC down....however prior to the "auction" many items inclusive of the molds ....walked. As part of the court settlement Auto Resolutions was formed by CMC to supply the disgruntled customers with the missing items and of kits which they did. Amazingly a new company came into play one Street beasts and it happens that the majority of the former CMC Mgm't are at the helm of the current SB.

Alan,

Do you happen to have the scoop on the molds that Rusty Tubs is currently pulling bodies and parts from? Did they migrate Northward out of Florida or ?

Just wonderin' . . .


"Factory Five (mostly cobras) puts out 800 per year... Talk about have your production down to a system!"

What they lack is a disclosure on the impossibility of getting their product legally titled. They're right over in the next town and a LOT of their cars turn up at local cruises and the large Autorama Show; nothing but tales of woe from the owners.

TC---you are right on target about the impossibility of getting some cars registered.

The Vintage Speedster way of using a VW pan with a vin # really makes getting something regiatered a snap. Same for insurance---as they go by the vin and the vin says mine is a 1968 VW Bug----who am I to argue?

Jack

Ricardo - Believe you are correct! http://www.intermeccanica.com/history.html
Says Frank Reisner "developed" speedster mold in '75-76 timeframe and sold to CMC (but suspect FiberFab is more accurate - since CMC not involved til '83) in '76-79 time frame.

FiberFab was bought out by CMC, for a while the kits from early CMC came with FF ID plates.

Not sure of the Rusty Tubs molds source though

Rusty Tubs have an ad for speedster bodies on thesamba. They do their own manual.
They do have nice looking bodies though...

My car's a CMC but came with a Fiber Fab Hood handle badge.

Bill, you have a pre 1989 CMC I assume ?