Let's see your Ivory Speedsters

Any tan/ivory combination is going to look good.  Ivory is a very light brown/beige based off-white, and will look great with almost any light brown/tan/baseball glove colored vinyl or leather. As for the outside, it depends on what kind of look you want- full factory, or somewhat minimalist, with no overriders, licence plate and driving lights under the bumper, or even no bumpers at all and just nerf bars, minimal or no badging, no side trim (I think any Speedster just looks better without side trim, no matter what you did with the rest of it, but that's just me), if 5x205 no hubcaps, and whatever else you do or don't want- all your choice, and we'll love it.

My opinion- no diamond stitch in the interior- it's not an American hotrod.  And no junking up the interior/frunk and engine compartment like the European bordello/Russian Kremlin bathroom themed interior of the SEMA Speedser- anything like that and a lot of us will laugh at you .

Really- a Speedster's simple, clean lines are what makes it so iconic.

And I don't say it very often here, but just my 2½ cents (I am Canadian, eh!).  Al

What color will the top and tonneau be?  You want it to blend with interior color or go with black top.  I've not seen many colors for tops - just a beige and dark brown. 

Like you said all those add-on can easily be added later.  I'm a big fan of the bumper over-riders.  To me they just give the car a finished look.

@ALB posted:

Any tan/ivory combination is going to look good.  Ivory is a very light brown/beige based off-white, and will look great with almost any light brown/tan/baseball glove colored vinyl or leather. As for the outside, it depends on what kind of look you want- full factory, or somewhat minimalist, with no overriders, licence plate and driving lights under the bumper, or even no bumpers at all and just nerf bars, minimal or no badging, no side trim (I think any Speedster just looks better without side trim, no matter what you did with the rest of it, but that's just me), if 5x205 no hubcaps, and whatever else you do or don't want- all your choice, and we'll love it.

My opinion- no diamond stitch in the interior- it's not an American hotrod.  And no junking up the interior/frunk and engine compartment like the European bordello/Russian Kremlin bathroom themed interior of the SEMA Speedser- anything like that and a lot of us will laugh at you .

Really- a Speedster's simple, clean lines are what makes it so iconic.

And I don't say it very often here, but just my 2½ cents (I am Canadian, eh!).  Al

I do like the minimalist front end without driving lights and overriders… til I see another one next to it that has it. I may just add them later myself. But I’ll have VMS wire the driving lights and just not install the actual lights into the bumper yet

I‘ve seen few Speedsters without the side trim… looks naked. I think the trim adds a nice hint of chrome and is classy

doing 5 lug either way, in case I ever want to remove the hub caps and run them bare

Here is a picture of diamond stitched leather interior. Looks classy, not hot rod-ish. I would do the ivory banjo wheel though

@WOLFGANG posted:

What color will the top and tonneau be?  You want it to blend with interior color or go with black top.  I've not seen many colors for tops - just a beige and dark brown.

Like you said all those add-on can easily be added later.  I'm a big fan of the bumper over-riders.  To me they just give the car a finished look.

Tan top

not doing a full tonneau stayfast cover

With the tan top/tonneau you're limited on interior colors to Dark or light brown and various shades of leather/vinyl like baseball glove, fawn, tan and so forth.

I have an ivory car with a black top and tonneau but the interior is Burgundy - carpet, seats, trim, etc.

Looking down from above with camera flash:

Seats no flash:

Seats and dash with flash:

And finally, the outside shot with the black top:

@beemerb0y- You're making decisions already!  You do you and we'll all love it.               Are you going with the aluminum Vintage 90 wheels?  They look period, aren't really expensive and are nice and light- your suspension will love you for it.

PS- My older IM is Ivory with red interior/grey carpet.

@ALB posted:

@beemerb0y- You're making decisions already!  You do you and we'll all love it.               Are you going with the aluminum Vintage 90 wheels?  They look period, aren't really expensive and are nice and light- your suspension will love you for it.

PS- My older IM is Ivory with red interior/grey carpet.

Vintage 190 aluminum wheels with IRS suspension

I’m told the suspension is an adjustable coilover.. may have them set it up about 1/2” lower than “stock”

Speedster in an attractive ivory, cream to more yellowish than most, is auctioning at https://bringatrailer.com/list...e-speedster-replica/ in minutes. Tan interior and top, brown carpeting.

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My 2013 VS.

This ivory with light tan interior was probably the most common combination to roll out of Kirk's old shop. Greg at VM began by working for Kirk in that shop, so he is very familiar with the colors and sources for the various materials.

After nine years, everything has held up pretty well, although there are much better choices for carpet material. An oatmeal square weave would be a great improvement. Very glad I went with vinyl instead of leather - it's much easier to keep clean, especially in such a light color.

Ivory may look innocuous, but I'm amazed how many people comment on it.

The strength of the car's design lies in its subtlety, and this deceptively simple interior color palette seems to enhance that. With a Speedy, it's easy to go too heavy with the cowbell.

BTW, I'd strongly recommend a full tonneau cover. It has more uses than a cowboy's Stetson. We hardly ever put the top up, but always zip the tonneau closed when parked out of sight. It's kept the interior fresh - protected from harmful UV rays and intrusive adolescents.

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@Sacto Mitch posted:

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Greg at VM began by working for Kirk in that shop, so he is very familiar with the colors and sources for the various materials.

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Not as far as I know. In the mid-90s, Greg's father purchased the frame jigs and molds from the defunct ACI 550 Spyder. He gave them to Greg, and Greg moved into half of Kirk's building. If he ever worked "for Kirk" I'm not aware of it.

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OK, I sit corrected, then.

Still, Greg was probably familiar enough with Kirk's operation and products to know what materials were being used for upholstery and carpeting, etc.

He could likely source the same stuff or offer better choices.

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@beemerb0y Take a look at Bettylu356speedster’s profile page, he has several photos of his ivory with black/black interior.  I’ve seen it in person (before and after the James Dean ‘enhancements).  The black really looks right with ivory.  The white piping on the seats adds a surprising amount of elegance.  https://www.speedsterowners.co.../bettylu356speedster

Im definitely going to go with a tan-based interior.. would like to see more samples .. keep them coming

Red would be killer. Also agree that you need the full tonneau. If you don’t want people to f@@@ with your car when it’s parked, and don’t want to hassle with the top every time you leave it for more than five minutes (and trust me, you don’t), the full tonneau is a godsend.

Love your car @Gordon Nichols!!

A photo of Chris Schofeld’s IM Suby Roadster (grabbed from Flicker, link in an old post).  Not tan per se, but a great look.

@MikeM posted:

Red would be killer. Also agree that you need the full tonneau. If you don’t want people to f@@@ with your car when it’s parked, and don’t want to hassle with the top every time you leave it for more than five minutes (and trust me, you don’t), the full tonneau is a godsend.

I wouldn’t mind red, but the Speedster is for my wife and I know she wont like it. It’s a surprise gift, so I cant really have her pick color, options, etc lol

Ive had many open top cars and never been messed with. I never park further away than my point of sight on these cars…

here was my previous open top, a 1965 Shelby Cobra built by Backdraft Racing with a Coyote V8 pushing 500hp mated to a 6 speed Tremec T56. 8-stack fuel injection

Oh and it had a kill switch (red switch in the interior pic attached) .. anytime I parked the car, I’d remove the switch and take it with me. Anything of that sort on these Speedsters?

Sure…

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It's easy enough to hide a simple kill switch up under the dash.

But I can't recall any reports on this forum of owners' cars being taken from a street or parking lot. They're pretty useless to chop shops and too conspicuous to sell quietly.

There have been quite a few posts of teens hopping in for some quick selfies, though, which the tonneau discourages. And I'll often leave a jacket, backpack, or some contraband under the tonneau, too.

They must be baffling to the criminal mind.

A different twist on ivory.  Porsche's carrera cream white on my old IM. 

Yes, the tonneau is a deterrent to most normal folks.

There are self-important dolts and idiots abounding in the world these days. On at least three occasions I've caught people IN the car taking photos after moving the tonneau out of the way. The balls on a few!!!

It makes me wonder how many times I didn't catch them. Once was at a waterfront multi-restaurant strip-mall. The other two at different house-party/BBQ type events.

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Danny, a tonneau will keep most troublemakers out of a Speedster, but who can walk past a Spyder without saying,

"I'll bet you 20 bucks you can't sit in that thing without your head sticking up over the windscreen."

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@DannyP posted:

Yes, the tonneau is a deterrent to most normal folks.

There are self-important dolts and idiots abounding in the world these days. On at least three occasions I've caught people IN the car taking photos after moving the tonneau out of the way. The balls on a few!!!

It makes me wonder how many times I didn't catch them. Once was at a waterfront multi-restaurant strip-mall. The other two at different house-party/BBQ type events.

Fortunately, or unfortunately today's teens probably don't know how to drive a stick or have any idea how to operate a car such as this.... very sad

@beemerb0y, my kill switch / battery disconnect switch:

@Marty Grzynkowicz posted:

A different twist on ivory.  Porsche's carrera cream white on my old IM.

looks nice! got more pics?

would be easy to add a battery-disconnect, but you'd have to pop the front hood to access it each time.

found this, seems interesting and it's with a key fob

https://www.amazon.com/KTNNKG-...ps%2C125&sr=8-15

I don't have to pop the hood, as shown above.  I am switching ground.

off topic.. but is there a way to mount the side view mirror(s) on the windshield frame? Similar to my Cobra which had a Ray Dot mirror (https://www.iconicparts.com/ray-dot-mirror.html) .. the windshield of the Cobra has a small channel which allows for bolts to mount to.

For the Speedster, found these as a cheap solution....

https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-...ps%2C144&sr=8-13

Or something nicer, perhaps using window wings and modify them with a mirror: https://www.vintagemotorcarsin...roduct/window-wings/

At least I wont have to worry about someone bumping into it and ripping apart the fiberglass the mirrors are traditionally mounted on.. plus I cant decide if I want it on the door, fender, on the drivers side, or both sides.. LOL

i see it has been briefly discussed once here: https://www.speedsterowners.co...or-mount-and-bracket

@Michael McKelvey posted:

I don't have to pop the hood, as shown above.  I am switching ground.

with your installation, yes.. I just meant it's easy to add one to the battery without having to make major modifications or drill holes into the cabin

@beemerb0y posted:

looks nice! got more pics?

No pics.

@DannyP posted:

No pics.

Same here.  I've looked on two different computers and browsers.

Bump for more pics!!

I chose red and love it, but if that wasn’t an option the light tan that VMC uses is very nice.

Love the Backdraft Cobra and have had my eye on those for years. Sounds like you sold yours, may I ask why?

Couple more ivory.

My 2004; pretty run of the mill.

@Impala posted:

My 2004; pretty run of the mill.

Nice 356! How does your steering wheel feel? Ive heard they 2 spoke can be flimsy. Thinking of getting this one as it’s a nicer design than the 3 spoke Banjo

It’s definitely easier to steer as compared to the smaller diameter Nardi that it came with. I ordered this one from a great guy in Thailand. If I were to order it again I would get the smaller 400 mm that came on the earlier cars. As it sits now it’s a little tight fit.

Is it 420mm?  If it is then maybe your seat angle could use a bit of a change up to give you a bit of room.  The 420mm makes the old car steering feel much more authentic, but that may or may not be what you want in my case I have a 400mm so 420mm is where I will go sometime in the future.