@barncobob i believe his business model is 'robbing peter to pay paul".....not what i'd call a sturdy foundation.....but it seems to work for him...... i believe these kinds of businesses all do this to some extent...it's the "Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde" personality disorder toward.....for the most part patiently waiting PAYING CUSTOMERS asking for reasonable progress updates (ie: ME).... that left the foul taste in my mouth...that along with his distant relation with the truth was at times very disconcerting
It’s all about supply and demand
I visited Vintage Motorcars today. Photos attached.
So I pulled the plug and ordered a new speedster from VM. Pretty loaded with 2332, 3:88, IRS and a bunch of goodies. Came just shy of $51k.
Thanks to everyone who helped in my initial search, Troy, Roy, Robert and Ernie among others. While the JPS subie was very attractive given it had AC and all the stuff I upgraded my VM to, all at $46k, it was pretty clear I’d sleep much better for the next year ordering from VM, be happier with the result, and it was pretty clear it would take two years through JPS and VM says they are working on getting down to 10 months delivery, so I’m confident I’ll get it with 12 months.
Heads up. There was a new speedster on the lot that a guy bought and is putting it up on BaT and they are thinking it could go pretty high and turn a nice profit. It’s the dark gray in the first picture next to the silver. Should be up within a week.
Looking forward to joining the club!
MikeM
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Congrats!!
@MikeM wise choice.....just curious to if you have any "air cooled' experience?....if not, i suggest you learn.....last thing i want to do is "DIS" the purists....in my youth i owned VW's...and became a "semi expert" on them...and not by choice...which is why i went LIQUID COOLED and also got a coupe (year round driving & heat & A/C etc & zero tinkering)... and i'll leave it there.....the bigger you go ie :2332cc...especially with the A/C compressor....the more attention is needed to avoid certain shall i say "issues"....listen to the boys here..they know AIRCOOLED...ie: carbs, ignition valve adjustment etc etc.....either that or find a trustworthy AIRCOOLED mechanic to keep it just so....just a word from the wise and those that have been there & done that...save your dough & hire a pro...happy motoring and welcome to the madness!
Thanks @jncspyder. I did not get AC. Did not want it with the air-cooled. Yes I have a lot of learning to do. I’ll be requesting referrals for a mechanic when it gets closer. Air cooled was just more than I was willing to spend unless I went with JPS.
Plan on driving it 3,000 miles per year. My other car is fun also. 550SL.
I have never heard one story of an undelivered or extremely delayed car from VM on this site. Good for you for choosing VM.
Spot for it in the garage. San Diego weather. I like the coupe but I’m 6’3. I’ll probably store the top in my house lol.
Mike, good choice, you will be happy. Be sure to upgrade your AAA towing. Things happen and flat bedding from SD can get expensive.
AAA member for 43 years. They got to know me well with my last MG.
Congratulations, Mike! Greg and his team will treat you right.
Way to go Mike! Fun cars to tour in. You know my opinion. I got lucky. ...It shouldn't be luck on a purchase. Remember, a big bore, dual carb VW motor is a high performance motor. Keep it out of stop & go traffic. A Subaru motor can have almost double the HP, and more notably, good torque so short shifting is more doable. Add dependability. While my car is a JPS car, it rips. And I can thank John for putting together an aggressive car with looks to match. jnc's car is very aggressive also, although his car had more headaches than mine. Who you went with is a good choice.
I got lucky and got a good car (to this point).
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@jncspyder I just remembered I have air cooled experience, but not the same 🤪. I drove a 1995 911 for 13 years. Does that count lol?
@MikeM by aircooled "experience" do you mean wrenching on that flat six in that 911?....or service at the PORSCHE dealer?...they are in theory similar....except in $$$....but the PORSCHE fuel injected flat six in that 911 is apples & oranges compared to the 2332 dual carb engine you are getting....just sayin'....still nothing that can not be learned...the basic maintenance is relatively simple.....troubleshooting & repair?...that's an entirely different OPRAH
Yes I was kidding. I won’t mess with the car. Not my forte. I’ll find a great mechanic. Porsche maintenance is on my 911 was a nightmare. Dealer maintenance.
Work with Greg on any extras you find. I have a Wolo Bad Boy horn, 3rd brake light, push button starter, oil pressure gauge, battery disconnect, fuel pump cut off, Blazecut fire suppression system, Durant mirrors, and a CB filter kit for the CB thin line sump on the 2332 engine. The Big Boy clutch pedal extender was considered, but not used. A left foot rest was installed, but later removed. Mine was delivered in November, 2019 after a 3 month build. Does the $50K include taxes??
@MikeM - WTTM.
Thanks Stan.
@jprpdryour talking over my head at this point lol.
my cost was almost 51 pre tax but I got a good list of options you can build any car on the website and get the price
How aggressive is the 2332 with 3:88 and sidewinder single? I don’t need a rocket ship but want some zip. I don’t want to tinker with it all the time. What setup would you guys recommend?
TIA
@MikeM posted:Thanks Stan.
@jprpdryour talking over my head at this point lol.
my cost was almost 51 pre tax but I got a good list of options you can build any car on the website and get the priceHow aggressive is the 2332 with 3:88 and sidewinder single? I don’t need a rocket ship but want some zip. I don’t want to tinker with it all the time. What setup would you guys recommend?
TIA
What do you mean by this? Do you mean dual single-throat carbs? Do you mean a single side-draft(which doesn't exist except on a turbo application)?
Sidewinder exhaust.
With a 2,332 and a 3:88 (which is what I'm running with a 2,110) you certainly won't be wanting for "zip". A small Centaur I rocket is a little closer to the expected performance.
Gordon. I’m wondering if I get too much zip and how aggressive that setup is. What is the zip factor on the 1915? I’m wondering if I’d be happy with that.
Mike, most any dual carb VW motor will require the same maintenance. Mostly balancing of carbs. ...Adjusting valve lash. With good ignition and then with a proper wiring of the car, it shouldn't be any different than any other 'breathed on' engine. The VW engine has been built in high performance fashion forever. Of course , there is the 'quality of build'...
Heat is your enemy, especially with a performance air cooled motor. Stop & go traffic, endless freeway backup, 90-100 degree plus days make for a hot engine. Mountain passes too. Some hi-po VW motors are more 'cammy' than others, requiring revving through each gear to keep 'em happy. I would look at torquey cams vs the high strung cams. I would guess your builder will be in tune to your needs.
With my Karmann Ghia I had, I had an externally routed oil cooler, adding cooling and oil capacity. I wouldn't short change yourself on your built up motor.
Other than that, drive the heck out of it, and tour!! I broke mine in in San Diego and surrounding areas... A wonderful place for a replica. Plenty of back roads for a touring/racer wannabe. :-)
1915 to me was doggy, always wanted another 70HP but then again current P car has 420 and im getting an ECU tune to give me another 30-80 depending on RPM..its a curse..
Weber carbs are not listed as an option on the VMC website. My 2332 engine has dual Solex/Kadron carbs. I have the 3.88/.89 transmission combo. I stayed with the stock exhaust. Even if the Sidewinder exhaust increases HP a little, I do not need it. It may sound better, but is expensive just for that feature. Not sure about decreased ground clearance or more difficult access to passenger side valve cover. The 145HP engine is plenty for my non-racing/non-competition needs.
"The 145HP engine is plenty for my non-racing/non-competition needs."
Yup. That about says it all...
@MikeM If you sat down with Greg and went over the specifics of what you were hoping to achieve and your driving style I'm certain Greg has pointed you in the right direction. San Diego is an incredible place to live and drive. You'll not want for much better scenery and the roads you have available will provide you with a lot of good driving. The canyons there are plentiful and the roads going through them long. The 2332 is a great engine with plenty of hp and performance capabilities and it isn't too finicky. The Sidewinder single port exhaust will complement the motor and will sound nice as well. IRS is something I'm not familiar with but those on here who have it say it's worlds better than a swing axle. A swing axle is all I know and I can run mine through the canyons with no issues. Your choices for air-cooled mechanics in SoCal are plentiful and I'm sure Greg could help you out with finding a good one. The Samba is also a good resource for finding a good air-cooled mechanic if Greg's list is too short. Here's a mobile air-cooled guy in San Diego https://www.mobileaircooled.com but that's just from the internet. I don't know him or know his work. You could also check with one of the VW clubs near you.
For the uninitiated here is the average temperatures for San Diego, CA:
High/Low - January 67/51, February - 67/52, March - 68/55, April - 70/58, May - 69/60, June - 71/63, July - 75/66, August - 77/68, September - 78/67, October - 76/63, November - 72/56, December - 67/51. San Diego has on average 146 sunny days and 117 partly cloudy days a year. The average annual precipitation is less than 12 inches (30 cm), resulting in a borderline arid climate. For these reasons San Diego is one of the nicest cities I've visited in SoCal and one of the most expensive.
Congratulations on the purchase and as we like to say "Welcome to the Madness"
I had a 2110cc which was very reliable built by CB. It seems that 2110cc is very dependable long term it was rock solid for me.
Mike, 140-150 hp in these cars is the said by many to be the sweet spot. Tuned and maintained properly it should be very reliable and push you back in the seat. You should be getting 0-60 mph in under 6 seconds and your roll-on power in second and third gear will put a smile on your face.
Speedster replicas are (generally) not for drag racing new Corvettes and Challenger Demon Editions, so don't be tempted if some backwards-baseball-cap-wearing scion in an Audi A-10 revs in your face.
Now, if the other guy's got a mid-60s Porsche or a Morgan or a TR-6? Feel free...
Speedster replicas are (generally) not for drag racing new Corvettes and Challenger Demon Editions, so don't be tempted if some backwards-baseball-cap-wearing scion in an Audi A-10 revs in your face.
Marty's turbo IM could keep up with some 
But your right the experience is what you are getting.
Ok just saying: to match the power-to-weight ratio of a new ZR-1 your 1850-lb Speedster would need 435 horsepower. Not saying it can’t happen; am saying if you make that your goal your fun/$ ratio will be negatively impacted. Very much so.
@edsnova posted:Ok just saying: to match the power-to-weight ratio of a new ZR-1 your 1850-lb Speedster would need 435 horsepower. Not saying it can’t happen; am saying if you make that your goal your fun/$ ratio will be negatively impacted. Very much so.
And this, in a nutshell, is why nobody in my neck of the woods understands these cars. They love them, until they figure out that most have about 130 hp, then... zzzzzzz.
I was one of 'em. It takes a while to understand them if you don't live near the Blue Ridge Parkway or Mulholland Drive.
America: home of the V8 bar stool.
I’ve owned MG’s up to a Shelby Cobra GT500. I can honestly say I enjoyed driving the MG’s more.
funny thing about the Ford. It has a 1000 watt stereo that takes up almost half the trunk space. Put any volume on the stereo whatsoever, and the mirrors vibrate so bad you can’t see out of them. The doors dented if you merely looked at them. But hey, the drivetrain was purely awesome.
I think the visceral experience is what attracts us to these cars and of course the shape of a 356 is pretty awesome. I guess Rounder shapes is a shape that pleases the eye. Who does not love the old Bugatti?