My new cab

Good question Nolan but then, given the nature of the beast, what constitutes an SAS antique? Each one that comes out the door is the new improved version. I mean, who would have thought just a six months ago that someone would invent a way to power the cabriolet top? Is it a feature I wanted when I placed my order? Is it a feature I could live without? Probably the answer to both questions is yes, but at 75, labor saving devices are a blessing. I'm looking forward with great anticipation having the first power top in SAS world and probably the first power top in speedy world too. Now, if Steve could only invent a way to put the cover on automatically once the top was down. Hmmm! Oh, oh. I'd better not give him any ideas.

I thought Intermeccancia was innovative, but SAS leading the way.
Impressive!
Ron

Yup Ron.. Steve is leaving IM in the dust..and for considerably less mula'

John I just got that same power top video from Steve today. Wow. Amazing he's doing that. Your car is very nice. Love that color too. You have to be so stoked right about now.

That power top is pretty cush. Not for me though. I think I'm still able to put the top up/down. Plus more weight added to car.

I'm drawing the line at power windows, cruise', Stereo and AC. I'm def' into luxury..and all about spending more quality time in the tub... BUT I'll handle the top'. It's fun to put the top up at stoplights..plus I want the back window to 'lay' just right before I'ts compressed.

On the subject of VDC.. I personally don't want any robotics controlling anything about my sporty car. No back seat drivers allowed!

ABS? Are you kidding?..I hate ABS. My 325xi has it and p' me off to no end when it takes over in snow/wet. Isn't ABS for blind asian great grandmothers? That's whats' my dad used to say anyway.

SAS> well balanced mid engine gem. I can't wait to get it sideways at 70!!

It might take a little more than a power top to leave IM in the dust.

"Leading the way"? If you say so, Ron...

Gramma used to always say, "it takes all kinds to make a world". I suppose she was right.

You can all enjoy the water-cooled engines, automatic transmissions, ABS, traction control, and power tops. I'll be happily enjoying exactly what I wanted-- something cut a lot closer to the bone.

Things are coming along nicely on my build.  Won't be long now.  More pics later.

All done.

Beautiful color!

John;

Just out of curiosity how long was your wait for your build, from deposit to delivery? I've been in the queue for almost a year and still trying to nail down some sort of real timeframe for what to expect.

Thanks.

Shoot me an email.  jeastman33ATgmail.com

"Stan-the-Man" wrote:  "You can all enjoy the water-cooled engines, automatic transmissions, ABS, traction control, and power tops. I'll be happily enjoying exactly what I wanted-- something cut a lot closer to the bone."

 

hmmmmm..............let's see.  You have so heavily modified your engine, alone, that it is much closer to a 1-of-very-few racing engine than anything resembling any T-1 or 356 engine ever shipped.  Dry-sump oiling, Nickisil spluttered cylinders, ceramic-coated pistons, directed oiling, advanced intake and other changes have gotten you well away from "something cut a lot closer to the bone".  It's still an air-cooled (although a lot of it is oil-cooled) but that's about it.  That's kinda like saying that the engines being run by TRG Motorsports in the Rolex series Porsches are "just the same" as current street-bred Porsche engines.  They're not.  They're far stronger, but are designed to last for about 60 hours before a full rebuild (transmissions, too).  Which brings us to why you are re-modifying your engine for more sustained reliability.  Crank back the overall power output to gain more on longevity and drive-ability.  Not a bad trade-off in a street machine.

 

Don't get me wrong, Stan.  I like you and what you are doing a lot.  You're pulling a lot of interesting performance out of your engines and taking them far beyond their modest design beginnings into some interesting, uncharted territories and that can be educational for us all.

 

But a Subaru EJ-22 with a very modest turbo and proven after-market EFI will provide the same or (much) better performance and far greater reliability for the same or somewhat less money, depending on how you approach it.  True, it has all of that electronic stuff going on, but that doesn't mean it is unreliable, just more complicated in getting it initially installed and debugged, mostly because there might (I say, might) not be anyone else blazing the trail for you.  Besides....once the EFI is up and running, most of the tuning is done from a laptop!

 

Going your route, I would guess-timate that you'll have $10K - $12K invested in your engine before you are done and then have to fiddle with it until it is finally running the way you want it or has the reliability you want, but that's the end of the hobby that you enjoy and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  It's fun.  

 

However....going the Subaru EJ-22 route as David Stroud did (and he's learned a whole lot along the way), he probably has far less than $5,000 invested in a power plant that is as reliable as a German commuter train and, with a modest turbo upgrade, should be able to provide a reliable 180-250 HP at the wheels, just as many of the SAS cars do, even with a bullet-proof automatic transmission!!  Some of the stronger Subaru models are putting down over 600hp to the wheels, today, on the street, all over America.  Your engine will never come close to that.    

 

It's just a different end of the hobby.  You are doing some amazing things to an older, proven design by taking it in directions only the racers dared to tread in the past, because you love to, while a number of others are taking the approach of "grab something proven, but cheap, from a different part of the hobby and adapt it for us to make it work" to get them on the road, cheap.  Nothing wrong with that, either.   Both approaches make our hobby grow in positive directions.  But if I had to choose between high $$$ torque versus quick-and-dirty low $$$ torque, I, personally, would go the latter route any day at this retired stage of my life. 

 

Oh, and given similar exhaust systems, maybe three people on this forum could ever tell a Subaru exhaust note from a T-1 exhaust note, blatting from the back of a Speedster.  So that gets us back to what most of us want from our power plants.  Decent, reliable torque in the mid-range, where we can use it in our day-to-day driving experience to get from here to there.  How we provide that is up to our wits and our wallets.  Some of us still want the "look and feel" of an original air-cooled boxer engine, while others just want to move the car smartly down the road.

 

So keep doing what you're doing on the aircooled side, and I hope more people will continue improving the Subaru side of the hobby, as I believe that is where the future of this hobby will lie.

 

gn

Best birthday present I've EVER had.

AWESOME!!! Enjoy, John!

That's a sharp looking ride!

 

 

Get out there and DRIVE !!!! Looks GREAT!!!!

Gordon-

 

Somehow I missed your post. You don't have to tell me that I'm a retro-grouch on a Quixotic mission. I'd love to talk about it, but let's open another thread/

 

John-

 

I'm really glad for you. It's a good looking car. Enjoy it.