All,
I recently found this forum a few months ago and have been occasionally lurking. I will share my experience getting into Speedsters with all of you in the off chance anyone is interested.
My wife and I rented a Speedster replica about 5 years ago or so and had a blast driving it. We have never been able to get over that experience. My wife used to have a 61' VW Beetle and her family is familiar with Volkswagen's. We also had a 1955 Chevy Bel Air 2 Door Hardtop that we recently sold. After many years of occasionally looking into Speedster Replicas, over the last month our so we decided we were going to have one built. We were not finding used ones that matched exactly what we were looking for. Used ones were not much cheaper, if at all. I was communicating with JPS Classics for a while and was considering going with them for our Speedster build. However, it seemed like for every good review I read about JPS, there were several bad reviews - particularly regarding timeliness and communication for the build. There were also some small details I did not like about the JPS Classic Speedster, such as the signal stalks (very minor and petty, I know). I broadened my search for Speedster replica builders and found Vintage Motorcars.
I directly reached out to Vintage Motorcars and was told I would get a call back from Greg, which I never did. However, the receptionist e-mailed me and answered a few questions. I found that VM uses two dealerships, one in Scottsdale, AZ, and one in Atlanta, Georgia, to build their cars for. I found one of VMs cars for sale on Cloud 9 Classics website - they are the Georgia dealership for VM. I got in contact with Roy at Cloud 9 Classics and the rest was history. Roy provided excellent customer service. He responded to my e-mails and questions at all hours. His prices and offerings are very comparable and in my opinion almost a better deal than directly going through VM. I do not fault Greg at VM for not getting back to me - at the end of the day he runs a small car manufacturing and repair business which is his primary focus. Being a small business, I am sure it is hard for him to manage the customer service end of things in addition to everything else. I think the business model he came up with to build for hand selected dealerships that clients can directly work with was a smart move on his part.
Part of the reason I went with VM is I realized a replica built on a VW pan would be far better for registration in MN compared to JPS Classics tubular frame. With a tubular frame, I would have to register the Speedster as a 2020, pay tax, and pay yearly registration fees. On a VW pan, I will be able to register it as whatever the pan is, not have to pay tax or registration fees, and will be able to put a collectors plate on it.
My wife and I recently submitted our order and deposit for a silver Speedster replica with Nured vinyl interior, heated seats, and red square weave carpet. The car will have the 1915cc engine, standard transmission offering, and some other small add ons such as a white banjo wheel, coco mats, and a full emblem package that Roy offers and installs.
Four to five months from now I should have the Speedster and could not be more excited! This is also a much quicker build time than I would have received directly through VM, indicating they are dealer focused. I am very happy I found VM and Roy with Cloud 9 Classics, I have only read good things. VM's quality and attention to detail sounds like it is second to none. I'm looking forward to being a part of the Speedster replica community!
