Out With the New in With the Old

Welcome to the Madness George. 

 

George, the folks at Special Edition have a great reputation hereabouts for product quality and customer service. You should end up a very happy camper.

There aren't many members here with 904's (none that I can think of, myself) so we're looking forward to seeing how your project goes.

Sounds like you'll find a home here with your old school leanings, and good going with mastering the computer skills to post on the forum. Many of us prefer to type out our contributions on typewriters and fax them in to the site admin. Manual typewriters are, of course, preferred, but I've been hearing some good things about these new IBM Selectrics. Imagine being able to change the fonts yourself!

Cheers.

 

I’ve been to Bremen Indiana and seen many Special Edition (Beck) builds, both complete and “in process”. Carey is one of the most outstanding men in this business, with a passion for excellence, and a drive to make sure that every last customer and friend is satisfied.

You will not be disappointed. 

Sacto Mitch...I really enjoyed your sense of humor.  I'm still chuckling! 

Luckily computer skills are not a problem.  I happily embrace technology when it provides some benefit or adds to the experience.  That being said, I feel as if technology in today's cars have gone "over the top" and are designed around the "lowest common denominator" or techno junkies that want the latest gadget regardless of its usefulness or purpose.  All of this "stuff" intrudes on purity of driving feel, dynamics and fun...not to mention distracts from what someone behind the wheel should be doing - Driving and paying attention to their surroundings.  

I really do like my 991.1 Carrera S, but all of the technology that non-purists demand and Porsche adds to help sales, detracts from the purity of the drive.  I'm hoping to get the back and with the 904 GTS have the ultimate mid-engined exotic that uses the best air-cooled 911 engine ever.  

Thanks for the kinds words about Special Edition.  I'm talked with a few of their customers and everyone seems to have glowing reports and says very positive things about their business, customer service and build quality.

Mitch now there you go again bringing up all there crazy ass new stuff. Next thing you know you will be talking about that computer stuff the young fellows are interested in. Those dang computers are just a fad that started with those Astronauts. It is just another silly fad. 

 

George - I’ve been a Special Edition/Beck customer since 2006 and will soon be getting one of their new Super Coupes, and I’ll echo all of the positive comments.  Many of us here are happy to call Carey and Kevin Hines, along with many of their crew, friends.  Come join us at Carlisle in May and you should have an opportunity to meet them and share a few refreshing adult beverages with us all.

I have met Carey and can attest to his knowledge and attention to detail. If you've been to the shop you've seen my friend @arajani 's blue Spyder. That car singlehandedly represents what Carey and crew are capable of, perfection. Carey represents all that is good in this hobby. You won't be disappointed.

@George Perry whence do you hail? 

I'm Louisville KY based

Robert M posted:

I have met Carey and can attest to his knowledge and attention to detail. If you've been to the shop you've seen my friend @arajani 's blue Spyder. That car singlehandedly represents what Carey and crew are capable of, perfection. Carey represents all that is good in this hobby. You won't be disappointed.

@George Perry whence do you hail? 

 

Lane Anderson posted:

George - I’ve been a Special Edition/Beck customer since 2006 and will soon be getting one of their new Super Coupes, and I’ll echo all of the positive comments.  Many of us here are happy to call Carey and Kevin Hines, along with many of their crew, friends.  Come join us at Carlisle in May and you should have an opportunity to meet them and share a few refreshing adult beverages with us all.

Carlisle hosts several car shows.  I assume you mean the Imports and Performance show 17-19 May?

Make sure that you visit Natalie in Bremen & check out her one of a kind signal mirrors :-)

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Sacto Mitch posted:

 

George, the folks at Special Edition have a great reputation hereabouts for product quality and customer service. You should end up a very happy camper.

There aren't many members here with 904's (none that I can think of, myself) so we're looking forward to seeing how your project goes.

Sounds like you'll find a home here with your old school leanings, and good going with mastering the computer skills to post on the forum. Many of us prefer to type out our contributions on typewriters and fax them in to the site admin. Manual typewriters are, of course, preferred, but I've been hearing some good things about these new IBM Selectrics. Imagine being able to change the fonts yourself!

Cheers.

 

Don't believe a word of that typing on a typewriter hooey that Mitch is trying to feed you- he hand writes it and makes Theron post it for him...

Welcome to the Madness, George- it sounds like you might fit in just fine... Al

PS- and yeah, we're going to need regular pics to keep us informed as the build evolves. Lots of pics- what can I say, we're a very visual bunch...

Please come to Carlisle George and hang out with the gang. I don't think we've had a 904 there, but a lot of guys with some neat cars—many of them Becks—and Carey usually makes it too. Stand-up guy, by all accounts. 

A few years back I saw one of his 904s at a PCA show down near Virginia Beach. They really are special; beautiful, scary fast and rare enough that almost no one will know what the heck it is without you telling them. 

Enjoy.

edsnova posted:

Please come to Carlisle George and hang out with the gang. I don't think we've had a 904 there, but a lot of guys with some neat cars—many of them Becks—and Carey usually makes it too. Stand-up guy, by all accounts. 

A few years back I saw one of his 904s at a PCA show down near Virginia Beach. They really are special; beautiful, scary fast and rare enough that almost no one will know what the heck it is without you telling them. 

Enjoy.

Carlisle hosts several car shows.  I assume you mean the Imports and Performance show 17-19 May?  Is that correct?

@George Perry

George, Welcome to the Madness (aka; replica ownership). Seems you share the same  background as many on SOC, longtime members of PCA looking for something different & fun (and more down-to earth).

Carey and his team brought their 904 to one of these gatherings and it WOWED the crowd. (click on pics to enlarge)

Hope you give serious consideration to joining our SOC group at Carlisle this May. Here is a video of some highlights of our SOC group at this annual gathering. 

When video starts, click on 'Gear' icon in lower right and adjust video quality to 720HD for better viewing.

 

 

George, your reasons for giving up on a modern car are what drew most of us to the Speedster, Roadster, 356 Coupe, and Spyder replicas that we drive.

We wanted raw. We wanted mechanical. We wanted no microprocessors. We wanted seat of the pants connection to the road.

That is, until about halfway through the apex of that first turn.

A lot of us had forgotten or had never experienced firsthand the limitations of 1950s or even 1930s technology in a roadgoing contraption and we had our eyes opened for us right quick.

Some spend lots of time or lots of money or both trying to fix those limitations. Some just take it for what it is and learn to like the raw and the crude. Many just admit their romantic notions don't make a lot of sense (especially if there's someone uncomfortable in the right seat) and sell off their six-month-old dream cars with 800 miles on the clock, poorer and wiser - but still married.

The 904 that you and Carey are cooking up will be light years faster off the line and on the track than what most of us are driving, and probably a whole lot more civilized to boot. I'd guess the experience will be a lot closer to modern than most of our cars are. But there's bound to be a good helping of raw in the mix, as well.

If this is your first experience with back to the future motoring, please give this some serious thought. Take the time to meet some of us, to drive some of these cars, and to lift a brew or two with folks who have cared for and fed these silly machines. You've really got to be a little crazy to put up with them (the cars and the drivers).

That said, the fellow in this video does seem to be enjoying himself:

 

Several 904s have made it to Carlisle. I've been very lucky to have sat I them and ridden in the passenger seat. Some day I'll get to drive one. They are immediate cars. Great feedback. Race car suspension with heim joints. Comfortable but tight.

Mid-engine is where I live, I'm on my second Spyder.

You'll not be disappointed with what the boys at Special Edition are building. Their 904 is sweet indeed.

Hey @George Perry, you can read up on the Carlisle extravaganza and see the dates here:

https://www.speedsterowners.com/topic/carlisle-2019

 

Welcome! I've always loved the 904. If I were in the market I would probably eschew the current trend to early 356 coupes and make the leap to the 904. 

 

Put down my deposit today for a 904 GTS Chassis #53.  Now the waiting begins 

George Perry posted:

Put down my deposit today for a 904 GTS Chassis #53.  Now the waiting begins 

Please call if you need to be talked down, at some point.  The wait is killer :-)

I've got to sell my 911 (991.1) and make room in the garage, so right now time is on my side.  Once that's gone there will be a big empty space in my garage.

For anyone else out there who's considering a 904 build and looking for information or references I wanted to pass along a link and some reassurances.  I've been able to speak directly with several current or past owners of Beck 904's built by Special Edition.  The business and the team at S.E. have universally earned positive reviews from their previous customers.  

Secondly since there is only traces of useful Beck 904 Special Edition information on internet forums, websites and YouTube videos, I'm going to chronicle my build step by step with milestones, photos, thoughts and try to document the entire process.  Here's the link to that thread.  

https://www.speedsterowners.co...day-one-of-the-build

Thanks for doing this George. This is an elite build and I'm sure we'll all learn a lot.