I'd like to talk to anyone who is still able to contact "Specialty-Auto", Steve Lawing, in TN. Steve builds speedsters. Well, he takes down payments but never delivers. I would like to get in contact with him............ but no numbers work, etc. My father-in-law actually went to TN, met Steve, got a ride, so I thought it would be all good - NOT.
Any Ideas will be appreciated, Paul 315-663-4690
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Yes you have been royally ripped off by the king of deception and dishonesty. Sorry to hear of this but the list is long with many others being financially raped. My statement and the statement of dozens of others can be verified by searching " Steve Lawing" on the Web, Wiki, and here on the SOC... this saga goes back to 2010 and then some. ~ Lawing porks nearly everyone by graciously selling you a bushel of BS followed by taking your hard earned money, not answering emails or phone calls, delivering cars and pocketing your funds. His business practice sucks rocks....what amazes everyone is he constantly gets away with it with little chance of you ever getting your dream ride or a refund. Years ago a local TV news station did a series on him to no avail. Lawing constantly puts his dirty hands mark on what usually a good hobby. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news ~ and I'm sure others will chime in.
------------- Sorry to hear about your losses. Best thing to do is chalk it up to experience and either give up the dream or find a REAL builder that delivers a CAR! There are a few: Beck in Bremen IA, Vintage Motorcars(Hawaiian Gardens CA), and Intermeccanica in Vancouver BC. The only three vendors worthy of trust and funds...
The fact that this is still going on makes me really, really mad.
I'm so very sorry.
Back a few years ago, there was a lawyer on here soliciting clients who had gotten into a contract with Lawing and got burnt. Do a search on here for Steve Lawing or SAS or Specialty Auto and start reading. There is also a facebook forum or something of people who have paid and are waiting for a car (and waiting and waiting...) and have a page to gather on and commiserate or at least figure out if any cars get delivered. You might find that from a search on here, too (as well as any current address or phone numbers), but I'm not sure. @Jim Kelly is probably the best source on here of what's going on with Lawing, but he no longer owns his SAS coupe (it was in a crash) and may be distancing himself from all that.
As already mentioned, Lawing has a history of roping people in, taking their money and running. Sorry you got roped in, too. We've talked a LOT on here about how bad Lawing is over the years and yet people still get bilked by him.
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The Better Business Bureau posts a small sampling of complaints against a business.
Here's the Specialty Autoworks page.
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x2 Beck in Bremen IA, Vintage Motorcars (Hawaiian Gardens CA), and Intermeccanica in Vancouver BC. The only three vendors worthy of trust and funds...
Many years back when the NJ Replica Car Club had an excess of 100 active members, one member had his dream car being built from a Fiero donor. "Ron" got screwed around for two years then Ron Greg and I did an all night run from NJ to a Sweetwater TN only with a PO Box address with an enclosed trailer. We arrived Sweetwater the Police Station was...closed and wouldn't open for another hour. Across the street I went to the Vol fire house ( I was a First Aid Squad member in NJ) A couple of coffee drinking guy there know where the and off we went to the address...So being NJ street smart me thinks "what if the FD guys called ahead" ? and the residence we were going to had firearms. Greg say's got us covered as he pulls the biggest 45 cal I ever saw from under the dash I think, "I am going to end up on a chain gang" that thought crossed my mind as the local Sheriff was pulling us over. Seems he was a brother in-law of the FD guys and had our best interest and safety in mind. Ron provided the supporting paperwork to the Sheriff and he was willing to take us out in the boonies to the residence but said he could not stay at location (undo show of force) but would drive by a few times just in case until we had Ron's car loaded. We simply knocked on the door I left the resident know that the Sheriff and I had a talk and we were able to recover Ron's rolling project and numerous cartons of parts....
Not to be unsympathetic, but even a cursory Google search for "Steve Lawing SAS" and I'm sure many other combinations yields a thread from this site about ripoffs and there are dozens of threads and hundreds of pages with tales of woe, a link to Better Business Bureau complaints, a Knoxville attorney seeking refunds and that's just on the very first page of returns.
I'm sorry but how do intelligent people looking to spend $35-50,000 continue to get ripped off??? Who cares if he's a sweet talking liar, do even rudimentary research!
The problem is that our law enforcement agencies do not prioritize fraud. The investigations can be time consuming and the targets are usually pretty wily, so the best case scenario is you get an AG who'll do a civil case and try to negotiate a partial disgorgement (this is what happened with the "Trump University" case, for example).
The problem with this is that it leaves the fraudster standing, and the lesson he learns is Crime Pays. You do this for a few decades and it really starts to erode people's faith in society.
And so here we are.
Where is Rip Wheeler when you need him ?
Yep, Steve needs to be taken to the train station.
@Jimmy V. posted:Yep, Steve needs to be taken to the train station.
And tied to the tracks.
Originally from NJ we would refer to that as a 'Trunk Ride".. I have a true & funny story that can only be told in person over beers at Carlisle ~
@PaulT I will give it to you straight and quickly, like tearing a band-aid off.
You will NEVER get a car built by Steve Lawing from SAS. A phone call won't help and neither will an in-person visit. Get an attorney and get your money back. The sooner the better.
Here is the Forum For SAS Owners Waiting To Get A Car. The blue text is a link. Click on that and read through the 14 pages of endless suffering these people are going through. I think there were 19 people waiting for cars on that list. Some of them have been waiting over 20 years to get a car. It is likely the list is even longer because he just keeps selling cars and no one, except the people on that forum, know the forum exists. Even they have given up hope because no one has posted on it for almost 5 years.
@Lane Anderson posted:And tied to the tracks.
Not the literal train station. It's figurative, as in "Long Black Train" i.e. a real DEAD end.
As DrClock said in Jerzey they'd get a ride in the trunk and dip in Delaware Bay wearing cement goulashes.
I'd file a BBB complaint, write a letter to State's Attorney General, contact lawyer mentioned back in prior posts, and even consider small claims court suit. Also sign up on the web site for waiting SAS delivery.
@DannyP posted:Not the literal train station. It's figurative, as in "Long Black Train" i.e. a real DEAD end.
Ah. Same ending either way. I'm sorta surprised he hasn't suffered a broken bone or two in his long history of cheating people.
Goulash is something to eat. Cement goulash would not be tasty.
What a wonderful Legacy, if there was anyone that is going down the polished laundry chute to hell, it's Steve.
I scanned through some of the comments on the forum linked by Jim Kelley and what really struck me was a few (not just one) people who said something like "I went against the comments of a few people on here and ordered a car from SAS anyway."
Or one of the classic excuses: "I went to visit his shop and it was pretty busy and he is very persuasive and convinced me it was a good deal."
Jay-Sus Mary and Joseph!
The guy has, like, ZERO credibility and hasn't shipped a confirmed car in over five years and yet, people are still willing to give him deposits based on zero credibility and smoke screens!
I totally agree with @Robert M:
You will NEVER get a car built by Steve Lawing from SAS. A phone call won't help and neither will an in-person visit. Get a (good) attorney and get your money back. The sooner the better.
Try getting the Tennessee Attorney General involved, too. You're probably not alone.
The guy is a running a scam. Someday though, as all scammers learn, they scam the wrong guy who has the desire and means to teach him a lesson. He just hasn’t met that man yet. It’s sad song played over and over again as seen by the posts on the BBB website.
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@WOLFGANG posted:.As DrClock said in Jerzey they'd get a ride in the trunk and dip in Delaware Bay wearing cement goulashes...
I wish you guys would show a little more respect for my former homeland. Life there is far more civilized than you intimate.
Watery graves and concrete footwear are the stuff of Hollywood fantasy. Both are harsh on the environment and wasteful of natural resources, not to mention potential hazards to navigation.
Southern New Jersey is home to Pinelands Memorial Park, a lush natural setting that extends for miles, and affords peace, privacy, and if desired, anonymity to the dearly departed when their time comes.
The Pinelands offer either remote interior or convenient roadside plots, as the family desires, and have been serving the needs of the community with dignity for generations.
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I guess people that ordered despite the info. are wanting to believe he will build them one of the amazing cars he advertises. I bet the car would cost $70K plus today to build correctly and he tells the mark they can get it for $40K. I wonder if Steve says something like this " With a mere $10-$15K down payment we can get this car started in production. You can't believe everything you read online. Fake news you know."
Ok, the guy is a con man. But what does everyone think of his clever roll-up window design? (you can mute the sound if you don't want to listen to Mr. Lawing's voice)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTG6MnkPVUs
Is there a reason a similar design isn't done by other replica builders (with the exception of IM, which is a bit different)?
@Stan Galat posted:The fact that this is still going on makes me really, really mad.
I'm so very sorry.
What I find really tragic is that so many show up here after the fact. A simple google search would have saved many thousands of dollars.
Yeah, let's not lose focus and blame the victim.
Fraud is fraud, and it's a crime - even if it seems to go unpunished.
Videos such as this are the reason this crook keeps trapping new people into his never deliver scheme.
@Alan Merklin posted:Originally from NJ we would refer to that as a 'Trunk Ride".. I have a true & funny story that can only be told in person over beers at Carlisle ~
That somehow reminds me of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas....whaddareyougonna do? Eh? 
@Sacto Mitch posted:.
I wish you guys would show a little more respect for my former homeland. Life there is far more civilized than you intimate.
Watery graves and concrete footwear are the stuff of Hollywood fantasy. Both are harsh on the environment and wasteful of natural resources, not to mention potential hazards to navigation.
Southern New Jersey is home to Pinelands Memorial Park, a lush natural setting that extends for miles, and affords peace, privacy, and if desired, anonymity to the dearly departed when their time comes.
The Pinelands offer either remote interior or convenient roadside plots, as the family desires, and have been serving the needs of the community with dignity for generations.
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Hysterical...
@Lane Anderson posted:Ah. Same ending either way. I'm sorta surprised he hasn't suffered a broken bone or two in his long history of cheating people.
After all this time, with the perception we (Canadians) have of you people willing to take matters into your own hands, I'm still surprised that no one who's been suckered by this guy hasn't bought a plane ticket, after landing, visited a local sporting goods store for a Louisville Slugger and then paid him a visit...
And my apologies, but who gives a sh*t about roll up windows when there's no car to put them in?
And then of course, this-
@Jimmy V. posted:I guess people that ordered despite the info. are wanting to believe he will build them one of the amazing cars he advertises. I bet the car would cost $70K plus today to build correctly and he tells the mark they can get it for $40K. I wonder if Steve says something like this " With a mere $10-$15K down payment we can get this car started in production. You can't believe everything you read online. Fake news you know."
@Gordon Nichols posted:I scanned through some of the comments on the forum linked by Jim Kelley and what really struck me was a few (not just one) people who said something like "I went against the comments of a few people on here and ordered a car from SAS anyway."
Or one of the classic excuses: "I went to visit his shop and it was pretty busy and he is very persuasive and convinced me it was a good deal."
Jay-Sus Mary and Joseph!
The guy has, like, ZERO credibility and hasn't shipped a confirmed car in over five years and yet, people are still willing to give him deposits based on zero credibility and smoke screens!
I totally agree with @Robert M:
You will NEVER get a car built by Steve Lawing from SAS. A phone call won't help and neither will an in-person visit. Get a (good) attorney and get your money back. The sooner the better.
Try getting the Tennessee Attorney General involved, too. You're probably not alone.
How often does it need to be said? If you actually read half of what's here (and everywhere else on this great big interweb) about peoples' trials and tribulations and STILL trust the guy's pie in the sky dreams...
What Robert said-
He has not built a car in what- 7 or 8 years? Someone, please ask him when the last time was that a finished car rolled out of his shop? The man's business is taking deposits, and the sooner you accept it and move on the better.
My point here- anyone running across this thread while researching a possible build, get it through your head- this is not a person you want to deal with. If you've already talked to him and are in any way persuaded by what he's saying,
READ EVERYTHING HERE AGAIN (AND AGAIN AND AGAIN) UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE THINKING OF DEALING WITH- HE'S BEEN DOING IT FOR A LONG TIME AND IS GOOD AT CONVINCING PEOPLE TO PART WITH THEIR HARD EARNED CASH WITH NOTHING IN RETURN. I KNOW WHAT HE SAYS SOUNDS GOOD, BUT WALK AWAY- IT WILL BE ONE OF THE SMARTEST THINGS YOU'LL EVER DO!
The New Jersey Pine lands are overly fertile and that "ain't" just from the dropping pine needles so a friend told me ~
Remember driving from Trenton to Seaside Beach to surf fishing with my dad. There would be tanker trucks pumping something (mostly Carbon Tetrachloride - dry cleaning fluid) into the sands of the pine barrens. Never did see the Jerzey Devil though.
I went to the BBB site. 9/15/21 someone went thru the Knoxville attorney Daniel McGehee and got his initial $10k deposit back - but not his $8k added payment. He apparently bought a cancellation place (the $8k) and was #3 in build list. Lawing said only 6 months from completion. He said that Daniel McGehee "tragically died"? A search shows he was 75 and died October 2019 at home. An old 2014 aerial shot of business shows several wrecked Subarus but a more recent 2022 shows maybe 2 vehicles.
Location of This Business
4601 Mill Branch Lane, Suite 1, Knoxville, TN 37938
Wolfgang.....Nicely done & NCIS is looking for an Agent / Investigator.
