Specialty Auto-Sports Problems

John started this thread by asking if anyone had a problem with SAS. I suggested that he send me a PM indicating his concern. We exchanged emails and I discussed the matter with Steve at SAS. John came back on the forum and indicated that his problem had been solved. Isn

OK, so what have we leared here....
SAS makes a great car, and has atoned for any indiscretions from the past...
Cory does not like annoying members who are destructive, antagonistic and rude. Oh, & mean spirited....
The "Big Bopper" is all those things, & most likely even worse than that.
great thread all in all...

Hey Vince, atone this. Seriously buddy, I am so looking forward to seeing you in Carlisle next month. Watcha bringing that's good to drink? I am hoping that there will be a special person attending Saturday night, late night, who will love to swill with the gang. (not Geraldine)

Hey- I'm new here.

 

Thinking about getting a Speedster replica for my wife- ok, maybe call it kind of a mid-life crisis kind of a thing there LOL! Anyhooo- SAS caught my attention, (http://www.specialtyauto.com/) mainly because we love the vintage look, but also love the idea of a water cooled engine, AC, roll-up windows, etc. I had a Beetle convertible back in college- absolutely LOVED that car! The only thing I don't miss is all the babying at air cooled engine needed. We want this to be more of a daily driver- translation: I don't mind working on an air cooled engine, I just prefer to do it when I have the time, NOT when the car needs it! So SAS fits their cars with a Subie engine. I've heard many good things about Subarus (we're Toyota people). Long story short, I saw mention of SAS on this thread so I thought I might ask around here. Just when I thought I found exactly what we were looking for, I found this:

 

http://www.bbb.org/knoxville/b...in-knoxville-tn-5824

 

And this:

 

http://www.kitcar.com/consumer...e.html#anchor1041501

 

Is this just a couple remote cases of "sour grapes"? I'd REALLY like to connect with OWNERS of SAS cars to pick their brains. What kind of service? How long to take delivery? Any warranty issues? Any other problems? I figure, if he's been around as long as he says he's been, there ought to be a reason for that. 

 

Feedback?

 

Thanks

There are a number of SAS owners who frequent this site.  My turbo coupe should be ready in a couple of months.  I know about 10 owners or those in the queue, none of whom have any complaints, except for the long wait.  Please PM me if you want additional info.  I'm sure other SAS owners will chime in.  Regards and welcome, Jim

I'm sure you'll get quite a bit of feedback on this one as it comes up periodically.  I know a number of folks with SAS cars, and all are unanimous in their praise of the product and of Steve Lawing.  He may be slow (which has cause most of the sour grapes), but he is an honest man producing a good product.  Be prepared for a couple of year wait, though.

 

I am sure that John Hallstrand, Nolan Scott, Clint Owings, and others who own Steve's cars will chime in.  John's car is the very first one sold to the public, and he has been from coast to coast in it since he got it it '04.

Alphacat63,

 

People often write books with less subject matter for discussion than you have posed here.  But, to respond directly to your query, the primary ‘hit’ on SAS is waiting time.  People that have to wait a long time for a custom car are usually not very happy campers and ‘sour grapes’ can often follow.  So, I can mumble to myself in silence and wait out the time or contact the bbb or maybe Curt Scott (kitcar).  My experience has been that most of our Speedster builders work all day every day to produce these cars for us. 

 

Do you think they are trying to produce bad cars or offend customers?  Probably not.  But then, I am not talking about all ‘kitcar’ builders, just the primary guys we discuss on this forum – one of which is SAS.  For a guy that has been doing this stuff for over 25 years, I doubt if a report to the bbb or Curt is likely to change much.  What it does do is to give folks like us something to talk about on an Internet forum.

 

I have followed the activities of SAS since 1998 and own (or have owned) three cars assembled by Steve.  All three replicas (1953 Jag XK120 DHC [very rare], 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, and a 1957 Porsche 356A Coupe) were of excellent quality and I waited a long time.  That’s the whole story – I didn’t sue, contact the bbb, or complain on a forum.  The GTO and Crème Brule Coupe [a Carlisle Elite Pick] are here at the house and run great.  The Jag often sits in front of Silky O’Sullivan’s Bar on Beale Street in Memphis.  

 

During this same period, I also had an IM Roadster for 12 years [loved it!], restored a 1966 Mustang Convertible [barn find], and created a 1937 Bugatti Atlantic replica that I recently sold to a French production company for a movie on the Bugatti family [the originals are just too precious].

 

So, that’s my story.  SAS is slow and solid and produces the most unique and technically advanced of the Speedster replicas.  There may be 20 of these cars on the road.  Older products were air-cooled Speedsters, street rods and Cobra replicas.

I may be one of the curmudgeons on this site but one thing you will never see me do and that is make negative remarks about any builder that I didn't have a direct contact  with. Much, if not all the "sour grapes" you read about SAS are from people or organizations that seems to seek sensationalism. You can contact each and every SAS owner and you will not find a dissatisfied owner. Granted the waiting time is extreme and like a bunch of grapes one or two grapes may not ripen soon enough. I waited 3.5 years and others have waited longer. Would I go through it again, in a heartbeat, but funds, garage space and the wife make it so NOT so. If you want a comfortable ride, power windows, power brakes, power top, cold A/C, hot water heater, Subaru reliability, and OBDII connectivity then SAS would be a good choice. If you're not ready to wait from 2 to 4 years then Beck, JPS, Vintage or Intermeccanica  would be some of the other builders to approach. All of them, except perhaps Vintage, offer Subaru powered 356s with less build times.

Johnny01, I read your post with interest and noticed that you included a couple of links that would suggest that SAS (ne SAW) might not be the first choice for somebody interested in a replica 356 car builder.  What is available on the world wide web can be an abundant source of information, but anything you read, like the report from Kit Car, only presents one side of the story and may or may not give you an accurate picture.  I think those of us who own and drive SAS cars would have a completely different viewpoint than what the writer presented. 

Please feel free to contact me via e-mail if you have questions and I will do the best to present my side of the story as it relates to my experience with my car, SAS and Steve Lawing. 

Thanks for all the input! We all know there is more than one side to every story. That's why I wanted to hear from ACTUAL OWNERS who have done business with Steve and SAS. As someone on here said- some people just like to sensationalize any little thing and stir up whatever they think they can stir up! I know there are a lot of choices out there. Like any intelligent consumer, I just want the very best for the buck.

Don't know where you live, but if at all possible I recommend getting together with owners of several brands and doing direct comparison.  Too bad that the Carlisle gathering was a month ago as that would have been the perfect opportunity for research.  Don't be shy about making phone calls or sending emails.  When you're thinking about spending this kind of money, a little travel is worthwhile.  We're all willing to help bring another into the fold.

As in Carlisle Pa? I'm in Charleston WV. If there's anybody within a few hours of Chas, I'd love to hear from you- check out your speedster, hear your experiences with SAS, etc. Again, this car is for my wife- needless to say, only the best will do!

Thanks

I don't think that there is anybody very close to you owning a SAS car.  Lane is right, Carlisle, PA. would have been the place to be last month to see examples of most of the manufacturer's 356 replicas, including 4 SAS cars.  There are cars owned by people in your part of the country from other makers.  I don't have any idea what you timetable is, but there is always next year for Carlisle to check out what is out there.   

Alphacat - Yep, Carlisle, PA.  You just missed the largest annual gathering of Speedster replicas in the country - probably the world.  You're not that far from the southern Appalachians, and as John says, there are plenty of owners in the area.  When you're spending this kind of money, it's worth a little weekend travel to see a few cars.  If you don't want to make a special trip you could consider joining us for our annual autumn gathering.  Plans are still up in the air, but it looks like late September (John, will you be back from your cruise?) near Asheville for a more informal get together.  I would expect a couple of SAS cars.  Heck, if you're in the area you could swing by and see SAS and talk directly to Steve.  It's not a big, fancy place like some of the builders, but he's a good host.

 

I will post more info on the gathering shortly.  We've probably changed the date to the last weekend or so in September, and will probably include the "Cars at the Castle" gathering.  I'm awaiting info from Tom Raymond on that.

What is "Cars at the Castle"?

It's a gathering of fancy classics at some real rich guys estate in the area not to far from Asheville.  I'm waiting on more info from Tom, but he tells me it's pretty fantastic to see.  Stand by...

Thanks for the "heads-up" ("Cars at the Castle"). Keep me posted on the date- I'll keep an eye out on the calendar, but sometimes I miss something, or it "sneaks up on me". I DEFINITELY want to attend as long as I don't already have something on that date(s).

wait man, I'm dave...

It'll be 1 July before I have firmed up info on the Cars at the Castle thing except for the date.  It is to be the 29th and 30th of September.  More to come...

By the way...  I've started another topic under "Events" so we can end the hijack on this one.