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Specialty Autoworks Suby project

FM Former Member
Since SA is breaking new ground by having placed a Suby engine in their prototype mule Speedster, thus tradition takes a backseat, we may as well offer some suggestions to Steve for a wish list.

For my two cents a standard bigger gas tank. Ten gallons is a joke left over from the 50's way of thinking about auto useage. 16 sounds good but frankly 20 is better. Screw spare tires, that is why I have AAA, a cell phone and a couple cans of Flat Fix.

I would like to see to the shape of the convert top remain the same, but why we put up with tops that don't seal and often leak makes no sense! Surely it wouldn't be hard to have the tops seal better.

Roll up windows, heart be still. What a concept, a year round comfortable Speedster! (I have long suspected if Vintage or JPS or IM were located in North Dakota rather than in temperate climates they would have found fixes long ago.) And I also suspect that for people that live in cold climates that is the reason you see so many low mileage cars being sold... the romance doesn't last long when it is 20F outside and the defroster doesn't work well and your wife is saying never again and you figure uh-oh.
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FM Former Member
Since SA is breaking new ground by having placed a Suby engine in their prototype mule Speedster, thus tradition takes a backseat, we may as well offer some suggestions to Steve for a wish list.

For my two cents a standard bigger gas tank. Ten gallons is a joke left over from the 50's way of thinking about auto useage. 16 sounds good but frankly 20 is better. Screw spare tires, that is why I have AAA, a cell phone and a couple cans of Flat Fix.

I would like to see to the shape of the convert top remain the same, but why we put up with tops that don't seal and often leak makes no sense! Surely it wouldn't be hard to have the tops seal better.

Roll up windows, heart be still. What a concept, a year round comfortable Speedster! (I have long suspected if Vintage or JPS or IM were located in North Dakota rather than in temperate climates they would have found fixes long ago.) And I also suspect that for people that live in cold climates that is the reason you see so many low mileage cars being sold... the romance doesn't last long when it is 20F outside and the defroster doesn't work well and your wife is saying never again and you figure uh-oh.
W Williams
Erik,

Guess we have choices to make as to keep the Speedster faithful to the original or make it more livable. I upgraded my gas tank to 13 gallons but have left everything else alone. I agree on all your points
on weather sealing but I wonder if the original wasn't pretty rustic also. Maybe George can answer that one since he had one. My car is a fair weather car and usually has the top down but I can sure see the advantages of a hardtop and sliding windows in other than sunny weather. I can see where Specialty could pick up some business by changing things around somewhat to make it more livable but in my mind that would have the car lose some of its quirky charm. My 2 cents, Bruce
John LeaderJohn Leader
Ed, I think your suggestions really turn the Speedster into another car entirely. I recognize the Speedster has a few (OK, many) drawbacks when compared to modern automobiles, but, for me, that is a big part of the car's charm.
These cars were conceived to be simple, basic, low-cost, fun-to-drive cars.
Water-cooled engines, roll-up windows, etc. make it into something else...sort of a...Miata. I don't mean to sound like a "purist," but maybe I'm leaning in that direction. This is just my opinion...and you know what they say about "opinions."
HossHoss
Erik,
Good observations. Do you intend to communicate them to SAW? I suggest that those who are truly interested in this car should do this. Steve may be at a point where he has to lock in his design plan, if he hasn't already, but I think he will do what he can to satisfy customers' requests which are possible within the parameters of his design. This is not a "no ups and no extras" business, paraphrasing Earl Sheib, Chicagoland car painter for the masses.
John H.
FM Former Member
I visted the SA updated website a few minutes ago. Steve has a ton more info about the car than what was posted when I last checked. He redid everything. (Nice job, Steve.)

Take a few minutes and read about the Suby from Stutgart and where Steve is coming from (his educational background is impressive).

I am all in favor of the opinions of the traditionist, no problem, but I don't live in SoCal and I don't trust any of the Vw garages in my area, it would be nice to have service done at any garage with a computer coast to coast.

I would like to see roll up windows and pictures at the site that show how it is to access the engine compartment and also the trunk space available, etc.
FM Former Member
PS: No one would wax romantically about watching a crummy picture on a black and white television the size of a couch with a picture tube the size of a loaf of bread. What I am saying is progress is gutting the works out of the 50's black and white TV set and replacing it with state-of-the-art color electronics complete with a remote control. The best of both worlds. These cars are replica's, it would be a crime to alter an original.
FM Former Member
I like the idea of modern equipment because, I have no plans to work on the car but instead just like the look and want to drive it for the fun of it.

I talked to Steve via Email and he told me at one time that the cabriolet version with roll up windows would not be in the works until he was done with the prototype and initial delivery of the speedster? Dont know if this has changed as i havent talked to him lately. I have come full circle and would probably be just as happy with a speedster that just had good heat and air and didnt leak to much. I dont plan to drive mine in bad weather anyway
FM Former Member
I have an IM and it has roll up windows, as most of them do. So far, even when it is cold, I leave them down. It's nice to have them in the rain however.

Thanks to George, IM can now build cars with gas heaters, so there is your instant heat.

Yes subys are more set and forget than VW engines, but they can fail too. And when they do, it will cost you a few bucks to fix, as opposed to the VW engine that even most non-mechanically inclined folks can work on. Remember that the suby engine stuffed into a speedster will be tough to work on and will have no warranty. I can just imagine the look on the mechanic's face the first time you pull into the suby dealership's shop for a tune-up.

Or am I just getting old too, and am becoming more of a traditionalist?
FM Former Member
Playing devil's advocate... the Suby engine has been repositoned to what appears to be a mid-engine position. Check the front/rear bias. Nice and neutral.

Fill up with regular, the computer brain adjusts the EFI accordingly. Premium, ditto. Cold weather starts, performance at sea level, high in the Rockies, frigid winter or hot summer... it doesn't matter. Make round trips New York to Los Angles and back 15 times between tune-ups. Oh my. Something to think about.

I reckon a Suby from Strutgart definitely would lack the soul of an aircooled engine. I love the way aircooled engines sound.

FM Former Member
Im going to start looking around for a good aircooled vw mechanic. Most of them that I already know about aren't very good and it is like going to a junk yard to have your car engine worked on. Maybe this is my biggest hangup remaining on the aircooled engine. Im working on my perceptions of the engine and hope to find someone locally with a nice shop and good skills.....but I will have the gas heater no doubt
guru39guru39
As the owner of several replicas, I have not found it particularly difficult to get them worked on once the mechanic knows what it is (assuming he is familiar with what it is). The cost has not seemed excessive since they find the new configuration very interesting. A problem with the VW air cooled is finding a mechanic as old as I so that he has seen one. So, you end up with either a reconfigured Subaru that is very complex but can be analyzed with a computer or a VW air cooled that many young mechanics have never seen. In any case, most of us do not expect our neat looking Speedster to be in the same class with a new Chevy, Toyota or Honda.
FM Former Member
I am continuously amazed by the fact that many replica owners won't roll up their sleeves and do maintenance themselves. The learning curve is not that steep, tuning and maintenance tasks are relatively simple, several good how-to books are available, and you don't need a garage full of tools.

Years ago I taught a girlfriend how to tune her 412 VW. Then I taught her to change brake pads and bleed the brakes. At a bit over 100,000 miles we rebuilt an engine from the wrecking yard and put Webers on it - she was in on the rebuild and learned how to dismantle, clean, and synchronize dual Webers. By then she was up to most maintenance stuff, changing shocks, etc.
FM Former Member
Post college I spent a year in western Montana fly fishing and breeding cowgirls. To pay for both habits I got a job in an independent VW garage. I enjoy doing routine maintainace to this day, however, I sure don't second-guess others who don't, or might not have the work space or tools, or maybe not the time, or heck, even don't have the inclination.

Its funny. George I figured you would blast the concept of a Suby from Stuttgart for being non-tratitional, not its giant leap forward in maintainance-free operation. (Steve has spent a ton of conceptual and R & D time on this project.)
FM Former Member
Apropos of original Speedster weather tightness - I didn't have leaks around the windshield and top bow but of course some rain would get past the original side curtains in front. When I switched to a set of aftermarket plex sidecurtains less rain found its way inside but it still wasn't a dry car. Remember that Porsche developed the Speedster into the "D" in an attempt to solve the weather related and vision problems.
FM Former Member
Nic, just kidding, thats what I thought you meant.

Re - weather tightness - soon after getting my VS Speedster I found myself forced into a long drive thru a HARD rain, I had no choice, it was either that or delay getting home at least a day or more. I was expecting otherwise, but the side curtains seemed to be the ONLY place rainwater didn't enter. It mostly came in at both the top and bottom of the windshield, and via the rear fender wells. I have solutions in mind to make it more rainproof. In spite of that, I find myself siding with John Leader above - the appeal of this car to me is that it is a throwback to 50's sportscars, I get that sensation driving it. The crude simplicity and lack of creature comforts are what I expected. Stopping more frequently for gas just made the experience more fun and interesting. But I don't fault anyone or any company for pursuing what they feel is the perfect evolution of Speedster replica. I guess the Boxster is how Porsche evolved it. Just a little more weatherproofing and I'll be happy.
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