speedster

selling my CMC speedster, mid eighties, vanilla color, runs exc., really nice, $12.500, e-mail me if interested

Wow, caught me totally off guard Jane!! Sorry to hear that since you were just starting to upgrade it!

hey Ricardo, thanks but everything is so perfect! After the Carlisle show I was incredibly impressed beyond my highest expectations, so much so that I e-mailed Henry with many well deserved compliments! Well, it didn't stop there, after discussing his attempts at a liquid cooled roadster, I couldn't resist the proposal, my ultimate car, the beloved roadster, but the thought of it having abundant A/C and heat was too much to think about so he's building me one. Thus, the 1986 conv D in the body shop that is undergoing a complete restoration, and the vanilla cutie are both going to have to have new owners. And I just got the high over rider bar back from being rechromed and the original VDM ivory steering wheel back from the restoration shop. The timing isn't ideal, and if I would have known I would buy a new one, surely I would have done things diferently, BUT I literally didn't expect to see what I saw at Carlisle, meaning the 2000 blue roadster and the new silver speedster, just stunning, seeing is definately believing!!!! You see not living on the west coast or maybe in Canada you just don't see many speedsters not matter who made them, and I can't stress this enough that not having ever seen one in person only through pictures is the whole key, I really couldn't have imagined the intense quality. I described to a friend after the show what i thought when I first saw them and I said it was like seeing in a high high end resoration shop a roadster that had just under gone a complete top to bottom reso that you could barely get close to it without feeling nervous, and the 6 digit price tag seemed cheap!, thats the best way I can describe it. Anyway thanks for the concern Ricardo

Jane, Congratulations! Send the restored steering wheel to Henry for installation on your future Roadster.

hey Dale, I was thinking the same thing but didn't know if it was appropriate to ask, isn't that kinda like bringing your own food to a resturant to cook, believe me I'm mot being funny, I spent a lot of money for it I'd love to have it on the new car.

Congratulations Jane. I had a similar reaction when I saw and drove my first IM... Dale's Speedster back in 2004 at Knotts.

I second Dale's suggestion. Send the Steering wheel to Henry.

Jane, When Henry built my car, I supplied him with the steering wheel, horn ring and button, the steering column and shaft, turn siginal switch and cover, parking brake and mechanism, heater control and the Fuchs. You know, the original Porsche parts that I wanted to us on my car. He restored the steering wheel/horn ring and painted it all to match his ivory color.

He was very appreciative of the effort and truthfully, he is building cars for a living, not sourcing parts unless he has to. It makes it much easier on him if you provide the correct parts and it could save you a bit if he does not need to use his parts. I don't mean to say you should send him readily available parts like knobs, steel wheels, brake kits, etc, only the hard to find, rare pieces that take a lot of effort and time to aquire. Of course, you don't want to send basket case yunk.

Talk to him about it.

hey thanks guys, I'm going to do just that, it sure would save $'s and since it's been all restored, it would be my preference to have on the new one. Oh the anitcipation of the the wait! I feel like I'm making plans to build a house picking colors etc!!! I saw the new Saturn roadsters the other day and they really are quite impressive considering what they are, BUT they resemble so many other cars, the Solstice, etc..., and beauty wears off after a while when the next model year rolls around and the new ones make them look old and out of date. Never Never with a speedster, nothing compares, and it's so timeless, the lines are all its own, and too unlike anything new the coolness in it isn't derived from flash, an oh so humble look, really when you think of it, most all newer cars strive to catch you by being BOLDER and BOLDER,and when it wears off they come out with something else and may I add thats so cost prohibitive to maintain and therefore drive that that in itself makes it even less attractive of a aquisition to even consider not to mention the allure of drawing you in, and WHAM before you know it you're at the dealers mercy, sensors, check engine lights, oxygen this and that, and all the while it's dropping in value at a rate that no one would even consider anykind of a good purchase let alone call it an investment. Oops sorry you have the older model now we can only offer you this much for it, every one wants the new body style, all the while caught up in the wirlwind , a loosing proposition any way you look at it, I think. But then there the speedster, when I first started my seach for a used IM, I couldn't believe there were so few that anyone wanted to part with, and wow do they hold they're value! I know now why!

The Saturn:
http://www.skyroadster.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=203&limit=views

I don't know who else among us was unaware of the new Saturn until Jane's mention; first I've heard of it. I did get an early (maybe not anymore?) report on the Solstice, though. A guy I work with is in the market for a small metropolitan convertible, so he went out and drove one. He came back to work the very next shift and warned me against having any connection with it. He's going to go look at the BMWs, Honda's little 'vert, the TT (naturally) and this "Smart" little guy here when they go on sale in the U.S.:

http://www.autointell.de/News-deutsch-2003/Januar-2003/Januar-2003-3/Januar-27-02-p7.htm

The Smart cars...
Great little cars. I got to test drive some of them including the 'new' (back then) coupe while in Barcelona in 2003. Fun little mercedes built cars. Zip along about 80/90 mph. gas mileage is great.
Europe luvs little cars and they are so much fun.

Interesting. A buddy of mine has a Solstice that he's tweaked with a new flash on the chip, and it's a blast to drive. He used to race Porsches, including a recently sold 930 Turbo, and he loves his Solstice. I've driven it a couple of times and really like it too. Oh well, different strokes, etc.

Jane-

You'll not regret your decision. I've owned three replica 356s- one was custom built for me by another manufacturer. I wasn't 100% satisfied with anything until I dealt with Henry. I ordered my speedster less engine and transaxle, and he was happy to supply the car in that condition. He'll gladly provide as much or as little as you want, but I'd recommend taking his advice- he's forgotten more than even the most serious enthusiast will ever know. Talk with him about your wheel- he'll work with you to make sure he builds you the car of your dreams.

Of course Vince doesn't like to hear people talk like this, so....

That's great Jane! Intermec is the best VW based Speedster that money can buy. If I had the resources it would definitely be my choice. Enjoy!

Stan, I have gone on record as saying that IM's are the best....
I just got tired of hearing about it from every IM owner on a regular basis..........
It's like some people just can't shut the F up about IM....boring..
We should just Canonize Henry and get it over with..
There are some of us who are happy owning basically the same car for half the money...thats all..I actually have as much fun in mine as anyone on this site. Check out my Pic's. No roll-up windows, no fancy motor, no Extra buttons in the cockpit, but there I sit with a frigging smile on my face....go figure...

I saw those two cars at the show, its true, seeing is beliving, you get what you pay for, but at 47k + they are a little too pricey...

Yelp . Congrats Miss Jane. I had a simular experiance.
I got to look at a Im a few years ago. It left a lasting Impression. But alas I just can't aford one.

I will just have to be content with this car. Its still a pretty decent car.

...hey Vince, if you're like me, don't you just love it when...

...what? Damn, I need to see my therapist about this irresistable urge to use a line over, and over, and over, and over, and over...

"We should just Canonize Henry and get it over with.. "

I'll vote for that!

(Jane, take a look at Stan's Speedster... a very nice car)

Hey jim, stans car is more than nice!!! love it!! Hey, I had an older CMC speedster built by them as a demo to take to shows, had it for 5 years and absolutely had a blast with it! It's just that here in the northeast I want to enjoy it more than 3 months of the year, and with it being liquild cooled, having the benefits, or otherwise known as creature comforts, I can do just that, hopefully at least half the year probably more. I think living on the west coast would be totally different, tolerable, but like here today, it's in the high 80's and the humidity is unbearable. At least for me, when I was in my twenties, I was for sure a die hard, comfort wasn't an issue, just had to drive old cars ALL year round, in the winter I'd literallly drive with a blanket on the legs in my MGA. I think I would get tired of hearing about IM's on a pedastal too but it's just that the magnitude of my first experience with seeing one last month is frankly really overwhelming. I am in the car business and twice a month go to the what they call high line or exotic sale, at the biggest auction on the east coast, Manheim auto auction, and this past Thursday is where I saw a few new Saturn roadsters go through, and like I said before they are really pretty nice, I was shocked at just how nice they really were, even more elaborate than the Solstice, to me, but along the same lines, but my point in saying that I was at this exotic sale on Thursday is that even with all the Maserati, Ferrari, Maybach, and Bently roadsters, sincerely outrageously stunning cars, in rolls my friends white speedster rep and a crowd gathered around, and the $11.3 he paid for it 4 weeks ago soared into $14.3 within minutes, wow, and I was there when he initially bought it and kinda thought he paid too much. But also it just amazes me that these Bently roadster etc. just don't and didn't impact me like my single siting of Henry's work of art at Carlisle, oops I said it again and I admitted that I would ge getting tired of it too, but I had too , I hope I don't catch to much H-^* for that. Relatively most cars sell for what the wholesale books dictate but along came this speedster and emotions ran high, what else could it have been that made people almost bid with ferocity, to be able to have this speedster for more than prices now dictate on the e-bay market. Never Never is it anyones intentions at all by the accolades given to the IM's to take ANY even small credit or beauty away from the most basic of pan based speedsters, I sense a defensivness, but all are what they are, in their own right, and nothing can take away from that!!! I don't see it as better, just different!

Saturn Sky:

I drove one last Friday,it's slightly less nimble than a late model Mazda Miata, not alot of power but fun to drive and feels solid throughtout. I would wait until they come out with the larger power plant.
One negative with the Sky (assume also the Solstice) the Stayfast roof material when lowered rubs on the body which will quickly wear thin or worse.

yes Alan, I thought the fit was really crude actually, rear window that is, but that front end esp solstice reminds me of the late 60's style BMW roadster.

Hi Jane,
Congratulations! I know the feeling you experienced seeing an IM. I had what I believed was a nice 2003 VS. Then, we vistied Henry's shop in Vancouver. It was love at first sight. When we came home, I ordered a IM Speedster and sold The VS. We took delivery in Vancouver, then a 3500 mile cruise home. Absolutely no problems. I too sent parts to Henry Which he happily included in the build. You'll really be excited once you star seeing progress photos.
Bob

Jane,
Congrats on your new-soon-to-be-made-just-for-you IM! I had never heard of IM before seeing my first one at the Knott's show in 2004. I was absolutely stunned. Tried to talk my mother in law into buying one as she was mourning the sale of her BMW Z3. An IM is only about 173 times cooler than a Z3...

Also been extremely impressed with Henry's after the sale support of his customers. If I could ever stop being so darned cheap and would be willing to step up to a turn key car - an IM is the one I would buy. angela

Jane,
I'm very happy to hear you are getting the car YOU want! I had dreamed of owning a Speedster since I was 14 yrs old and I finally got one in April. It's old and it needs alot of work. As a matter of fact I'm not even sure what kind it is? (I think it's a 1971 VW pan with a 198? Intermeccanica - yes, I know it's not the same Intermeccanica of today) And it's the BEST SPEEDSTER EVER because it's MINE! I too sense a little defensiveness from the IM vs. Pan Based groups. There isn't anyone in the world that can convince me that their Speedster is better than mine because THEIRS isn't MINE. Enjoy your new Speedster!

Jane: You will love Henry's a/c, not only does it look good, it works.

Very nice Ralph. I love the overiders, of course, and the yellow piping is a real nice touch. I wish I'd have thought about black piping on my red seats, maybe next time.

Have you and Jim Ward gotten together yet?

whoa, ralph, ditto on the piping, great color combo!! And the older I get the more I appreciate A/C, so it's just almost unbelievable to me becuase I've been driving old sports cars for so many years that now I won't stick to the seats when I get out, and leave a trail of sweat as well, not too mention HEATED seats, yes why not!

Jane,
Tell me more about your speedster. I am a new hope to be owner. Where are you located. I live in Florida and would like to see your car.
Barry

I'm new to this group and it looks like you are all experts arguing about different makers. Understand IM is very nice but pricy and Vintage offers good basic product at a very good price. What about Specialty Autoworks (http://www.specialtyauto.com/PORSCHE.htm), any comments? It looks like a good alternative to me.

I'm waiting for the completion of my Specialty Autoworks (SAW)Cabriolet, you'll get some positive feedback from Hoss and Steve O'Brien (check Steve's website at "porschereplica.1colony.com")since they're members of SOC. I toured SAW's shop and was very impressed with their products. The only negative is, if you're in a hurry to get a Speedster it takes SAW quite a bit of to build one. Steve Lawling at SAW is very meticulous during construction, incorporating any improvemnts found in the Subaru engines he acquires and any engineering improvements he deems necessary. My build should be done in late July or early August which will make it 14 months from date of contract, however, I understand he included improved heating and suspension systems in mine. Each of his cars is built from ground up, the only pre-formed assembly is the fiberglass body. Other modern features available make a SAW vehicle a virtually modern car in a classic body. It's the modern features that made my decision to go with SAW, if it wasn't SAW then I may have gone with IM.

What you see on IM pictures is not what you get! It's more, much much more!