Speedster for sale

Sorry to hear that misfortune, Stu.  Maybe Troy can help out as he's in Calif.  Would a copy of the CMC delivery paperwork?  It's computer sheets showing items delivered in kit (many flagged BO) with a date of Nov 1988.  It's a classic body but doubt they would know difference.  Since CMC has been out of business since like 1992 getting anything from them is impossible.  I can scan in a attach a couple pages if you think it might help.  I also have the Certificate of Origin.  I think both have the PO # which becomes the body number - but only appears on the gold CMC id plate which many don't mount.  There has to be away!

Sent you a PM with a scan of the COO and CMC id plate.

And some of us thought that getting a Speedster into Canada is a problem.

Let's hope Wolfgang's plan can work. 

It's has been a difficult road for Stu even though the required declaration paperwork was submitted to Aus. and  they still declined.  Hopefully,  that someone has a full pre 85' doc speedster available for Stu for sale or trade.  ~Alan

Thanks for your support guys, I will get one over the line sooner or later. Probably better that I haven't been able to physically drive or sit in Alan's creation as it would make it even harder. I am trying to find a dealer in Cal that might put it on consignment for me or it will stay in storage till I can get over next year to sell it.

Cheers Stu

Stu in Aus posted:

Thanks for your support guys, I will get one over the line sooner or later. Probably better that I haven't been able to physically drive or sit in Alan's creation as it would make it even harder. I am trying to find a dealer in Cal that might put it on consignment for me or it will stay in storage till I can get over next year to sell it.

Cheers Stu

I hope I'm not out of line with Troy but @Troy Sloan is an absolute master at selling these cars. Maybe PM him and ask if he'll consider photographing it and listing it for you for a small commission. Troy has sold an awful lot of cars and he's very good at it. Since he's in CA he could pick up the car and work his magic.

California is a massive state.  What city is it in?

No promises, it's the worst time of year to sell and I have one of my own to sell, but give me details. 

Hi guys.

i have attached Alan's original link to the car below ( I hope that's ok) to see the specs and pictures. The car is currently at CFR Rinkers (Shippers) in Paramount CA till this Monday. My mate Terry is going to pick it up with his car trailer and take it back to a workshop that he shares in Bakersfield. The problem is that Terry is coming back to Aus on around the 28th of this month as his wife is having a baby. He won't be back in the US till April. To be honest I am not fussed on leaving it there as the guy he rents the workshop with is being a pain in the Butt. I might try Roberts suggestion and PM Troy.

i am wanting 26,000 US for the car, it owes me more than that and from what everyone is telling me, it worth it.

https://www.speedsterowners.com...ody-custom-speedster

Thanks again everyone, it's very nerve wracking trying to sort this from another country and I really appreciate your help.

regards Stu

Sorry Troy, I am a twit, I just realised it was you in the post above mine. 

I can't tell you how sorry I am for you, Stu. The world is broken.

Thanks Stan.

The process is only supposed to take 2 weeks and they dragged it out for over 2 months. I could get really angry about it but I have just decided that it is a lesson that I needed to learn to give me more knowledge on importing. I still definitely do not agree with their decision.

I've given it some thought Stu and I don't think I'm going to be able to help for several reasons, but primarily due to liability issues and logistics, since it doesn't actually belong to me.

My suggestion would be for you to place it in rented storage in Bakersfield until your friend Terry returns in April.  That will only cost you a couple of hundred dollars.  It will be Spring time when he returns and that will be a much better time of year to sell it.

I feel bad for you Stu and I would be more than happy to help if I could, but I think this is your best bet. 

Good luck. 

Like Stu, being Australian and having imported a Speedster from the US; I have been through this horrible process before. Getting the documentation right is only a quarter of the battle. Once it gets here, substantial modifications, assessments, paperwork, more paperwork etc. and further tests and by the time it's over, you might as well have slept with your automotive Engineer. The requirements vary from Engineer to Engineer hence it is not possible to ascertain a sure formula.The red tape here is unbelievable not to mention the lousy exchange rate, the goods and services tax, shipping, fumigation, engineer's fees, labour and material costs to implement changes in structural requirements and broker's fees eventually all add up. Oh, I had to change the engine too as the engine that came with the car was not possible to use in the vehicle.  It proved easier to change it than substantiate the history of it. And no, I don't give advice anymore as it backfired on me the last time... 

Al:

And meanwhile, I assume there are junkers running around Australia, polluting the air and potentially causing mayhem when the brakes fail or a wheel falls off.

It is so true - once you get caught in a bureaucratic morass, your life becomes so miserable you sometimes wonder if it's worth it. 

Seems the Merklin redo was just way too nice and new looking for a 1985 CMC?  So you have to prove it was actually built pre-'89?  I have delivery papers and Certificate of Origin from CMC saying my body kit was delivered Nov '88 - would that be sufficient?  Or would it require a state registration from then (problem is these cars don't have proper 17 digit VINs and aren't covered in CARFAX - plus states don't track registration back more than 10 years.  Would you be better off buying just the body kit without chassis/engine and importing as car parts?  Or without an engine? Are VW pans/engines readily available there? How about Subarus? Having it registered as the VW donor's chassis year doesn't seem to help as it does in Europe. Just seems overly restrictive for a country that is not overly populated (vs like England or Germany).

Several years ago I help a fellow UK SOCer register (England) his CMC there.  It was shipped out of NJ without a title - just a bill of sale (actually a sales invoice).  I was surprised customs let it out of US much less into UK.  UK MOT refused to register it so he had a flower planter for over a year. I found a severely rusted out VW in VA (note rusted out frame horn) and purchased the id plates and rear chassis bit.  It came with matching title.  I cut the rear chassis piece out and mailed it in a Priority Mail shipping box.  He had the chassis piece welded in and it passed!

Thanks Wolfgang.

i am just going to put this one to bed and go for an 80's factory build. I have spoken to the department and the decision is made on a sliding scale. And yes, basically Alan's car was too nice. If it looked like a heap of garbage it probably would have got through..

thanks Stu

Hi Stu,

I'm Don from NZ. How you going with the car and where are you up to? I'm bringing in one myself.

Regards Don

This is good to read about the whole process. I don't have a build date either so I'm going to walk the thin red line as well. I've got Title for a 73 VW with 9 digit vin as well as previous title from a couple of years earlier but with a different 10 digit vin number with a SMPC build date of 1997. I can only figure that the pan was rusted out and it was replaced at some stage. It'll be fun when it gets here. Stu your not alone.

Regards

Don

Don,  Do your title inquiries now so that you have things correct for import etc.

BTW template went out in the mail to you today.

I always thought the state took the original VW title when they issued the SMPC "re-title".  Some state are fussy when it no longer looks like a '73 VW 2 door sedan others don't care (or at least didn't years ago).  Part of issue in states is also which safety and emission laws apply. Perhaps 1997 SMPC is perhaps exempt from emissions - but a '73 bug wouldn't meet '93 emissions requirements - doesn't even have the ODB port they first look to plug into.  

Thanks Alan

I spoke to compliance here and when I said I was going to convert to RHD he lightened up but we'll see what happens when it gets here. If they go for the 97 build date even though there is no proof that it belongs to my car I'll be fine, if not there could be trouble. We'll just have to wait and see. Watch this space gentlemen.

Don Harrison posted:

I spoke to compliance here and when I said I was going to convert to RHD he lightened up but we'll see what happens when it gets here. If they go for the 97 build date even though there is no proof that it belongs to my car I'll be fine, if not there could be trouble. We'll just have to wait and see. Watch this space gentlemen.

@Stu in Aus

Don,

I did the thing with the "@" symbol so Stu will get an email showing he was mentioned on this website. Hopefully he will get the message and come on here to answer your questions.

Ok, so in Aus you have to declare what year the car was converted from the VW to the Speedster regardless of what the title year is. So in the case of the car I am bringing in at the moment, I have a document from Intermeccanica stating when the shell was built and I have stated that the car was completed as a Speedster around that same time. It is difficult to know exactly when the car was completed as the title says 1995, but that is 15 years after the shell was manufactured so it does not make sense that it would have sat for so long before being completed. I have been told that each time the car is registered in a different state, that it all starts again anyway. So my car would have been registered  somewhere else first. To get the import approval in Aus it basically works on a sliding scale, so it depends how many things look right which determines if you get the approval or not.

Are you permitted to assemble a speedster ( kit) in Aus as a hobby home built vehicle ?

Yes I would imagine so as people build hot rods but I am not sure what the guidelines are. 

Hi everyone.

Just letting you know I got some exciting news yesterday, the import approval came through for Theron's Speedster. So finally, after the heart ache of trying to import Alan's, they have given me a break. I am very excited, my neighbors must have thought I had won lotto I was yelling so much. And for anyone looking for a beautiful wide body, I have the car that Alan built on consignment at Beverly Hills Motors. I am happy to do a deal if anyone is interested, even maybe a swap. Thanks everybody on the Speedsters website that have been so helpful to me. I will be sure to post some pics of the car at sites around the Gold Coast when it arrives. ������������������

Kind Regards

Stu

The question marks at the end of the post are BIG smiley faces.

 That's great news Stu.  I was so disappointed when the bureaucrats stomped all over your dreams with Alan's great car.

We in Canada face some of  same issues as you do in Oz in terms of building, buying, and importing 'kit cars'.

Congrats, and enjoy that ride!

I have seen the Merklinized one up close. It is nice.

Glad to hear this ...Congrats Stu!