Make me an offer. Looking for a fair price.
Tried selling it on eBay, but the auction was removed. I'm copy/pasting the info I had in that listing. Apologies if it seems a little impersonal, but it was written for the eBay masses, and not the well informed crowd we have here. Also, ignore any mentions of the auction or anything else that's obviously eBay related.
Any additional questions, post them here or message me privately. Car is in Los Angeles, but can be shipped anywhere.
ALL WORK HAS BEEN DONE BY JOHN STEELE AT JPS
MOTORSPORTS IN HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA
This car is a love affair of mine. The only reason I'm selling it is because I'm moving, and it's not realistic to take it with me. Where do I start?
This car is a dream and a pleasure to drive. Not only does everybody smile (or honk, or give you thumbs up) when they see it, but you smile when you drive it. Seriously, its the most wholesome fun. Night driving, sunset driving, trips up the coast, day trips to the beach. It's perfect.
Okay, so it's on a 1972 VW Beetle frame. It has been in a garage every single night since I've owned it, and I have lived in Los Angeles the entire time. I've never taken it out in the rain, not even once. There is zero water damage. I have an envelope full of records and information relating to the car, this will be included with the car. The car is located in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles, and can be picked up there.
The car is registered in California as a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle, and insured by Geico as the same. I've never had a single issue regarding any of this. I asked the people at DMV how to proceed, and this is how they told me to do it. As the car is a 1972, I never had to get it smog checked. Although with the Subaru motor, it would probably pass easily.
I bought it around eight years ago and have been steadily making improvements ever since. Around five years ago, I had JPS Motorsports (one of the few experts and producers of Speedster replicas, they do every single thing on these cars from the ground up) swap out the motor for a 2.5 Subaru. I also added a 6 speed racing transmission. This car is fast. Not sure if you've ever driven a Subaru, but they're fast. This is the same motor, except the body is fiberglass and weighs muuuuuch less than a Subaru. You can do the math. Also, it's way way way more reliable than air cooled speedsters. It's a water cooled car. It has a modern motor that operates through an onboard computer. Modern day fuel injection etc etc. Just like with a new car you'd buy today, simply get the fluids changed regularly and it's mechanically as reliable as a Subaru. Oh and due to the low weight, fuel efficient motor, and amazing aerodynamics of the car, it can get over 40mpg. And if thats not enough, it also doesn't need to be warmed up in cold weather or have the carbs adjusted if you're driving at different altitudes. Forget about worrying about those things, just enjoy driving. Isn't that the whole point of these cars?
The car has just over 10,000 miles on it, but less than half of them are on the new set up. I'd guess the new motor/tranny has about 3,000 miles on it. We are way past the breaking in phase on the new motor, and I haven't had a single issue with it.
The car also has several additional upgrades that you likely won't find on many other replica Speedsters, including a few safety upgrades. Keep reading for more info.
UPGRADES
Like I said, I've made many more improvements to the car. Including the frame off restoration, every single thing you see on this list was done by John Steele at JPS Motorsports. I'm probably forgetting a few, but these are the main ones:
- Scrapped the original 1600cc motor, and replaced it with a Subaru 2.5 water cooled, fuel injection motor. The entire conversion was performed by JPS Motorsports. This car is very fast both off the line and at cruising speeds, much faster than the other replica Speedsters you'll see on eBay.
- At the same time as the motor swap, I replaced the original transmission with a Rancho Pro Street 6 Speed Racing Transmission. The shifting is smooth, and the car has A LOT of power in all six gears.
- I had the paint color sanded and buffed. What a difference that made.
- Added a very simple to use quick connect on the battery. Just pop the hood, unscrew the quick connect, and that's it. You can kill all power to the car in seconds. I always disconnected the battery whenever I was parking the car in public for extended periods of time. Think of this like a manual kill switch. It makes the car much more difficult to steal.
- Added sway bar and full suspension upgrade, as recommended by JPS Motorsports. In combination with the stock IRS, it handles like it's on rails.
- Replaced the original lap seatbelts with modern three point seatbelts. This is the same style seatbelt on basically every consumer car produced today. Much, much safer. Like, not even comparable.
- Replaced the original (and dangerous) drum brakes with brand new disc brakes. Gigantic difference and way safer.
- Added a brand new interior. This includes all new fabric carpeting, new leather side panels, and brand new Speedster seats with brand new matching leather. The seats are on rails, and can be adjusted backwards and forwards. I am 6'2" and have no issue driving this car. My friend is 5'5" and also had no issue driving this car. With the exception of the dashboard leather (which was in good shape and didn't seem worth replacing), the rest of the interior is new.
- Replaced the VW wheels with Porsche 911 Fuchs. Yes, you read that correctly. The car is on authentic Porsche Fuchs. The wheels alone are worth thousands.
- Also bought brand new low profile tires. Plenty of tread on these. Lots of life left.
- Swapped out the original gas tank for a larger one. This is self explanatory. Larger gas tank means less stops at the gas station. The new one is also more reliable than the originals, which tend to leak.
- Added the Porsche emblem and logo on the front end, and the Carrera logo on the rear. You can easily switch these out if you prefer a different badge.
- The VIN on these cars is on the frame, approximately a foot behind the stick shift. I had JPS Motorsports install a special flap in the carpet on this spot. It's hardly noticeable, but gives you full access to the VIN. You may need this access when you register the car, so you're welcome lol.
- Added a very good car stereo. It's difficult to add reliable audio to these cars, this is a great example of how to do it right. Everything was brand new when I bought it, and cost me close to $2,000 with installation. Kenwood deck, JL Audio amp, Boston Acoustics 6" speakers in the front, Boston Acoustics 6''x9" speakers in the rear. The deck is a Kenwood KIV-BT901 with full radio and bluetooth capabilities. You can make and receive phone calls, play music from your phone etc. I will also include the proprietary Kenwood cable which includes a charger for your phone. Currently it's set up with an iPhone plug, but you can switch that easily.
- I added an authentic Nardi Stick Shift Knob, worth around $100.
- I also added an authentic Nardi 360mm Steering Wheel, which cost almost $400.
- I added a new exhaust and muffler, one made to sound closer to an air cooled motor. This car DOES NOT sound like a Subaru.
Aside from the things I've upgraded, I'll mention a few other things. While I did not show pictures of them in the auction, I do have the removable plexiglass windows. The reason I didn't think to photograph them is because in all the years I've owned this car, never once have I considered using them lol. The open air is one of my favorite things about this car. Regardless, they will be included with the car.
The headlights, as well as the high beams, work without issue. So do the blinkers. The horn also works perfectly, and is the perfect sounding horn for this car lol. The handbrake functions exactly as it should, as do the steering wheel and the brakes. The car starts right up. The convertible top works, however there is a bit of a process getting used to it. It's self explanatory, you'll get the hang of if after a few times. I know this is trivial stuff, but sometimes it's nice to hear that it's all working.
That's all I can think of right now. If I think of anything else, I'll add it to the auction.
CURRENT ISSUES
While the car is running perfectly and has been well taken care of, it does have a few lingering issues I haven't gotten around to fixing. I'll list them all here:
- There is a small chip in the exterior, right near the driver side view mirror. I have posted a photograph of this in the auction, with my finger included for scale. It's not large at all, and should be very cheap to fix for any fiberglass worker. Not a big deal.
- The gauges on these cars are notoriously faulty. Luckily, the speedometer and tachometer work. However, the gas tank gauge only works about half the time. The other gauges aren't even hooked up. I've never cared about amps or water temperature lol. I'm sure they'll work fine, you just have to have them installed.
- There are a handful of small areas where the paint is chipped in various places on the car. You know, from tiny stones that flew up as I drove or something like that. Most of these are not visible until you're right up next to the car. None of them take away from the beauty of the car in my opinion.
- The last "issue" is actually one I have by design. The cord that you pull to open the hood (which is actually the storage area on these cars, the "trunk" area is up front) is supposed to have a small knob attached to in. This knob makes it so you're able to open the hood by hand. I removed this knob. This means that in order to open the hood, you'll need to use a small pair of pliers. I prefer this because sometimes I keep valuables in the hood. These would be VERY simple to steal without this particular setup. Also, if you remember earlier in the auction, I mentioned the manual battery disconnect kill switch I installed. Well, this is now way more difficult to access for would be thieves. Not only do they have to know about the kill switch, they can't even access the battery without pliers. I kept a small pair of pliers in the car with me, I'll ship them with the car to the winning bidder. If this setup sounds like an annoyance to you, rest assured that you could easily have any small knob installed on the end of this cord. The solution would cost you less than $20, including professional installation.
That's all I can think of right now. Again, if I think of anything else then I'll definitely add it to the auction. If you have any questions, message me here through eBay. Seriously, please ask me all questions prior to bidding. My reserve price is lower than lesser Speedsters have recently sold for here on eBay.
I will entertain Buy It Now offers. Message me directly through eBay with any offers. Please don't lowball, it's a waste of time. The vehicle is also listed for sale locally, so I will be fielding offers locally as well. In the case that it sells locally, this auction will be immediately removed.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Please note that all sales are binding and final. This vehicle is sold "as is" and "where is", with no warranty expressed or implied. All faults, known or unknown, described or not described, are the responsibility of the buyer. Buyer agrees to be 100% responsible for any problems discovered after payment. With that said, I assure you that I've done my best to accurately and thoroughly describe the vehicle. Please also be aware that winning this auction does not entitle you to then inspect the vehicle and decide if you want to buy it. Upon winning, you are obligated to buy it. I'm a straight shooter and an upfront person. I would ask that only that same type of person bid on this car. If you're not sure you want it, or cannot definitely pay for it in a timely manner, please do not bid. I don't mean this in a rude way, I just don't want to deal with the hassle of having to relist this. I prefer a smooth transaction. It took me a lot of time to write this listing and take these photographs and videos. I have done my absolute best to honestly describe the vehicle. Please provide me with the same level of efficiency and courtesy.
PAYMENT
A $500 non-refundable deposit is due through PayPal or in person within 24 hours of the auction ending. This deposit will not be returned for any reason.
For the rest of the purchase, I accept the following forms of payment:
- Cash in person (we will meet inside a bank)
- Cashiers checks or money orders (the car will not be shipped until payment has cleared)
- Wire transfer to my bank account
- Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Vechain, or Ethereum preferred)
I'm obviously not releasing the car until I have been paid in full.
SHIPPING
Shipping coordination and costs are the sole responsibility of the buyer. With that said, I am happy to help as much as I reasonably can. I will make myself available and keep my schedule extremely flexible to meet you or your shipping guys. I'm happy to speak to them on the phone to help arrange details. I'll do what I can to help here. Please remember that the car will not be released until I have been paid in full.
Its the name of a high end parts / transmission supplier. 
I wonder what it will be like when we get even older.... " But would you really? " becomes even more appropriate. 
