As predicted in a previous discussion, the six figure mark for a pan based Speedster has been met by Greg's personal Subaru powered beauty.
Here are a few pictures.
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A beautiful car to be sure, but seeing Alan’s work of technically advanced art go for half that just confuses the f—k outa me.
No confusion at all. Market vs. who wants what. It's just reality and that's what's what right now.
@Lane Anderson posted:A beautiful car to be sure, but seeing Alan’s work of technically advanced art go for half that just confuses the f—k outa me.
I dunno' Lane. You had a chance to buy Alan's outlaw, but you didn't. Why? Because you already did the air-cooled thing and grew tired of it. I think it freaks more people out than just you.
I think Al's car should have brought more, and probably would have if it had been marketed differently. But allow me to play the other side for a minute.
VMCs have been bringing long money on BaT for a lot of reasons @cwazy1 outlined pretty clearly in the thread on Al's car. Having a nicely appointed car with a Subaru engine, and being from VMC, with no wait, AND the added cache of being "the owner's personal car"?
That's going to equal long money. I hope Greg is investing wisely during this time of windfall. He did the right thing by the old VS employees, went out on a ledge to get the workers and the facilities, and is now reaping the rewards... but nothing like this lasts forever, and at some point the bubble will burst.
Today is not that day. Well done, Greg Leech.
@Stan Galat posted:Having a nicely appointed car with a Subaru engine, and being from VMC, with no wait, AND the added cache of being "the owner's personal car"?
That's going to equal long money.
That makes sense, although the difference still astounds me. I'm not convinced on the air- versus water-cooled logic as my Coupe had the same engine Greg's car has. I dunno... I guess it's kinda moot now anyway.
@Lane Anderson posted:That makes sense, although the difference still astounds me. I'm not convinced on the air- versus water-cooled logic as my Coupe had the same engine Greg's car has. I dunno... I guess it's kinda moot now anyway.
Well, as a practical man who gets sentimental about well-crafted things, it astounds me as well. But this paragraph is really helping me understand the thinking:
@cwazy1 posted:There are people who are sentimental about their cars and there are those who aren't. The ones who are tend to value the fine details, the intricacies and assign a value to that. The ones who don't see it as a P&L statement, or a transaction. BaT is full of the latter and this forum is full of the former.
We're looking for the market to value the same things we do. It doesn't work that way, and your car and Al's outlaw prove it.
For 10 years everybody acted like what the world really needed was a mid-engine, Subaru powered coupe. We ached and pined and lamented that nobody was scratching the itch - so Carey built one.
When it came to market - nobody here who had done all the pining bought the car. When Al's car came to market, nobody here bought the car. I suspect it's because we didn't like the color or the particular tires or the grain of the leather or the weave of the carpets. We're picky because we're aficionados and this used to be a hobby full of cheap (ahem, "thrifty") car guys who want what we want. Most of us are working schlubs who don't buy things on a lark.
The world is changing, and all of the sudden that money sponge in the garage is worth something. We'd like to think it's worth more than it really is. We'd like it both ways.
@Troy Sloan posted:As predicted in a previous discussion, the six figure mark for a pan based Speedster has been met by Greg's personal Subaru powered beauty.
Where was the car listed for sale?
Jason
Private sale, not on an auction site.
@Troy Sloan that's a fabulous car!...greg leach does it right!...and is a very great personable guy....i met him the one time when i met you as well at SLO cruise...these cars of ours are very kewl...and all it takes is someone that wants one bad enough that has deep pockets...i have a few guys that are fighting over my 2018 JPS coupe ...all i have to do is make a phone call for a FIRM $65K...nearly every gas stop seems someone wants to buy it...it's not for sale as of today...i might be wrong, but the longer i wait it may be a $6 figure car...apples & oranges between a coupe & a speedster....but my car is every bit as nice as that car...with a lot of the same features....
way better now than when originally delivered from DR JEKYLL 5 years ago ...just IMHO .... a few of the SOC guys here as well as you & greg have seen it in person....what's the consensus among the boys (and girls)here.. haa!...just curious 
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No question, your car is a beauty and it will sell well if you ever do decide to sell it!
Wanna trade?
I was at VMC about 6 weeks ago and spent some time around this car. It is equisitely assembled and shows attention to detail everywhere. I crawled all over and under it while Greg was getting some things done. There's not a hair out of place anywhere. It's one of the reasons I'm being so patient with my coupe build, when it's done it'll be perfect.
As for sales, seeing something in person is always better than pictures, and I'm afraid that's where Alan's auction went awry. The photos were clearly not professional and a few had bad angles that made it look "kit car" even though one would be hard pressed to find a better built speedster (but only we know that). There weren't video walk arounds or driving videos, and all top dollar BAT cars have that in common. Take the average BAT buyer, and those realities, and what you get is a low price. The uninformed will still form opinions and they will use their imaginations where they lack details or information. If I were selling on BAT I'd spend the $1,000 on a professional. It would be returned many times over.
Marty, isnt that a young Spanky...then theres alfalfa, spot, darlene,buckwheat etc. Im showing my age...the bully i can remember his name..
Sorry, I had too. Nice wheels on $85 tires. Needs some Pirelli CN36's and then it a 100k car 
@JMM (Michael) posted:I was at VMC about 6 weeks ago and spent some time around this car. It is equisitely assembled and shows attention to detail everywhere. I crawled all over and under it while Greg was getting some things done. There's not a hair out of place anywhere. It's one of the reasons I'm being so patient with my coupe build, when it's done it'll be perfect.
As for sales, seeing something in person is always better than pictures, and I'm afraid that's where Alan's auction went awry. The photos were clearly not professional and a few had bad angles that made it look "kit car" even though one would be hard pressed to find a better built speedster (but only we know that). There weren't video walk arounds or driving videos, and all top dollar BAT cars have that in common. Take the average BAT buyer, and those realities, and what you get is a low price. The uninformed will still form opinions and they will use their imaginations where they lack details or information. If I were selling on BAT I'd spend the $1,000 on a professional. It would be returned many times over.
Basically this ^
I met the owner of this Beck 550 a few weeks back. He has been trying to sell this casually at local Cars and Coffees for awhile. Finally he decided it’s time. So he is letting a local well known Porsche dealer list it for him. The professional pics, videos walk around etc all make this car appear to be the best 550 ever built. It’s very very clean and nice w only ~2k miles but it still has an air cooled engine so for some it’s not THE one.
I am fortunate to have 2 well established BaT sellers within miles of my house- 911r & Grand Prix (Metzger917) I’ve bought cars from both and will list any car I’m selling with them for the exposure, and overall professional quality. It helps that they are both local, huge car folks and the nicest guys around. That to me is worth the small percentage of sale price.
anyhoo- here is the Instagram video and associated website link w pricing.
@Marty Grzynkowicz posted:Sorry, I had too. Nice wheels on $85 tires.
Getting off those $82 tires takes a lot of gyrations.
Stan says nobody here bought Alan's car. Well, that's true, but I do not see the point. Everybody here already has a car. So nobody here would trade out their car for what Alan did here. I'll suggest that, given what I know about this particular replicar environment (356 Speedsters and coupes) , and knowing what Alan put in to that car, and assuming I was shopping for a car, Alan's masterpiece would never have gone to bid. It would be in my garage.
As for the Subie powered dreamboats pictured here (at over $100K?!!) they are pretty damn sweet, but I am an air-cooled knuckle head of the first order, their fingernails do not scratch my itch. Well, maybe I'm just second order -- @Stan Galat here is a first order knucklehead by any measure.
PErsonally I would have made the reserve higher on Alan's car only because we have seen that the market has a mind of it's own on BAT and you could have a run for a cool hundred or as we have just seen a half launch for no reason except issues with the site which I don't think allows you to add days to the clock. Just saying. BAT is a market I stay away from.
I have an unwritten rule, never sell any vehicle to someone you know as you'll hear about it one way or another for the next decade. I try my best to... do my best and sometimes things come up (that's a given) with any vehicle especially our plastic cars. We've all been down that road. There have been but one buyer that caused repetitive havoc on their own Speedster because they don't have a clue and should not own tools. I've had a few minor things go afoul like a Speedster alternator in 30 days so in good faith I buy the replacement..... problem solved. The only car I sold to someone I know was my BMW 328XI because I knew it was an absolute jewel and we haven't heard a peep in 3 years.
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I think this whole 'presentation' thing can't be overstated.
After all, you're not selling a car online, you're selling pictures of a car. And just as importantly, videos, too.
We all watch a ton of video constantly, from a million sources. If it's not actually professionally produced, the technical quality is probably still very good to have made it into our inbox through the flood of competition on the interwebs.
People may not think about good lighting, framing, or video pacing, but they sure know boring footage when they see it and turn off to it immediately.
Slick production (or lack of it) reflects not just on the car, but on the dude what's selling the car.
With cars like ours that can make for great video and great sound on good roads, no video at all or boring minutes in slow traffic or waiting for lights to change isn't just a missed opportunity, it's a subliminal message that this car ain't the one.
And here's my favorite drive video for the 40th time, just to rub in the point. Without even seeing what this car looks like from the outside, might you not be interested in putting down an early bid — just to test the waters?
Me? I'm hooked after 15 seconds.
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@Alan Merklin posted:I have an unwritten rule, never sell any vehicle to someone you know as you'll hear about it one way or another for the next decade. I try my best to... do my best and sometimes things come up (that's a given) with any vehicle especially our plastic cars. We've all been down that road. There have been but one buyer that caused repetitive havoc on their own Speedster because they don't have a clue and should not own tools. I've had a few minor things go afoul like a Speedster alternator in 30 days so in good faith I buy the replacement..... problem solved. The only car I sold to someone I know was my BMW 328XI because I knew it was an absolute jewel and we haven't heard a peep in 3 years.
You didn't know Syl Mathis?
@El Frazoo - not everybody here has a replica Speedster. Not even everybody commenting has a replica Speedster.
@IaM-Ray- it’s my understanding that BaT wants to set the reserve low to accept the listing. They want their pound of flesh, whether the seller is happy or not.
@El Frazoo posted:Stan says nobody here bought Alan's car. Well, that's true, but I do not see the point. Everybody here already has a car. So nobody here would trade out their car for what Alan did here. I'll suggest that, given what I know about this particular replicar environment (356 Speedsters and coupes) , and knowing what Alan put in to that car, and assuming I was shopping for a car, Alan's masterpiece would never have gone to bid. It would be in my garage.
As for the Subie powered dreamboats pictured here (at over $100K?!!) they are pretty damn sweet, but I am an air-cooled knuckle head of the first order, their fingernails do not scratch my itch. Well, maybe I'm just second order -- @Stan Galat here is a first order knucklehead by any measure.
I would have traded my Spyder for Alan’s Outlaw in a heartbeat had I any idea it would trade hands for $50K. And I told him so. Had I sold my 968 as easily as I sold my 911, same.
(Air)KnuckleHead second class here.
@Alan Merklin posted:I have an unwritten rule, never sell any vehicle to someone you know as you'll hear about it one way or another for the next decade. I try my best to... do my best and sometimes things come up (that's a given) with any vehicle especially our plastic cars. We've all been down that road. There have been but one buyer that caused repetitive havoc on their own Speedster because they don't have a clue and should not own tools. I've had a few minor things go afoul like a Speedster alternator in 30 days so in good faith I buy the replacement..... problem solved. The only car I sold to someone I know was my BMW 328XI because I knew it was an absolute jewel and we haven't heard a peep in 3 years.
I can understand that. I’m not one to complain. I figure it’s no one’s fault but my own if I buy a pig in a poke. But the guy who sold me my Spyder is lucky I don’t know him. There would have been no end of mockery at the plumbing/cabinet hardware it was assembled with. 
@Stan Galat posted:@IaM-Ray- it’s my understanding that BaT wants to set the reserve low to accept the listing. They want their pound of flesh, whether the seller is happy or not.
I’ve hinted at it before but a family friend and lifelong Porschephile got hosed bad by letting BaT browbeat him into low reserves on a Conv D and a B Super 90.
@edsnova posted:You didn't know Syl Mathis?
I didn't know Syl of Maggie Mathis until after they purchased it. I built " Candy" and the sold it to a Lawyer in NYC. He traded in at an Ohio dealer then to a new owner in Kentucky and I believe that's when Syl bought it. I sold a super nice VS to the late Chuck Martin and that's how we became good friends.
JNC..........Your car is worth more. The first time I stood next to it, I thought I could stick my finger INTO the pain knuckle deep ! It is part of the reason I am going with black on my Spyder. From any angle it is a "Black Beauty" and surely an eyeful from up close to far away !..............Bruce
@aircooled thanx bruce.....when your "black widow SPYDER" (see what i did there? haa!) is completed it will put all our cars to shame...i cant wait to see it
I really do understand about not selling a car to a friend. I bought an almost totally used up plymouth station wagon from my boss once. It was presented as a wreck, and I had zero expectations. He asked me if I was sure I wanted to do it. The car ran and I needed it for about 6 months. I put a few things in to it to pass inspection, and sold it again for the same $100 a few months later. Recently @Rich Drewek, @Cory Drake and I (all friends, I guess) wrangled a deal on a pretty nice car, and all seems to have worked out well enough. And I certainly understand how such deals can go south quickly.
Something went south? Impossible!
Not in this case. Just sayin' that it can work out. Usually does not. And clearly, ALAN has way more experience in these matters.