Tubaru next in line?

Just curious if anyone on here is next in line for one of Specialty's Tubaru speedsters. It seems very quiet on that front and he doesn't update his site very often.

-Jeff

Funny you should ask. Look on the SAW site under turbo and there are new pictures for the first SAW turbo. Car was finished last week and looks great. Lots of things to learn but looks like it's worth it if, you like zero gravity. This car only has 227 HP but the one following this prototype will have 300 HP and it's mine. Its' been 14 months so far but I think it will be worth the wait. The engine management system alone, is more involved than anything I have ever built and I have built a lot of cars. Steve spends the time to figure out stuff before he moves past the prototype stage. Talk to Hoss about his wait..... he was number one. Then talk to Steve O who was number three and he will talk about minimum problems. I love HP but I know about suspension, brakes,etc. The SAW car has all these features plus craftmanship. Lots of choices out there but I wanted HP so, I only had one real choice and soon, I will find out if was the right one. Please wish me luck.... because it will be needed before it's over.....

I am on the list--10 months. But, who knows where in line. JK

Hi Mike. I like the photograph....but please tell me that's not really an engine under there!

Michael, good luck indeed! Holy hamburger meat! I'd really like to see how that engine is intended to fit inside the decklid. Does that get mid-mounted (maybe?) or is there some secret squirrel plan to hide it in the passenger's seat?

I'm in line for a flared Tubaru Cabriolet but don't know what place in line I am. I contracted in last June and went into assembly stage in October. Should be near the painting phase which is usually a few weeks before final completion. Locating the right engines and running gear in good shape is time consuming. Because each car's frame and suspension is built from the ground up, I suppose individual testing and inspections eats up a lot of time as well. Another point is that Subaru engines and transmissions evolve each year and Steve has to keep on top of any of the latest changes. I know about Steve's adherance to engineering and safety as well as his small staff. So long as the mechanics and structure is sound I guess the wait is worth the final product. There's been a number of complaints about how long his builds take but few about the quality or backing of his cars.

Luke..... Believe it or not... under all that stuff is a real 3oo HP..What you don't see is the big fat turbo behind the motor

Just spoke with Steve from SAW and found out my Tubaru and one other should be done sometime in July. He has three flared cars nearly completed except for mounting the fiberglass. One of the cars, Michael Guthrie's I think, will take a bit longer because of necessary modifications to the frame, suspension and other areas because of the turbo's plumbing, engine heat and extra pieces.

I hope to be in line someday LOL..

Cory....The SAW car is set up is mid-engined. I had a 911 which had a back seat. The seat was called a squab seat because only a small squab could fit back there. I will gladly give up that area for the advantages of a mid-engined car.I will however, install a engine compartment fire estinguisher. I have no desire to open the engine compartment if there is a fire. I will be long gone by that time.

I must be over tired, I can't find the link to the new turbo photos on the SAW site. Can someone direct me?

Thanks.

-Jeff

Nevermind, I found it:

http://www.specialtyauto.com/turbo_intro.htm

Wow they need to re-do that site and consolidate the info and improve the navigation... holy...

Go to this site, http://www.specialtyauto.com/PORSCHE.htm

bottom of page "turbo intro" just three pics. No build spec, etc.

Hey Gonzo, what was your incentive on picking SAW? Mine was even though I loved working on VW engines and the tinkering to get the best out of them, I'm just getting too old to be bent over the engine bay for hours on end. Another push for me to get my Frau involved was the automatic transmission, AC and power windows. While I love her and have been married to her for 46 years she can be a real pain in the butt when it comes to my hobbies. Hopefully she'll enjoy driving and riding in the Tubaru (Which I'll probably name Subidoo)as much as I will. If you go this route be prepared for a long wait since Steve at SAW incorporates any new changes from Subaru into his cars and is constantly changing suspensions and chassis designs for better handling. His latest change for flared versions is increasing the width of the front suspension by about 3 1/2 inches and the rear by 4 inches to eliminate any wheel lift when making sharp turns and allow wider tires. This isn't just an add-on type change but one that was engineered on the drawing board and tested on his first Turbo prototype.

Hi Nolan, I am absolute new in this matter just starting and whitout any idea, so my incentive on picking SAW is the new technology, easy to maintain, A/C, no headaches, But you tell me, maybe I'm wrong.

I don't need a automatic trans. I want a fun little toy. I'm not too old (I think so, I'm 40), but I'm not the kind of person who like bent over the engine for hours, I rather be driven in South Florida (not today, is raining), So, what do you think?

You're a perfect candidate for a SAW.

On the SAW Tubaru where did they mount the radiator? I am thinking of putting a h2o into a 356 and I am looking for ideas.

Behind the right rear wheel. Believe Hoss has a picture. jk

Gonzo: If you can hold off a couple of months before making any commitments my Cabriolet should be done late July. I'd be more than happy to give you ride and tour of the machinery. At your age you have the time to wait for a SAW to be built (There are no used ones) but you must have patience because SAW has a very small crew and a very large order list, 13 Speedsters and two Jaguars on the project board. If you do finally select SAW talk honestly with Steve at SAW and get a projected completion date and add at least two months to it. I was getting to the point of frustration because Steve doesn't keep buyers up to date what's going on but he will return phone calls a day or two after leaving a message. To my knowledge the only complaints about SAW is the length of time it take to build his cars, the overall quality and reliablity of his cars is unsurpassed.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1955-Porsche-550-spyder-Vintage-Spyders_W0QQitemZ4643537959QQcategoryZ6058QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Just saw this on e-bay... It's a Spyder with a WRX motor!

Wow! Holy Spyder spit Batman, that dude needs a roll bar and drag chute.

Hey Nolan, Thanks. Can't belive my good luck. Of course, I accept the ride/tour offer, now I'm like you, !!can't wait!! counting every day to completion. Man, you become my new best friend LOL.

You are right Nolan, I got time to build a new one, so I going to enjoy the whole process and make new friends on the road.

So buddy keep me inform on the progress.

By the way Nolan I live in Weston.

Again, Thank you very much.

Wow, 13 356s and two Jaguars. That has to be a year or two of backlog? Any talk to expanding the 356 production line?

BTW, how many of you soon to be owners are members here? :)

-Jeff

What suspension is used in the SAW cars? Are there suspension options?

A little bit off topic,but I would like to see pictures of Tubaru speedsters with "different" looks, for example, outlaw look - race look - classic look with no hub caps - lowered - carrera look - you know what I mean. Are there any? One more thing,what is the bolt pattern? is it 5x130?

It is basically a Mustang II front end with non power assisted rack and pinion.

You can put wide 5 rims on it, but it does require the adapter plate. I have seriously considered it after seeing Biggs rims on his IM. They were stunning!!! Actually his entire car was stunning.

Thanks Steven,
What is the rear suspension?

http://www.specialtyauto.com/Suspension%20and%20Braking.htm

I gave you a link, because it describes it with a pretty descent picture.

That looks pretty good. It would be nicer if the pictures were larger so you could see some more detail.

It looks like there is lots of adjustability, which is good if your alignment tech knows what he is doing. If he doesn't, you're screwed! Looks like a nice system.

https://www.speedsterowners.com/files/view.asp?sf=mdguthrie&f=17%5Fengine%5Fand%5Fradiator%5Fline%2Ejpg

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1955-Porsche-550-spyder-Vintage-Spyders_W0QQitemZ4643537959QQcategoryZ6058QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Check the engine, is the same WRX, but the SAW, not polish not clean why they don't care about the look? This cars should be show cars.

I'm talking about the 550 subaru engine all shine and polish

Generally, in SAW cars the engine compartment is not for show like it is on a spyder. If SAW made a spyder then you might see more detail in that area. You can have it done on a SAW it just costs money, how do you think that guy ended up with 40 grand in a 25 grand car?

It seems to me that in a custom specialty car you get whatever you specify and are prepared to pay for. I have two cars from SAW and specified stock engines - one a Chevy crate engine and one a used Jeep Cherokee engine. Both came from SAW clean and pristine without a lot of chrome garnish. I would think that if you want to jazz up the look of the engine, then that is something that the owner can do over time. From my experience, SAW does not charge concours, showcar level prices for their work and writes a firm fixed price contract. Both of my SAW cars are daily/weekly drivers.

Charles you raised an interesting topic I've been meaning to ask.

Is it possible to get a Subaru crate engine and transmission from SAW?

-Jeff

Short answer is "no" (according to SAW). SAW uses fairly new (used) Subaru engines because they are available and to keep the cost of its products reasonable. I doubt if there is a Subaru 'crate' engine readily available and the cost is likely prohibitive for specialty car purposes or even a transplant. I believe the SAW approach to obtaining Subaru engines is sound.

A brand new one might not be the best idea anyway. With these cars being so light it may take some time to get the engine to seat the rings properly to give you the full power of the engine. They say the engines now don't really need the same kind of ring break in that older engines did, but I kind of question that, especially on a horizontally opposed engine.

The Spyder shown on EBAY was built by Greg @ Vintage Spyder. He charges $5000.00 for the upgraded motor package. That includes powder coating, ceramic coating etc. I talked with Steve about having this done to my motor but he prefers keeping the complete motor package together. I understand his reluctance to pull the motor apart. I talked with my local powder coater and he gave a price of $ 1500.00 to do all the coating. So after 1000 miles or so I will make it a pretty motor

FYI; Here are the details on Frank Bank's turbo 550

http://www.spyderclub.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=8129

$45k invested selling for $37k