Vintage Speedsters just upgraded their website - http://www.vintagespeedsters.com/

Agree !

Much improved. Great job!

He is always cool do deal with!

Looks nice! I was at the shop when they were going over the new site. I can't remember the gentleman name who was helping, but he was a really nice guy and owner of multiple VS (if I remember correctly). Glad they got the site up and running!

I've mentioned this 'nit-picking irritation' before but without a clarifying visual graphic. Thanks to Cliff Presley's photo attachment (in this thread) of the romantic Vintage promotion featuring the white VS speedster, this semi-irrational concern of mine is very clearly illustrated.... 

All VS speedsters (at least those I've seen) have an out-of-wack wide spacing between the curved front fender wheel opening and the tire...an anomaly that never, ever, rolled off a Porsche assembly line. It's about a four inch gap that rubs me the wrong way!...in fact it simply looks like hell and is especially noticeable on a light colored speedster.

Fortunately my VS is black. That 'gap' is usually camouflaged by blending into the blackness of the fender, tire, and shadows between the two...but with Greg's (Wolfgang) patient advice and tutoring, glassing in a scimitar shaped 4 or 5 inch extension to the fender is a scheduled Winter Hibernation project....one of several I'm thinking about now that I have the QuickJack to get my butt off the cold concrete!

BTW, a couple of days ago I was in Danny Piperato's economically$$ revamped 'working garage' in Wallkill NY...If my working area turns out to be half as comfy an environment as his I'll be as delighted as a pig wallowing in mud while fiddling with these projects. 

 

  

I've mentioned this 'nit-picking irritation' before but without a clarifying visual graphic. Thanks to Cliff Presley's photo attachment (in this thread) of the romantic Vintage promotion featuring the white VS speedster, this semi-irrational concern of mine is very clearly illustrated.... 

All VS speedsters (at least those I've seen) have an out-of-wack wide spacing between the curved front fender wheel opening and the tire...an anomaly that never, ever, rolled off a Porsche assembly line. It's about a four inch gap that rubs me the wrong way!...in fact it simply looks like hell and is especially noticeable on a light colored speedster.

Fortunately my VS is black. That 'gap' is usually camouflaged by blending into the blackness of the fender, tire, and shadows between the two...but with Greg's (Wolfgang) patient advice and tutoring, glassing in a scimitar shaped 4 or 5 inch extension to the fender is a scheduled Winter Hibernation project....one of several I'm thinking about now that I have the QuickJack to get my butt off the cold concrete!

BTW, a couple of days ago I was in Danny Piperato's economically$$ revamped 'working garage' in Wallkill NY...If my working area turns out to be half as comfy an environment as his I'll be as delighted as a pig wallowing in mud while fiddling with these projects. 

 

  

*LongFella posted:

Looks nice! I was at the shop when they were going over the new site. I can't remember the gentleman name who was helping, but he was a really nice guy and owner of multiple VS (if I remember correctly). Glad they got the site up and running!

Theron? Was the guys name Theron?

TRP posted:

*LongFella posted:

Looks nice! I was at the shop when they were going over the new site. I can't remember the gentleman name who was helping, but he was a really nice guy and owner of multiple VS (if I remember correctly). Glad they got the site up and running!

Theron? Was the guys name Theron?

Yes! I believe so. I do remember him saying he lives up north. In your neck of the woods...

Carl:  I agree about the front wheel/wheel well gap.  I'm not sure how many other makes have the same.

 

Hello Carl & Bob,

The primary reason I posted the news about Vintage Speedsters upgrading their website was because of Kirk's "willingness to help me had been above reproach." 

As an example, one of the things we had talked about was the issue of the off-center spacing (location) of the front wheel in the wheel well.  When I asked him if that could be corrected, and with out any hesitation, his immediate response was, "We can fix that!" 

BINGO!  How easy was that?  All I had to do was ask.

Therefore, after having talked with Kirk for the past few weeks and being so pleased with how will he was to deal with, it was that immediately response, "We can fix that," that was all it took to finally convince me that I had make the right choice and Vintage Speedsters was the firm I should be dealing with.

Cheers,

Cliff Presley   

Cliff;

When you have the details of the front wheel relocation, could you please share?

Thanks,

Art

 

Art,

Sure, I will be delighted to do that! 

After going over so many details with VS on how I wanted my car to be built, I will be talking to Kirk again today.  Just keep in mind that since I'm on the East Coast there may be a small time delay.

Cliff

Yes.  I'm curious as to how he is going to fix that.  It seems the VW chassis is attached to the body in such a way that the gap exists; so I'd like to know what he will be changing.

Art and Bob,

It's optional. . . and requires some mods; such as extending the steering column and/or a few of its components but basically as I understand it, when they section the VW pan in order to shorten it - the width of the section that normally would be removed will be reduced in size (shorter).  Sounds simple to me but modifying the steering column will probably add to the expense.

Cliff

Ok, so it is a pre-production adjustment. Thanks.

would it be possible to ask Kirk to send you pictures of the process as his team does the pre-production adjustments, and what the gap looks like once the body is attached to the pan. ---  would be curious to see what is being done.

honestly, I love my VS, and the front gap has never truly bothered me... ;-)

cheers,

Luis

I can't see how you could alter size of pan to correct issue.  The pan mounting points at front and back are fixed to mate to the Speedster steel under frame (you can see this in the CMC build manual).  Only way I could see is if you shimmed the front beam out maybe an inch and used the longer caster shim bolts.  That would not be difficult and perhaps the steering column might have to be lengthened same amount to keep wheel from being too close to dash.  Will be interesting to see end product. 

I do like seeing more pictures of parts available - only complaint is it will show 2 parts but I bet price is each.  Are 2 defroster vents for $25 or is that each? 

word of advice: once U choose color don't go by the name#of paint, have Kirk spray a piece of scrap, let dry, and await ur approval,,,,,my stone grey was anything but...my mistake for not checking color after spray..and delivery:{

I have the same complaint about the door panels. Is that 230 per panel? or each?

Ted

Cliff,

You're clearly smitten. Do you have a car yet, or is this relationship still in the mating ritual phase?

Hello Stan,

I've been thinking about doing this for close to a year and finally decided a few weeks ago to bite the bullet.  Well, since I had already seen a few of Troy Sloan's nice creations on eBay I contacted Troy about building a car for me but there were a number of things I wanted done to it that did not quite fit into what Troy was planning for his next project.  Never the less, being the fine person that he is, Troy advised me to contact Kirk Duncan at Vintage Speedsters and have him build a car exactly the way I wanted it.   That is how I got to know Kirk.

Well, thanks in large part to some great ideas from Troy, as of today all the planning and consulting work is finally over.  Kirk now knows exactly what I am looking for and will be getting a deposit next week.  So what about the car?  Although some may have second thoughts about the choice, it's to be a Speedster Outlaw replica and if everything falls in place as it should I think it will be spectacular.

BTW, I'll be a young 75 in July, just about the time the car should arrive, and what a wonderful gift it will be.

All the best,

Cliff  

Cliff Presley - Charlotte, NC posted:

 

Hello Carl & Bob,

The primary reason I posted the news about Vintage Speedsters upgrading their website was because of Kirk's "willingness to help me had been above reproach." 

As an example, one of the things we had talked about was the issue of the off-center spacing (location) of the front wheel in the wheel well.  When I asked him if that could be corrected, and with out any hesitation, his immediate response was, "We can fix that!" 

BINGO!  How easy was that?  All I had to do was ask.

Therefore, after having talked with Kirk for the past few weeks and being so pleased with how will he was to deal with, it was that immediately response, "We can fix that," that was all it took to finally convince me that I had make the right choice and Vintage Speedsters was the firm I should be dealing with.

Cheers,

Cliff Presley   

And did you order a car ? 

 

Cliff,

If it's not black, you're doing it wrong.

Ted

Cliff Presley - Charlotte, NC posted:

David,

 

I most certainly did.  See my reply above to Stan Galat.

 

Cliff 

 

Nice one, Cluff. Good on ya. Troy's advice is well earned and to be respected...

"Although some may have second thoughts about the choice, it's to be a Speedster Outlaw replica and if everything falls in place as it should I think it will be spectacular."

I like Outlaws, but they must have beehives...

Cliff;

I can not get your pic to open. All I get is a thin  white box that says paint colors.

Art

Ted,

  About painting the car Black.  Maybe, and I do have a few weeks to decide before final assembly and paint. 

My first choice had been Slate Grey  like the Speedster in the bottom photo but Tungsten Grey  or Metallic Grey  similar to that on the "Eleanor" Mustang in the second photo have also been suggested.    

Any thoughts on Silver or some other color entirely different?  I'm serious.

Cliff

do  have a few

I have silver now and if I did a new build it would be slate gray. Non-metallic paint is much easier to touch up and repair. These cars pick up a lot of chips on the nose & it would be nice to be able to touch it up use some Lanka Blob Remover to smooth it out.
>

German racing silver is a classic look with burgundy red interior or even beige/tan interior with a tan top.  I I ever repaint mine it would be stone grey with plumb interior (and guess black top).  Stone grey does have some olive green in it.  Silver tends to be a hard color to match though and if left out in the sun it turns to pewter.

I like the slate grey out of your 3 examples.  And there is always the classic resale red.

Speedsters look great in so many different (and unique) colors. Do what turns your crank and don't look back. Al

Cliff;

I like the top pic, as I recall the interior colors in that car is a burgundy and gray. It is close to black but different and unique.  I have re-sale red, if I was to change, it would be to something close to the top color.  Someone, customers and/or Kirk have been putting together some great color combinations for the VS speedsters lately.

Like said here, get what you like it is your paint brush.  Enjoy the journey.

Art

Tom Blankinship posted:

I have silver now and if I did a new build it would be slate gray. Non-metallic paint is much easier to touch up and repair. These cars pick up a lot of chips on the nose & it would be nice to be able to touch it up use some Lanka Blob Remover to smooth it out.
>

Tom,

There is something called Dr. Color Chip, that appears to be successful. Rated #1 by the WSJ.  (If that means anything.   .

https://www.drcolorchip.com/

I've never tried either, but will soon, going to sell my Mercedes SL.

Cheers,

Art

 

 

 

 

Tom, Wolf, Al & Art,

I sincerely appreciate your suggestions and feedback on the color of the car and its interior.  This Speedster will be the fulfillment of a passion that has laid dormant for more than 50 years since I owned my first and only sports car.  Am I excited? No doubt about it but what is really amusing is how youthful and reinvigorated I'm beginning to feel and think. Hey, I have many interests, nor one foot in the grave yet, but recently life was getting a bit too complacent and I have no intention or desire to fall into that trap.

Cheers,

Cliff  

Cliff,

You're excited, and I completely get it. It's pretty dorky, but when I got my first speedster, I got up in the middle of the night just to go to the garage and look at it. I couldn't believe I owned something that cool.

In a lot of ways, that night was a turning point in my life. I'm in the process of building a smaller house, which will likely cost about as much as the 6 BR place (with a big red barn with heated floors, etc.)  on a couple acres we just moved out of-- all so that I can still have a "proper shop" with a lift, etc. for the car. I just spent an entire Saturday getting my car off the covered trailer, and replacing the master-cylinder (such an awful job in an IM) when I should have been invoicing, or putting up boxes, or drilling holes for plumbing, or any one of 100 other more reasonable pursuits. The car is not an accessory in my life, it's at the creamy center of it.

The thing is: you don't have your car yet, so you can't really be sure if you are going to love what you think you are getting or not. Kirk is by all accounts a nice guy, and I really do think he wants to build cars that people love. But there are some teething issues with every builder's product, and no small amount of guys who have ordered a car from VS start out as excited as you, and end up pretty disillusioned a couple of months after delivery. That's why there are sooooo many cars on eBay and the like with 500 mi or less for sale.

Sometimes (always?), the higher the expectation, the greater the disillusionment when the object of your affection fails to live up to the promises made.

In your excitement, please don't underestimate the amount of work you may need to have done to make your dream a trustworthy reality. Mitch Toll and Will Hesch are reasonable guys who had to pretty much rework all of their running gear to get what they were after. I'd recommend looking to Jim Ignacio as the guy who has done this the right way: Jim keeps the option list short, the expectations in line with what Kirk can and has done in the past, and just rolls what he gets. It also helps that he lives in Kirk's back yard. 

If I were you, I'd read with interest the stuff from guys (like me) who thrive on getting deep into the bowels of the car, love nothing more than spending a weekend up to our armpits in brake-fluid, etc., and who are out on the margins of what these cars can and should be. Marty's WRX IM is an awesome automobile, but it also shares nothing with what your (soon be be delivered) car besides the shape of the body. They look the same, but they aren't.

The new Vintage Speedster website is cool, but in the end... it's just a website. I hope you get what you're after, and I hope you won't be disappointed. But true love comes after the mating ritual, when you've lived with this imperfect thing in your house for a bit. It could potentially be rougher getting there than you are anticipating.

Nobody likes to hear that, but forewarned is forearmed. 

Cliff,

I bought my VS in Sept 2014 from a SOC member, it was 6+ years old and I assumed all the bugs were dead.

Not fully dead but almost. I have zero mechanical skills, except for sail rigging. My Speedy ran fine but needed as Stan states wide open eyes for key details to increase your satisfaction and trust so you'll drive more than 10 miles from home. Those eyes came from Dr. Clock. He found and did all the little kinks and items that need to be maintained. While Alan is in Pa. and I'm in NJ he's close enough to get me through anything. Use this site and get some eyes to be on site and guide you.

However, the pride and fun starts the first day!

Craigr

 Any colour looks good on 356 

 

Cliff, three years after getting my new VS, I still find myself wandering out to the garage for no reason other than to look at it. That's something that never goes away if you're crazy enough to want one of these cars to begin with.

But, as Stan suggests, you don't drive the coachwork. It's all the stuff you can't see that has the potential to bite you - or not, depending on how well you've done your homework.

I'm hoping you've put as much planning into the drivetrain as the rest of the car.

This forum is a great place to come for expert advice. And if you don't like the advice you're getting from one expert, just wait a bit and another expert will tell you to do just the opposite.

 

Stan just wrote the introduction to his future book called "Zen and the Art of Speedster Nirvana" ?

Cliff,

Ten years and 1 week ago I picked up my brand new VS from Kirk.  Since then I have had to replace the master cylinder and throw out bearing.  That's it.  We have to remember that these web sites usually end up putting emphasis on problem cars, because essentially a large part of these sites are just for that, to help those in need with issues they are experiencing.  Kirk has built 3300 cars and we have heard here on SO.com about maybe 50-100 having issues.  I think your odds of getting a good one are in your favor.  I loved my speedster so much that 2 years later I bought a JPS coupe so the speedster would have a stablemate, and it  has been even more trouble-free than the VS.  Do as Stan suggests and keep things as uncomplicated as possible.  It seems that the more elaborate the build, the more problematic it becomes.  Also, I asked both Kirk and JPS to please take their time to make sure all the i's were dotted and t's were crossed as the build progressed.  Build time pressure can lead to short cuts that may bite you later.  You will love this car experience.  I have been a car guy for many years and never kept one of my "toys" for more than 3 years until I got these two.  They are without a doubt the most automobile bang for the buck you will find.  All the best with your build.