Vintage Speedsters Ownership Change

This thread is a continuation from
https://www.speedsterowners.com/topic/nuts-missing

I've known for several months, but was told there would be an official announcement about it so I didn't mention it.

I spoke to Justin at length about it in October and he's a very straight up guy.  We spoke about all the things that people like and dislike about Vintage and he definitely has his finger on the pulse of what needs to change at Vintage.  One of the BIG concerns that he mentioned was to do two cold start test drives of every car prior to leaving the factory.

I'm sure you will be hearing more from him very soon.

@Justin

And, yes he is the same person who was reported to have purchased Vintage a few years ago.

What a legacy! Kirk converted his passion into countless smiles around the world. Thanks for all of your hard work, Kirk.

I spoke with Justin a few times for small orders. Even though my orders were small, he treated me like I was the only customer. Looking forward to what's next for VS.

I called to schedule my new tonneau to be fitted and normally that is done by Poncho...well I just found out he's no longer there and I am waiting to see if there is a replacement who can do his job. No word yet but will update re: this post as soon as I hear back.

Damn. Waited too long to order my carpet and door panels from Kirk.

You snooze you looze.

I'm sure you still can get them from VS

No question about it, you can still get carpet and everything else from Kirk.  That was a concern that I discussed with Justin and he didn't have any plans to change any of that.

FYI.  He also mentioned that he would like to become more active in the Speedster community and might even attend our annual gatherings.

I would like to add that while Kirk was building my car last year we would talk, on average, at least once or twice a week and I will always be indebted to him for being so helpful.  He is now at least 70 years old and here's wishing him much happiness during a well deserved retirement.   

Dutch posted:

I called to schedule my new tonneau to be fitted and normally that is done by Poncho...well I just found out he's no longer there and I am waiting to see if there is a replacement who can do his job. No word yet but will update re: this post as soon as I hear back.

I didn't know he was no longer there. Bummer!

Kirk and his guys were a HUGE help during my Speedster build. I would go to the shop all the time and just watch, take photos, and ask a million questions. I did, on occasion, bring over a 12 pack as a thank you

*LongFella posted:

Kirk and his guys were a HUGE help during my Speedster build. I would go to the shop all the time and just watch, take photos, and ask a million questions. I did, on occasion, bring over a 12 pack as a thank you

I've always found that the dispersion of beverages quite often goes a long way with someone you're looking for a favor from or who's knowledge you're after. And if you play your cards right you'll get one or two as well

Update on Tonneau - I called Vintage direct and confirmed that Poncho is no longer there, however they will have someone to fit the tops, carpets, tonneau's etc. soon. I should get a call this afternoon as they are checking with Justin. Really looking forward to getting the nice canvass tonneau fitted to replace the vinyl one!

aircooled posted:

Talked to Kirk today at VS. He sold his business to Vintage Motor Cars out of Phoenix.  Is this old news and I'm just catching up ?    Kirk said they will be staying in Hawaiian Gardens Ca and will have all the same employees. He said he's only working 2 hrs a day now. Does anyone have anything to add to this info ?   For me this is a sad departure. I have known Kirk for a long time and will miss him when the torch totally passes. He has been in the business for a long time and turned out thousands of Speedsters over the years. Starting with a hobby and a passion and moving upward and onward to a way of life with prosperous results all along the way. He had a vision that was ambitious and rewarding....Our "Madness" will not be the same in the future. I know that there are some out there that may have negative memories about their experiences with Vintage Speedsters in general but overall, I think he did an honorable job in producing a great and fun car which many of us are and will continue to enjoy for years to come...............Respectfully............Aircooled Bruce

Kirk is an awesome guy and yes he created a legacy to be very proud of! Hopefully we will see him more active in the speedster community now that he has more time to enjoy himself!

Can anybody provide Justin's email address (and last name). Thanks, and Happy Holidays to everyone!

  Bill

The sale info is 100% correct.  Justin Davison has bought the business and from what he has indicated to me, will continue with the business as is in HI Gardens.  Justin is a good guy and dedicated to a quality product, he also has a vintage auto business in Scottsdale.  I started my car with Kirk and have finished it up with Justin.  I don't know Kirk very well, but he seems like an interesting person; anyone who sails a 28' trimaran, without auxiliary power, to HI is a classic in my book.  I think the deal will work out good for all parties, at least I hope so.

Merry Christmas!

Year's ago, when Kirk lived in Hawaii, he was a charter boat captain. 

My experience with Kirk was awesome. With years of experience in builds, he was full of "lessons learned" and shares this with new speedster customers. He will spend a long time with customers that come in to see him and start with their wish list. Then comes out later with his books of colors, fabrics, etc. Even walks you through his process of anything you want to build into the car. Even having engine issues as I did and taking the car straight to the ship, Kirk's crew would find the problem and take care of it. So, at this stage of Kirk's Speedster building life, wishing him and Mary the best in their Golden Years. 

I posted this in Shops & Parts Suppliers as well: just got  word from Ron? that VS is moving to Scottsdale...I hope he misspoke or was just confused...?

That was me who said to expect a statement about "BIG" changes coming for Vintage.  I'm not sure what is keeping Justin from making an announcement, but the cat is out of the bag now.  Not only is Vintage moving, but it has already been moved!

With Seduction Motorsports also being in Scottsdale I kind of wonder if there is some sort of connection in the works.

CRM posted:

The sale info is 100% correct.  Justin Davison has bought the business and from what he has indicated to me, will continue with the business as is in HI Gardens.  Justin is a good guy and dedicated to a quality product, he also has a vintage auto business in Scottsdale.  I started my car with Kirk and have finished it up with Justin.  I don't know Kirk very well, but he seems like an interesting person; anyone who sails a 28' trimaran, without auxiliary power, to HI is a classic in my book.  I think the deal will work out good for all parties, at least I hope so.

 

Merry Christmas!

So... one day he says he's keeping business in Hawaiian Gardens then he moves the business.  

Stay tuned & hang tight until Justin is ready to announce the details publicly herein.

Agree with the Doc. Let’s wait until Justin posts and see what the details are. It’s all speculation at this point. We all might be surprised and/or shocked...

The fact that it has already been moved is not speculation, it's already happened.  I had hoped there would be an official announcement to avoid all the speculation, but it just didn't happen. 

Lane Anderson posted:

With Seduction Motorsports also being in Scottsdale I kind of wonder if there is some sort of connection in the works.

No affiliation. Justin has claimed ownership of Vintage for about 2 years now if I remember correctly. Or at least what I was told 2 years ago when I ran into him at Cars and Coffee. Mark Hubbard at Hubbard Autos in Scottsdale is Justin's location of dealership. The Vintage Motor Cars website has been up for a couple years offering Vintage Speedsters. 

This looks like the site:

http://vintage-motorcar.com

Reads a lot like the Vintage Speedster site did.

Yes, that is the site that Justin put up over two years ago when the rumor of a sale first surfaced.  However, there were some issues that needed to be resolved before the sale was finalized and that is what has been going on over the last couple of years.

Originally, Justin said that he would not be moving Vintage from Hawaiian Gardens, but that changed suddenly a few weeks ago. 

This is a little confusing.  Greg Leach used to be Vintage Spyders and changed the name to Vintage Motorcars.  And Vintage Speedsters is now Vintage Motorcar

I called the phone number on the Vintage Speedsters web-site yesterday afternoon.  I spoke with a nice woman by the name of Riley who said she was in Arizona.  I thought this odd as the number I dialed had a Norwalk, California pre-fix.  When I asked about the parts I was interested in, she told me they were not in stock in either of their facilities.  When I asked, she told me they had shops in both California and Arizona.  She then provided me with an e-mail address that ended with @VintageSpeedsters.com.

Later that afternoon I received an e-mailed price quote for something other than the parts I inquired about.  In fact, the PDF invoice was not even addressed to me but the e-mail clearly was.  I contacted the shop in response to the e-mail and found out it was a simple clerical error; really not a big deal in my mind as it was just a price quote and NOT an actual delivery.

Based on my limited experience, it seems one can still use the contact information on the Vintage Speedsters web-site and get re-directed to Arizona.  The physical address on the invoice I received was from "Vintage Motorcar" in Arizona which is consistent with the information in the previous posts.  The e-mail addresses on the Vintage Motorcar web-site end with @vintage-motorcar.com so we will just have to wait and see how this part of the equation plays out.

On a side note: in mid-December my wife tried to contact Vintage Speedsters via e-mail at an address listed on their web-site.  She has not yet received a response.  Normally this would be a little concerning however, in that same time frame I contacted the company via telephone and not only did they answer but they were quite helpful.

I tend to buy the majority of my bits and pieces on-line and I imagine I will still be able to do just that.  As far as the physical location(s) of the business, it sounds like that may change based on previous posts.

The long and short of it: the business seems to still be up and running but they are experiencing growing pains that any merger or acquisition would expect.

I hope this helps clear up some confusion.

Im changing my name to Vintages Motorcar. We have to cover all possible iterations. 

Best of luck to Justin... Or is it Greg... Im confused now.

I'm with Dr. Clock.  Just sit tight until all of their ducks are in a row and THEN we'll all find out what's going on.  All speculation produces at this point is a school of Red Herrings.

Troy Sloan posted:

The fact that it has already been moved is not speculation, it's already happened.  I had hoped there would be an official announcement to avoid all the speculation, but it just didn't happen. 

Correct - the move happened. I was referring towards the details around it all. He moved - it is his business - he can do what he wants. I am more interested about the "why" of it all and "how" it was all handled.

Let's hope he responds to soon!

TRP posted:

Im changing my name to Vintages Motorcar. We have to cover all possible iterations. 

Best of luck to Justin... Or is it Greg... Im confused now.

 

I'll take "Vintages Motorcars" - is that still available?

Holy Guacamole!!  This is very confusing, to say the least.  And the principals here don't care to clarify -- that's bizarre.

Ok, then I'm going for Vintage Motorscars.

Someone that has a need to know, pick up the tele' and call Justin get the skinny telling him the shyt is hitting the fan.

alex, ill take WTF is going on for $600

I did that last week Alan.  That was when he told me he had already moved Vintage.  I told him there would be all kinds of speculation if he didn't post an announcement.

I understand there is some confusion about the names, but it isn't really that complicated.  Greg Leach's company (formerly Vintage Spyders) is still where it always has been in Stanton, California and Kirk's former company (Vintage Speedsters) is now in Arizona.  They have no connection.  Nor is there a connection with Seduction.  They are all different companies.

Troy.  Both companies make replicas of 50's Porsches.  Greg Leach also makes a 356 Coupe and told me he may also offer a speedster.  Vintage Motorcars and Vintage Motorcar?  Why the heck couldn't Justin come up with a different name?  Its not that hard.  It IS stupid and it IS confusing.