Good morning/evening. Seems I've been bitten by the proverbial 'all things air-cooled' bug again. I was formally introduced to air-cooled 4 wheeled vehicles at the tender age of 12. My friend's father (we were all military brats) had an absolutely beautiful 1974 VW Super beetle and a car I had truly never seen up close before -- a 1959 Porsche 356 B (RH drive) that he picked up for paltry sum of 3000.00 while they were stationed at an AF base in England. Solid body, no rust, and it actually was in running condition -- though his Dad rarely drove it. Even had a spare motor and all of the original paperwork.
Went by to visit him and his wife last year, and yep, he still has it tucked away in his comfy garage. He told me that he was considering having it restored...He said it would cost 60 to 70K to have it restored. He can afford it, but he said after his most recent appraisal of the car at 100K, it just didn't make sense to do it. -- he's smart man, and slow to make irrational decisions. But I digress...
Anyway, the exposure to these iconic German autos spurred my interest in VW/Audi/Porsche...Since then, I've owned plenty of VW's (still do), and several Audis as well (big Volvo 240 and Volvo 850 fan as well). I've driven a few 914''s (more of a VW to me), owned 3 slightly modified Miatas. Have recently even been considering buying the New Fiat Spyder Abarth or even a Boxster-- however, my heart and soul keep coming back to the Speedster. So here I am...I've done my research, I've even corresponded with Kirk at VS over the past couple of weeks. Turns out my brother lives 20 minutes away from the VS shop. I live in Maryland, but I visit CA periodically through the year.
Nonetheless, after lurking here for the past month, I realized that if I were to buy a one from Kirk, I'd like the car to be broken in California and gone through by one of the esteemed members from this forum before it's shipped to Maryland.
Sidebar: I restore, race, and maintain vintage European enduro motorcycles. Currently have 12 race-ready vintage bikes (Maico, Penton, Husqvarna, KTM, DKW, Rokon, Bultaco), 1 modern (2015 Beta 300RR), and one minibike for the neighborhood kids. And so, although my garage is a little full, and my time shop time is limited these days, I think I can create some space for a Speedster. Well, I've probably said too much...but now, you kinda know who I am. Look forward to learning more about these wonderful cars. Thanks for having me!
Regards,
Hubcat, aka, John
