Who is the best Speedster maker?

I want to order a new Speedster but am getting mixed signals on who makes the best ones? I want to order a turnkey car, and will pay a reasonable amount more for better quality. Where do I go?

It seems from the comments on this website that IM is probably the highest quality, and most expensive? Vintage makes a good product for a fair price. Specialty Auto Works is closer to my home state (GA), but is just getting their model going. Who is JPS?

I want one bad, but need to decide where to get it from. Please help!

Robert,

Hitchhike, fly, drive, take a Greyhound out Buena Park, CA to Knotts Berry Farm in April to see examples of the cars you mentioned, talk with the owners of these cars and even better, talk to the guys that produce them. VS,JPS, Beck, and IM and their owners will be at the Replica Rendezvous April 24-25th. Be there. In may a similar meetr will be held in Carlisle, PA Most of the above makers cars will be there but I believe only Henry from IM will be there in person.

Those people interested in buying one of these cars as well as a 550 Spyder can not find a better place to window shop.

Bruce

West Coast Bruce,

Glad to hear the Knotts Meet is moving along well.

Thanks for mentioning Carlisle. In addition to Henry Reisner from Intermeccanica, John Steele from JPS Motorsports will also be there. Carey Hines and possibly others will attend from Beck/Special Edition. Unsure about Specialty Autoworks, Inc. right now but John Hallstrand will be there with his new Subytub.

Robert,

What part of the world are you located in?

East Coast Bruce

Bruce,
I live in hope that I'll be there. I've been on contact with Steve of SAW in the last few days and he claims that I will have something to look at (take picture of?) by sometime next week. A naked frame among the featured cars? Whoa!
John H.
H2OPLEZ

All the easier to see that Suby installation!

I live in Atlanta, so the suggestion to look at cars at a show like Carlisle makes sense. I spoke with Steve at Specialty Autoworks and he invited me to Knoxville to test out one of the Subaru Mid-engine models he is starting to produce. SAW is the only maker in the East, but I did find out that Beck has a dealer in South Carolina.

The only real problem is having to wait 4 to 6 months when I decide who I want to order from. It looks like the only people that are really producing them within 2 - 3 months is VS.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

Maybe more nekkid than that even.

Robert:

Looking at the SO registry, I see there is an IM and a VS within 50 miles of you. I have also driven the SAW Soobster. I know that this will not tell you which is the best or satisfy your appetite for instant gratification but it could help. Most of us are not above visits and you will find as many opinions as there are Speedsters. The registry is an excellent way to identify owners and look at their prize.

Robert, it sounds like you've got the fever. I know how that feels. The builders who purportedly produce the "best" cars tend to have the smaller volume companies. These cars may be more expensive and can have a longer build times. Shop around and pick the one you are confident will build a car which will meet your needs, fit your budget and, most importantly, will make you happy. I owned a VS for three years and I believe Kirk makes a fine product. If getting a new one quickly is important, he da man.
John H.

Hey Robert,
Good suggestions all within this thread... Check in with Terry Knuckles, he just bought a JPS speedster. JPS builds in SoCal and is listed as one of the makers on the website. Check him out.

"Best" is relative to your budget. If it is unlimited then an IM with big engine, 901 5-speed, 4 wheel disk brakes, gas heater, rack and pinion steering, custom instruments, etc., is clearly the best.

George.

That sounds a lot like your car.

No way, that can't be George's car! The list is too short!

Thanks for all of the positive feedback. I was out of town for almost a week (and cooling off) but still came back with the fever.

I have had responses from almost all of the makers via e-mail and expect to get some additional literature shortly from IM.

The people at Beck, a maker I did not originally mention, has been very responsive, but I don't see a lot of "Beck" Speedster owners or comments about them on the website. Does anyone have comments regarding their product?

And a final comment or question, Speedster versus Roadster?, any comments on this, or is this taboo to mention Roasters (IM) on the Speedster website?

Ol' GB was referrenced for other reasons and has posted a reply as well.

You might ask what his motivation was for selling his well-appointed roadster and going with a speedster. If you keep him on point, you might get an idea of one v. the other. Careful though, he has been known to throw around words like euridite and worse!

I think as we all step back and look at our Speedster we answer this question ourselves. Whether we built them or bought and fixed and modified. Who builds the best Speedster? ME!!!

Speedsters are beautiful, no question about it. They have eye appeal that transends generations. What they lack in creature comforts and weather protection, they make up for in panache. I loved mine. So why am I having a Cabriolet built? Must be part of the characteristic march towards geezerdom.
John H

Hey John lookin' good. I have a brand NEW Conv.D top that I bought last year. It is not assembled and comes in a box that looks like it's 30 years old. The top is Vinyl (Tan). I bought it from Porsche Atlanta, the description was not clear. They said Speedster. Ha, it's Conv D and they won't take it back. So here it has been sitting, in it's box ever since.

Fire sale...

John:

Great shots of your new Cab. Keep posting, so we can all follow this very interesting project. I've never seen a 356 Cabriolet replica before, so you really will have a unique automobile. (I have a 66 Ghia Cabriolet, but that's a different kettle of fish)

How will it be registered?

Bob

Mike, put the fire out quickly! Steve already has the top for it and I don't think the Conv.D tops and cabrio tops are the same. Thanks for the offer.
Bob, the car will be registered as a 2004 something; what it will be called is a nit which hasn't been addressed yet. If they begin smog checks in Tennessee, it should be compliant. Being a licensed limited production automaker in the state, Steve is able to skirt most of the requirements for newly manufactured vehicles, smog checking not included. All of his street rods must be compliant.
Hopefully, the pictures I post later will be more interesting. What I need is a good chassis photo with engine in place. I know east coast Bruce is interested in that.
John H.

You betcha, John. Ready and waiting! The body lives, now connect the electrodes and see if it wakes! Oops, wrong story.

Keep posting 'em John. Alot of people are waiting to see your new ride. It will be fun watching the progress.

Come on Spring!

John:

Having a water cooled 356 means you can use some of the excess Tenessee hootch as coolant.

What's excess??? Is that some new 4GL computer language?

John, I think you underestimate the importance/significance of your new car. It's a brave new world in speedster land.
ron

RonO, really? Just because there's no "shine" left over (excess)? Actually, I agree that this is a big step and it probably would have been safer to wait and see a little longer. But what the heck, I have confidence in the builder and the design parameters and I think the end result is going to be a super car. Although neither Suby power nor tube frames are new ideas, the total package using a cabriolet body is drawing board fresh. I am very flattered at the positive response my decision has brought.
John H.

John,

You are the perfect candidate to be the first. You are a previous owner, so you have a frame of reference to compare the new product to the tried and true formula. You are building a car (a cabriolet) that is a bit unusual for a replica. And most importantly, you live close to the builder.

You are going to be delighted with your car, and it should resolve MANY of the issues a lot of buyers have with these cars (lack of weather protection, heat, reliable power, and emission
compliance).

I can hardly wait to see the finished product.

Stan, thanks for your note. Regarding the last sentence, all I can say is a big MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE TOOOO!

Robert,
I notice you are in GA. We have a Beck Speedster here in Charlotte, so we might be the closest to you to see and test drive one. We put it together ourselves, so I'm sure I could answer most questions you might have.

Give me a call at 704.309.5499 and we can discuss.

-Bob Saville

Robert (in Charlotte):

Thanks for the information. I think I found some pictures of yours on your website, very sharp colors.

If I have time, my wife and I may schedule a trip to Charlotte to see your Speedster. I am pretty far along with Carey on one (nailing down some details on options, but If I can, I really would like to see it in person.

Is your operation open on Saturday, and what are the hours? I may be able to come during the week (in case I can get away on Friday), what are your hours on Friday?

Has anyone seen the Speedster that's built by Streetbeasts? I saw an article in Kit Car Magazine and checked their website (www.streetbeasts.com)and they look and seem OK. There's not a lot of pictures of their Speedsters but their other kits look really hot. I'm interested in a kit that has rollup or powered windows. Any suggestions?

Nolan,

Specialty Autoworks Cabriolet has power windows (I don't know about rollup windows). Although, they only supply turnkeys.

JHS has plenty of pics of the Streetbeasts Speedster under his file...So you might want to check that out.

john, what did you mean by nit

Nolan: Check out Jerome Smith's file (JHS), or ask him about his "Street Beast" Speedster. It's really sharp.
gn

Nolan: Check out Jerome Smith's file (JHS), or ask him about his "Street Beast" Speedster. It's really sharp.
gn

Steven:

Re: John's use of the word 'nit' up above (20th message from top)

Haven't you ever heard of 'nit picking'? It's a little bit like 'snipe hunting'. Unless you've tried them both, you don't know what you are missing.

Bob

ok I get the "nit picking" but, snipe hunting is what we did with girls in high school.....it was a lot of fun....oh man I think my life may have peeked at 17

I thought that snipe hunting was what the elder statesmen at the Triple R Ranch (remember Spin & Marty) sent the greenhorns on as part of a time honored tradition. This probably no longer P.C. since it is a form of hazing. BTW, I think I peaked at 17 also. That was a GREAT summer.
John H.
Steven the "nit" I am referring to is what the car will be called on the certificate of origin. No biggie.

What on earth does that stand for? I wonder because it is strange?

I believe a nit is a louse egg. Nits can only be removed by methodically going over an infested head and removing them one at a time. Its pretty slow going. Hence "nit picking", as a euphuism for any work that is tedious and exact. Ask me how I know... or anyone else who had daughters during one of many lice outbreaks at elementary schools in the 90s can attest.