HOW TO COMPARE SPECIALTY AUTO-SPORTS, INC. SPEEDSTERS
WITH TYPICAL VW BASED SPEEDSTERS
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Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
Fiberglass Body and molds-Knoxville TN USA
Welded Chassis - Knoxville, TN USA
Body Assembly - Knoxville, TN USA
Final Assembly - Knoxville, TN USA
Typical VW based
Fiberglass Body and Molds - Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Europe
Body Assembly - Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Europe
Final Assembly - USA
Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
- Subaru Boxster 4 cylinder 2500cc
- water cooled
- 170hp 166 #/ft torque
- Single overhead cam SOHC - no adjustment required
- multiport fuel injection
- OBDII engine management
- noise level - quiet
Typical VW based
- VW Beetle 4 cylinder 1600cc (1938 design)
- air-cooled
- 55hp 77 #/ft Torque
- in-block cam with lifters and adjustable rockers
- 34PICT single throat Carburetor
- Distributor, points, condenser, rotor
- noise level - high
Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
- Replace cam belts (75,000 to 100,000 miles)
- oil change 3000 miles
- platinum tip plugs (100,000 miles)
- some engines have coil packs
Typical VW based
- valve adjustment (1500-2000 miles)
- oil change 2000 miles
- points, wires, plugs, condenser, distributor cap, rotor
- carburetor cleaning and adjustment periodically
Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
Subaru 4 Speed Automatic with Overdrive
OBDII controlled for optimum efficiency
also
Subaru 5 Speed manual with Overdrive
hydraulic clutch
Typical VW based
VW Beetle 4 Speed manual - No overdrive
1938 design and "rebuilt" with used parts
Cable activated clutch
Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
Front
unequal length upper and lower wishbones - ball joint, tubular construction
Carrera coil over shocks - adjustable dampening rates, selection of coil rates
Rack and pinion steering
Rear
High performance Subaru Legacy GT
Heavy duty cast steel trailing arms
double row cage wheel bearings
3 adjustable lateral links - for alignment
3/4" heavy duty Heim joint connection
coil over shocks - spring rate selectable
Typical VW based
Front
VW Beetle front suspension - some with king pin (1938 design) some with ball joint.(1967 design) Cast trailing suspension arms
Stacked leaf torsion strip springing - non adjustable
Standard hydraulic shocks - non adjustable
Recirculating ball steering with various linkage bars (1938 design)
Rear
VW Beetle swing arm (1938 design)
Welded sheet metal trailing arms
spherical single row wheel bearings
minimal alignment adjustment
hydraulic shocks
torsion bar springing - non adjustable
Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
Front - disc
11" ventilated rotors
GM Metric calipers
Power assisted
DOT 5 silicone brake fluid
Rear - disc
Subaru 10-3/4" non-ventilated rotors
Subaru Legacy Calipers
Power assisted
Typical VW based
Front - drum
1-1/2" drums
Manual (non-power assisted)
DOT 3 brake fluid
Rear - drum
1-1/2" drums
manual (non-power assisted)
Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
Custom engineered structural tube design surrounding the occupants
Front and rear diagonally braced structural crush members
Steel frame reinforced doors
Steel floor
Forward steel firewall and foot wells
Typical VW based
VW Beetle pan (1960-1966) shortened
Steel 2x4 lower perimeter frame positioned below doors
Nothing in doors
Steel or fiberglass floor
No Firewall fiberglass foot wells
Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
16 Gallon Racing fuel cell - foam filled
electric fuel pump immersed inside tank with top outlet
Fuel supply lines run on outside of frame rails
located forward of occupant zone - separated by steel firewall and steel floor
Surrounded by welded steel impact structure
automatic safety fuel shut off in case of fuel line rupture
tank secured to welded frame - with straps
Typical VW based
8 Gallon VW Beetle sheet metal gas tank
uncontrolled gravity feed tank with outlet on tank bottom
Fuel supply line run inside car.
located in occupant zone over occupants lap - separated by fiberglass trunk floor
Surrounded by fiberglass
no safety shutoff
tank secured to fiberglass trunk floor with bolts and washers
Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
High efficiency double pass custom aluminum radiator - rear mount
Two 10" fans controlled by OBDII computer
One fan runs at low rpm constant on
One fan runs at high rpm on only at elevated temperatures and/or AC on - computer control
Typical VW based
Belt driven fan blowing air through a sheet metal plenum and over the engine cooling fins
Air flow direction controlled by sheet metal shrouds on top of engine
Very noisy system especially at high rpm
Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
Meets 2006-2009 USA/EPA emissions
Maintains catalytic convertors, Oxygen sensors, EGR, tank fumes control, Carbon canister systems, Idle air control
Typical VW based
1965-1977 VW Beetle emissions levels
Import of VW Beetles was halted in the 1977 model year because they could not meet the USA emission and noise control requirements.
Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
An independent heater-defroster plenum is hidden from view under the dash
controls are electric servo actuated which gives a selective variable temperature control
Heat is obtained from thermostatically controlled constant source 195F hot engine water
Heat and defrost is delivered by a 3 speed fan delivering a powerful flow
Typical VW based
There is no heater-defroster plenum
Controls are cable/lever activated which open a flap on the engine exhaust manifold shroud to allow heat collected from the exhaust manifold to blow back through the sub frame and exit at your feet
some of this air is tapped and directed to defroster slots on the dash.
very little heat or air flow is extracted from this system and virtually no defrost is delivered
Specialty Auto-Sports, Inc.
Weight Bias - the true measure of performance handling. Our 5 Speed Speedsters have about a 46/54 weight bias which delivers precise directional control
Typical VW based
The typical VW Speedster has about a 38/62 weight bias. Less balance which translates into less front braking and directional control, and slower responsiveness to driving commands