Hi my name is Justin and as many of you know I am one of the new owners of Vintage Speedsters.
As some of you may have heard already Vintage Speedsters changed hands back in October. I appreciate everyone's patience during the transition. As you can imagine, learning every piece of the car and keeping production flowing at the same time is a monumental task. I have spoken to some people on here previously and had asked to try to keep it under wraps for a little bit. Not because I didn't want to make the announcement... but because there was just so much work to do and I didn't want my first impression with this great owners group to be tarnished because I couldn't take the proper amount of time. We still have a long way to go but it will all be worth it! I really want to take time with you guys and gals and answer questions you may be have but first we need to get settled in and get these cars done for our customers!
We have had some small issues with the transition mainly the phone system and voicemail. I am not an expert in telecommunications and forwarding several phone numbers from Hawaiian Gardens to Scottsdale and back etc... well that leaved somethings to be desired. Now that our feet are more firmly placed on the ground in Scottsdale and we are not traveling back and forth between the two locations our customers will start seeing much better communication as well as consistency.
I would like to announce that we have moved the shop from Hawaiian Gardens to Scottsdale Arizona. We are still in the process of the move and are moving forward as quickly as possible with both production and parts. The Hawaiian Gardens facility had served Kirk wonderfully for 30 years. However... if any of you have been there in the last few years... "dated" would be a kind word to describe the facility. Also, continuing production in the city of Hawaiian Gardens and the state of California is/was more difficult than it truly needed to be. Our new facility in Scottsdale is an amazing facility and I will post pictures of our new facility as we get more set up and more presentable.
My number one focus with this company is to increase the quality and with quality along comes quality control. Many of you have had little issues upon delivery and it is my goal to reduce that as much as possible moving forward. Over the last few months we have made some very small changes that make a large difference in the reliability as well as the drive-ability of the car. These are subtle changes that most would never know and would go unappreciated because well... people only complain or think about things when something is wrong or broken. For example we have switched to a new electronic ignition set up that produces significantly more spark without changing the looks of the engine bay. This allows for a more efficient and cleaner burn yielding more power, smoother idling and significantly improved cold starts. All welcomed things.
As we start to "master" the car we will carry forward with perhaps some new products, options and cars.... But as the saying goes... Crawl, Walk, Run. This car and the business model of this company has plenty of room for improvements and I am extremely excited with all of the new opportunity the cars and company can have even in as short of a time frame as the next 12 months.
Some of you may be wondering what changes we might be taking in the next few months. The areas that we need to immediately improve upon are the following:
Communication
Paint Quality
Reliability and Drivability
Improved braking
Accuracy of orders
I am not looking for a sweeping change of the car. The car is GREAT! Its not perfect... and we will work towards getting the car towards perfect . After that we may see some new and exciting cars coming out of the factory... but first... SPEEDSTERS!
I do want to say Kirk is and will always be the creator of this wonderful car. A car that I fell in love with in my teenage years at VIP classics in the Gas Lamp District of San Diego. I am hoping to carry the torch forward and take the car to a new level without losing the spirit of the original vision of the Vintage Speedster.
I used to work for a major automotive manufacturer (BMW/MINI) and I know how important it is to take care of your current clients as well as your past clients. I also know how important it is to help foster the car club culture and I hope to participate in the gatherings as well a new annual Speedster meet. I would like to say that I don't think its only important for business but its who I am and I thoroughly enjoy these kinds of events. I am always at car events and car shows etc... I eat breath and sleep cars. I love these speedsters and I really can't wait to see an event with a hundred Vintage Speedsters in attendance... or to put on a fun run with 50-100 Speedsters all in a row. I love doing these kinds of events and as we get this company streamlined and production under control I look forward to participating and hopefully hosting these kinds of events for Speedster community.
I am going to be quite busy for the next couple of days, so I may not be able to get back to you guys as quickly as I like. Please bear with me/us during this time of transition and I look forward to meeting and chatting with you all.
(I actually wrote this on New Years Day and hit post... but for some reason it didn't post... I am in a new house with new wifi and getting everything to talk to each other lately doesn't seem to happen as well as it did in my last home)
Again I am really looking forward to meeting and talking with all of you soon!
Justin
