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This is the completed ad for John Estes' Intermeccanica Roadster.  It was built and originally delivered in 1995.  John was the third owner and the car has ≈7,700 miles on the odometer

The asking price is $30,000 which several of us knowledgeable of the car feel is very reasonable.  The car has been recently serviced and is ready for a season of driving.

Please direct technical questions to me, either via PM on here or to speedstahguy@gmail.com

Contact info for technical or purchase info appear at the bottom of the ad.

Photos will follow the ad:

Intermeccanica Roadster RSVIN number IM12275

Built/delivered November 1995

Odometer shows about 12,470 original kilometers (7,760 miles) believed to be true mileage.

This is a Tube Frame car

Chiffon White (Porsche color code: POR 182) 

Currently registered in Rhode Island through May, 2019. 

Clear title to current owner. 

This is an estate sale by the third owner since new.

Interior: Fawn leather interior and oatmeal carpets. Pair of matching Coco mats included. Roll-up Roadster windows. 

Black Haartz top (Roadster Style) with zip-out rear window.  Both top and boot cover made of Haartz black canvas, no rips or wear. 

Interior shows some wear on leather seats (makes it look more like a 1957 car!) and very slight wear on the carpets.  Footwells look very good (they’ve had Coco mat floor covers) and carpeting is very good. 

Original IM Fawn reclining leather seats with original patina, no rips or tears. 

Door panels and dash pad show no appreciable wear

Nardi steering wheel. 

Dual Courtesy Lights

Central tunnel mounted emergency brake with matching leather boot. 

Fully carpeted trunk  (black). 

Blaupunkt New Orleans AM/FM/CD stereo with detachable face and power retractable antenna in front fender. 

MB Quartz 130KX Speakers in footwells.

Wipers work. 

Day/Night interior rear view mirror. 

“Aero” outside rear view mirror (driver’s side only) 

Pneumatic strut lifts for engine cover and trunk. 

A/C Unit:Behind-Dash A/C unit with powered under-dash air outlets.

Controls on dash

Fan assisted A/C condenser under nose of car. 

A/C compressor and hoses have been removed, so A/C is inoperable but everything else is there.

Engine:  2,110cc engine with Bosch 009 distributor, Points ignition and Bosch “Blue Coil” conservatively estimated at 140HP.

Carburetors are dual 40mm Dellortos with no known issues.  Car starts readily and runs fine after short warm-up. 

CB Performance Hex Bar Linkage – no detectable end/side-play. 

Heads are MOFOCO but unknown model – Most likely 044 from the build date (1995). 

Looks like a Bugpack-Style crankcase breather box with no leaks. 

Pushrod tubes show no leaks (four replaced tubes are threaded/adjustable). 

No leaks evident on top or bottom of engine – no leak evident behind crankshaft pulley, bellhousing or from the sump. 

Engine has been Full Flowed with external NAPA Gold 1515 filter, fan assisted oil cooler in the driver’s rear wheel well (indicated 180F fan start switch) and a thermostatic oil-flow diverter switch for faster oil warm-up when cold.   No leaks seen in the system.

Original new (not rebuilt) Bosch alternator. 

Mechanical fuel pump. 

Unknown make, tuned-length exhaust with fiberglass heat wrap. Exhaust exits on left rear through rear valence.

Recent (2018) new clutch

Suspension:  4-speed full IRS transaxle with new drive axles professionally installed.  No leaks at Transaxle case.

4 wheel disk brakes with mechanical (cable) lever-action emergency brakes. 

Lowered VW front beam.  I don’t recall seeing any anti-sway bars front or rear – none shown in photos. 

Custom 8-slot chrome rims with baby moon hubcaps all showing no pitting or cloudiness.  The rims are 5” X 15” front and 7” X 15” rear.  Relatively new195/60 HR 15 Cooper Radial tires.  I did not see a spare tire. 

Cosmetics:  Chiffon White paint is remarkably nice for a 20-year-old car, but it has been garaged since new and driven only 7,700 miles.  A few small (1/4” or less) stone dings in nose or front bumper.  One small (1/8”) stone ding on rear bumper.   

“Porsche” Emblems front and rear, “Roadster” emblem on front fender sides. 

Driver’s left front directional shows some rust stains behind lens.

Windshield shows no pitting or cracks – Frame very good.

Chrome/aluminum/stainless steel all slightly cloudy but not pitted – should polish right up.  Driver’s outside mirror shows minor pitting and deterioration of glass sealing ring (it looks very 1957).  

All door/cover latches work flawlessly. 

Doors latch and seal well. 

Battery looks as though it’s been in there for 3+ years.

Full car cover included (with storage bag).

Fully serviced 03/2019 and ready for anything.  Very good condition in and out.  Always garaged.  

This is a referral listing.  Build specifications were provided by Intermeccanica per IM VIN#.

Buyer assumes all transport costs from Rhode Island.

Asking price:   $30,000 

For technical questions regarding the car, please contact Gordon Nichols at speedstahguy@gmail.com or Cell at:  (508) 241-8848  I can provide technical info only and have no financial interest in this car.

For seller/purchase info, please Contact David Estes (John' son)

Email:  destes@theproutschool.org

Cell:  (401) 741-9959

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Last edited by Gordon Nichols
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

They will, and for another $1,500 (or less) in minor parts beyond the asking price they will have a show winner - it’s that nice a car. Really solid on the road, too.

I suspect this one will move quickly at that price.  How often do we see an IM in great shape for anything under $35K?

I was honestly surprised at how clean the engine and transaxle were - Puts my Pearl to shame.

Last edited by Gordon Nichols

I honestly don't know, Marty, but your assumption sounds pretty good.

John and his friend Tom were regulars at the golf course at the Caddie Shack every year at Carlisle and there isn't a lot of space to put a set of clubs in a Roadster.  

A couple of applications of "Leather Therapy" (recommended by Dusty Johnson) would make a world of difference in that dry leather, and it still feels supple to the touch.  I used to use Leather Therapy products on the saddle leather seats in my pickup (again, Dusty recommended it) and it made a world of difference.

Please note:  

I don't often get involved with car sales - the last one for me was Carl Berry's car and parts stash - and when I do get involved it is for a car worthy of a good home with another like-minded Speedster/Roadster owner who will take good care of it.  

This is just such a car, a low-mileage, pampered Intermeccanica that has recently been serviced by Northrup's Import Auto Service in Rhode Island (see ad details above) and is totally ready for this driving season - Just get in and go anywhere you like with no worries.

So I'm a bit surprised that there has been no interest expressed to John's son (or me) by potential buyers.  I thought that we had set a very fair price for this car, but I guess not, so John's wife has authorized me to do two things:

1.  We're reducing the price of the car to $28,000 just for people on this site.  But you'll have to act fast, because:

2.  She will be contracting with Intermeccanica to put an ad up on the Intermeccanica "Pre-Owned" page starting May 1'st (five days hence) with the price set back at $30,000.

So, if you've been dragging your feet trying to decide, now is the time to act.  Once it's up on the IM site with their wider audience of people looking specifically for an IM, I'm sure it will be gone.

If you've been wanting a really good Speedster or Roadster and would appreciate the potential of roll-up windows and A/C, now is the time to act.

Contact Info:

For technical questions - Gordon Nichols at

speedstahguy@gmail.com or Cell at:  (508) 241-8848  

For seller/purchase info, please Contact David Estes (John's son)

Email:  destes@theproutschool.org

Cell:  (401) 741-9959

The A/C needs a compressor and mount (I suspect IM could tell you where to get one)  and the lo/hi pressure hoses going to it.  I will ask to look around John's garage if I get down there to see if it is lurking there, but since the car left Florida with the second owner, (John was the third) I suspect they may not be there and would be suspect of them if they were.  Better to get a new one and, again, Henry or Robert at IM could help with that and a 2,110 should handle A/C with ease. 

Transport companies are all over the place.  Troy sloan or Alan Merklin can suggest trusted ones and a rule of thumb is $2 bucks per mile.

I am surprised that car has not sold yet.  

Gordon can you confirm that it has a ZIP DOWN rear window please.  That is a nice feature found on pretty much all Roadsters made by IM.  

The AC can be fixed easily by getting a new compressor from Rockauto and having it vaccumed dried and recharged.  

I had my car shipped across the country in a special covered wagon for $2200 it should be a lot cheaper for you guys with real money ... not our monopoly money 

 

 BTW, roll up windows are awesome :") 

Last edited by IaM-Ray

Hmmmm.....Thought I replied to this last night.  Must not have hit "send".

Yes, the Haartz Stay-Fast canvass top has a zip-out rear window.  That was one of the first things I noticed, way back in 2004 when John and his friend caravanned to Carlisle with us.  They had the top up and window zipped out and there was zero top buffeting with nice, flow-thru ventilation.  Pretty cool.  

On the Monopoly money up in the Great White North, we have a bunch of "Mickey Bucks" from Disney World, but I think they only work in the parks.....    

Gordon Nichols posted:

Hmmmm.....Thought I replied to this last night.  Must not have hit "send".

Yes, the Haartz Stay-Fast canvass top has a zip-out rear window.  That was one of the first things I noticed, way back in 2004 when John and his friend caravanned to Carlisle with us.  They had the top up and window zipped out and there was zero top buffeting with nice, flow-thru ventilation.  Pretty cool.  

On the Monopoly money up in the Great White North, we have a bunch of "Mickey Bucks" from Disney World, but I think they only work in the parks.....    

Gordon...did John Estes' car ever get sold ? I don't see it on the IM site for sale. What is the sale status, please ? 

Last edited by David Stroud IM Roadster D

I E-mailed back and forth with John's son and was ready to buy the car until I found out what I would have to do to get the car on the road legally in Massachusetts.

I would have to buy a car built before 1974 that has been registered in the last 5 years and have it crushed and properly salvaged , so that I could get an emissions waiver for a car built in 1995. I spoke to the guy with the answers at the Ma. DMV .  I'm checking with salvage yards but I'm not holding my breath. 

I have a car that's grandfathered in Ma. , so I guess that's worth a little more now. Looks like I'll have to drive it for a while longer. Could be worse.

Many thanks to Gordon for getting me the right people to talk to. This car was going to be Gone Baby Gone!   ( Heidi is still a little bummed )

And if you live in any other state in New England, other than Massachusetts, you can register it as a 1995 Intermeccanica, no problem.

As far as I know, the car is still for sale with a few inquiries but no offers yet.  All the info I had has been forwarded to Robert Ruskey at IM to get it up on their "Pre-Owned" web page and everything after that is handled by Dave Estes, John's son.  I do not know BaT or eBay at all, but gave Dave contact info for people who do know those sites so they can guide him along.

Honestly, I am very surprised that it has not yet sold, as it is a great car needing very little - in fact, it needs nothing for this driving season and maybe only $500 worth of upgrades over next winter, all cosmetic.

 

Last edited by Gordon Nichols
Al Gallo posted:

I E-mailed back and forth with John's son and was ready to buy the car until I found out what I would have to do to get the car on the road legally in Massachusetts.

I would have to buy a car built before 1974 that has been registered in the last 5 years and have it crushed and properly salvaged , so that I could get an emissions waiver for a car built in 1995. I spoke to the guy with the answers at the Ma. DMV .  I'm checking with salvage yards but I'm not holding my breath. 

I have a car that's grandfathered in Ma. , so I guess that's worth a little more now. Looks like I'll have to drive it for a while longer. Could be worse.

Many thanks to Gordon for getting me the right people to talk to. This car was going to be Gone Baby Gone!   ( Heidi is still a little bummed )

Al, I know it could take time but a well sorted Roadster is a lot more comfortable car.  Especially where more rain and cooler weather rains. 

I think David Stroud did pretty good on the flip or his car,  even if it did take work and he is really enjoying roll up windows. See, we can spend your money easily on this list. 

Stan is correct that you can establish a P.O. box or whatever in several states.  I met a guy in Florida this Winter who had cars all over the country and 7 in his garage.  They were registered in Montana, the Dakotas and other states, but he had business and had traveled around in several states. Still have a speedster in my garage, so there's that.

I have a company in Montana that I have registered several Porsche replicas with in the past.  Here's the drill:

•  You pay an upfront fee...nominal...to create a Montana Limited Liability Company. You send them the title to your car, and they send you a newly-created Montana title.  The Montana title is a permanent title, so you'll never have to re-register or pay any additional fees.  You do have to pay a small annual fee every year to re-register your Limited Liability Company.  The title company acts as your agent in Montana.  I'm not sure whether this would solve some of the problems of our members who are having difficulty registering their cars (California, Massachusetts, etc.) but it could be worth checking out.  I have never had any issues with any of the titles or cars that I have registered through this company.  PM me for contact information.

Bob Templeton, Phoenix

 

Just an up front caution from what I've learned about how the Mass. Registration/Titling process works:  This process will NOT work in Mass.  While you could get a Montana title and then attempt to title/register in Mass., it will not get you around the emissions requirement for the year your engine was built, regardless of what it replicates.  Plus, the Mass. Titling office is aware of what's going on in Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama and Montana (there may be a few others I haven't heard about) and will assuredly give you a hard time in the process as they've clamped down on that stuff in the last year or so.

Richard - I don't work for FL Tax Division (our FL DMV) but you should have no problem.  It seems to have a Rhode Island title - assume as Intermeccanica and hopefully still has the IM data/VIN plate (old one shown - seem to be in passenger's door opening).  I would get a Bill of Sale so you can prove what you paid for it.  FL Taxation Office will physically verify the VIN and mileage against what is on the title.  You can have "a government officer" verify this too - there is FL form - so a Sheriff or State Police  officer can do. 

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Assuming it is registered as a 1995, you pay your $225 for new tag (if you aren't transferring one) plus title fee,  yeary registration fee and 6-6.5% sales tax.  Now if vehicle were 30+ years old (most states are 25 years - not FL though), the tags would be only $75 and you  could get antique or use year of build plates.

I'd be on it if I hadn't bought a new MX-5 Miata recently.  

Last edited by WOLFGANG

I agree, Ray, roll-up windows are nice and that's a sweet car, but we went in another direction.  My speedster passed the round trip to Carlisle adventure with flying colors so I'm keeping it.  We have replaced Heidi's MX5 with a 911, so that particular itch has been scratched . 

I hope John's car goes to a good home soon.

Richard - I found a top-up photo from 2006.  Typical IM Roadster top (Haartz Canvas Material) with a full zip-out rear window (zipped out in this photo).  

You can also call Jane Estes.  PM me for her cellphone number.

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I never noticed before how nicely Intermeccanica makes the bumpers hug the body. That's a nice look.

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Last edited by Gordon Nichols
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