Anyone currently waiting for a 356 replica from JPS or had recent delivery?
What are your experiences?
Thanks.
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Do a search on this site for "JPS", "JPS Motorsports" or "John Steele" (Little magnifying glass in the black menu banner up above)
Are you currently in the JPS queue?
@Gordon Nichols posted:Do a search on this site for "JPS", "JPS Motorsports" or "John Steele" (Little magnifying glass in the black menu banner up above)
Are you currently in the JPS queue?
That's good advice from Gordon. Take it.
Gordon/Stan, thank you both for your responses. I did a search and nothing recent came up. I believe 2017 was the last item posted. Yes, I am the queue.
He's still the same guy. He didn't find religion in the last 4 years.
Yes, I have discovered that. I am wondering if anyone on this site has recently (in the last year or so) have had a JPS car delivered. I was at the shop in July 2021 and there were a dozen or more cars under construction.
You can do an advanced search by clicking the Search icon and Advanced Search.
https://www.speedsterowners.com/advancedSearch
You will find threads from delivered owners for the last year if you limit by date.
We can all give you experiences that were related to us, but probably best if you read from actual JPS owners.
-=theron
@Stan Galat posted:He's still the same guy. He didn't find religion in the last 4 years.
.and so it goes.....
opps...misprint spell check... my bad..i meant my car was finished in 2018.... not in "back to the future" of 2028 
How come so many people come here to ask about other's experience, after they have already ordered?
@WNGD posted:How come so many people come here to ask about other's experience, after they have already ordered?
@Robert M posted:Probably needs help now in figuring out how to deal with the Mr Hyde side of JPS.
You know, doing this research BEFORE slapping down your money would save so much pain and misery. I've never met the man, but by the number of people we've seen in this situation over the years, all I can say is he must be a charmer to coax people's hard earned money out of their wallets like he does. And once he has it, boy, do things change...
One would need a Town's Crier to read the scroll.
I've never actually had a conversion with him. I really don't think he wanted to talk to me at any of the Carlisle events he attended. You see, I was the guy who took Tom Dewalt's defective engine apart(failed piston pin circlip). And another took the pictures and posted them online of the disassembly, then the assembly error or part failure damage became indisputable. I COST HIM MONEY!
Has a tendency to run his less then truthful foul mouth and made the error of directing his aggressions toward me with my wife present. Had it not been for Kelly Fraser's kind words, "Jersey AL" in the blink of an eye would have laid him flat out to become a floor mat at his Carlisle display. Having gone through a few difficult life challenges and health issues, one would reconsider that each day is a gift instead of maintaining a legacy that 60 grit and Preparation H can't cure.
A simple search for Speedster 356 replica yields JPS, August Motorcars (Cdn distributor) and Beck all on the first page. Plus kitcarlist.com that I had never heard of, that lists Intermeccannica on their own first page.
How hard is it to find this site of enthusiasts in order to ask questions?
In fact, even Googling JPS Speedster yields this initial gem:
JPS - one unhappy customer's advice. | SpeedsterOwners.com
Sorry to the OP, but how do you put down 10-15-$20,000 on a niche "kit car" replica builder without doing even surface due diligence. It's 2022 .... information is so easy to find vs even 10-20 years ago.
If you were looking to have a Speedster built, how could you not find Beck, Intermeccannica and Vintage(s) as well?
@WNGD posted:A simple search for Speedster 356 replica yields JPS, August Motorcars (Cdn distributor) and Beck all on the first page. Plus kitcarlist.com that I had never heard of, that lists Intermeccannica on their own first page.
How hard is it to find this site of enthusiasts in order to ask questions?
In fact, even Googling JPS Speedster yields this initial gem:
JPS - one unhappy customer's advice. | SpeedsterOwners.com
Sorry to the OP, but how do you put down 10-15-$20,000 on a niche "kit car" replica builder without doing even surface due diligence. It's 2022 .... information is so easy to find vs even 10-20 years ago.
If you were looking to have a Speedster built, how could you not find Beck, Intermeccannica and Vintage(s) as well?
IIRC, the last guy that stumbled in asking the same question mentioned being swayed by the fact that the cars are $10-$15K cheaper than anyone else’s.
@dlearl476 posted:IIRC, the last guy that stumbled in asking the same question mentioned being swayed by the fact that the cars are $10-$15K cheaper than anyone else’s.
That should tell you something right there...
@ewh49 Even if you are asking questions about JPS Motorsports after placing a deposit, it's important to post why you are asking for future buyers researching the subject. This forum is indexed by every major search engine.
Your experience good or bad will help someone else.
-=theron
@ewh49 posted:Gordon/Stan, thank you both for your responses. I did a search and nothing recent came up. I believe 2017 was the last item posted. Yes, I am the queue.
Something is wrong here.
I'm home sick today and have some time on my hands. I just did an Advanced Search for "JPS", sorted by date.
There were dozens of posts from 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.
My point in saying that he's still the same guy he's always been, is that the problems people have always had with John (the Jekyll/Hyde thing, ghosting you after you put your deposit down, giving you whatever he feels like, rather than what was agreed upon) are always going to BE the problem. Some people have the capacity and motivation to become better versions of themselves, most do not.
I believe in the power of redemption and in the ability to be reborn, but John has never seen any need to change anything at all with his business or himself personally.
I'll leave you do decide for yourself what kind of person John is.
JPS can build a good-looking car, generally with running gear from the least expensive bidder. His paint quality has always been good, as have the interiors.... assuming you don't go too far afield from a "standard" speedster build. I'd never do a coupe with him, as there are way too many places to cut corners.
John is at his best if you are local, somebody he wants to impress, and deferential.
Guys who know what they want are not his jam.
@Stan Galat posted:Something is wrong here.
I'm home sick today and have some time on my hands. I just did an Advanced Search for "JPS", sorted by date.
There were dozens of posts from 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.
My point in saying that he's still the same guy he's always been, is that the problems people have always had with John (the Jekyll/Hyde thing, ghosting you after you put your deposit down, giving you whatever he feels like, rather than what was agreed upon) are always going to BE the problem. Some people have the capacity and motivation to become better versions of themselves, most do not.
I believe in the power of redemption and in the ability to be reborn, but John has never seen any need to change anything at all with his business or himself personally.
I'll leave you do decide for yourself what kind of person John is.
JPS can build a good-looking car, generally with running gear from the least expensive bidder. His paint quality has always been good, as have the interiors.... assuming you don't go too far afield from a "standard" build. I'd not do a coupe with him, as there are way too many places to cut corners.
John is at his best if you are local, somebody he wants to impress, and deferential.
Guys who know what they want are not his jam.
Didn't you deal with him once?
@ALB posted:Didn't you deal with him once?
My experiences with John have been well documented on this site.
I ordered a car from him in 2002, and it was the single most frustrating and disappointing transaction of my life.
I've lost more on other deals, and I've been rolled harder than I was with John - but I doubt anything ever will be worse, because what he sold me was a dream.
There's nothing worse than the death of a dream.
Thank you Stan, Theron and others for the responses and advice. The "ghosting" is what I'm dealing with now. I live close enough to visit in person, maybe that will make a difference, we'll see. I had Greg @ VS build a 550 Spider for me many years ago.... same deal on the ghosting. At the end of nearly 2 years I got a fantastic car. Hopefully the outcome on this will be similar. I have acquaintances that have JPS cars, didn't hear the background stories. Appreciate all your comments.
@Stan Galat posted:My experiences with John have been well documented on this site.
I ordered a car from him in 2002, and it was the single most frustrating and disappointing transaction of my life.
I've lost more on other deals, and I've been rolled harder than I was with John - but I doubt anything ever will be worse, because what he sold me was a dream.
There's nothing worse than the death of a dream.
Thank you, Stan, for taking the time to chronicle your experience again- it's good that these people get more than just hearsay. And (as I expected) you said it oh, so eloquently!
@ewh49 posted:Thank you Stan, Theron and others for the responses and advice. The "ghosting" is what I'm dealing with now. I live close enough to visit in person, maybe that will make a difference, we'll see. I had Greg @ VS build a 550 Spider for me many years ago.... same deal on the ghosting. At the end of nearly 2 years I got a fantastic car. Hopefully the outcome on this will be similar. I have acquaintances that have JPS cars, didn't hear the background stories. Appreciate all your comments.
Greg HAS changed the way he does business. I had a 2002 Spyder built and currently have a 2016. Both cars were painted bodies on frame. The first was a roller including trans, the second a semi-roller(no trans). Not one customer of Greg's DIDN'T get a car. He fills his orders. He is busier than ever before, just like Carey over at Beck.
I can't say the same thing for JPS, although I've never ordered from them. Nor would I.
I get calls and emails about builder recommendations almost everyday and I tell them about the SOC and to do a search there. It's not uncommon that they are newbies who saw my website when they did a search, but have not found the SOC yet.
What I'm going to do from now on is send them the link to this thread. To make it easy for me to find, I created a phone contact that has this link in it. https://www.speedsterowners.co...ic/jps-motorsports-3
If someone has a good thread link for the SAS POS guy, please post it or send it to me so I can also add it to my contacts.
My experience, both in one-on-one conversations with John at Carlisle and with a number of his customers on both east and west coasts, is that anyone who lives close enough to show up in person and does so regularly will get better treatment than anyone living at a distance. Sounds like it would be good for you to start making regular visits to his shop so (a.) he doesn’t forget that you exist and (b.) you can see what’s happening (or not happening) on your build and can more easily do mid-course corrections or keep him on track. Those nearby who have done this have usually been satisfied with the experience. Both of them. 
I would be in there at least monthly (better, every other week) if I lived close enough.
@Gordon Nichols posted:I would be in there at least monthly (better, every other week) if I lived close enough.
From all the posts I've read, I think being "in there every other week" would just push his Mr. Hyde button.
For my CMC I order seats, carpet, and material to cover the rear cushion from JPS.
The seats had the wrong carpet on the back. The carpet didn't have the pockets I ordered and the material for the rear cushion didn't have the dimensions I specified and was too small.
Sounds about right for John, don't you think?
@Troy Sloan Every week might be a bit much (for any shop) but he seems to be the kind that needs regular reminders, not to mention ongoing owner checkups to catch all of the things like Michael found just above.
Oh, and that recycled aluminum siding as part of his build was priceless.
"What'cha can't see can be most anything".
I bought a used JPS Speedster that included a set of uninstalled "hood straps" that the original buyer had ordered with the car. They look like watch bands!
Just to be clear and fair, I've bought and sold several used JPS Speedsters over the years and they have all been very nice. I just would never buy anything directly from JPS for all of the reasons listed above.
Has any one here read, "The Prince" by Machiavelli? It's a 16th century handbook regarding how a noble of limited means and gifting might remain (or perhaps increase) in power.
As a strictly intellectual exercises, and as something totally unrelated to the subject of this thread - imagine if Machiavelli's Prince were building replica speedsters in Southern California in 2022, it might look something like this:
The Prince would ideally be a man who was both a sociopath and a narcissist - the adult version of someone who was picked on (or worse) as a kid, who would believe himself to be in a "survival-of-the-fittest" death-match - a man unconstrained by ideas of morality, who would feel 100% unbound by societal norms.
It would obviously be a very good thing for the world if such a man chose to sell furniture or build replica clown cars... as opposed to say, overthrow a government and start a world war.
With such a man, putting down a deposit would situate the buyer in a position of weakness. The Prince would have the money and the leverage. He would have promised something the buyer wants very badly. He would know it was important, and he would know that only he has the power to deliver it.
It would be just as Machiavelli designed it to be.
In such a case, the single greatest determinate of the treatment a buyer would receive from The Prince would be whether or not he perceived the buyer as somebody from whom he might gain social capital or power. As The Prince would respect almost no one, this would necessitate being somebody in show business or a titan of SoCal industry. Being a big deal in Boston or Boise or Birmingham would mean nothing to him, because there would be no way to leverage that to increase his own social standing or power within his own sphere.
If the buyer were not a movie star or the mayor of LA, it would be a pity for him. The only other approach would be to become a supplicant. What The Prince would want would be to see the buyer kneel, to hear him plead, to hear him say that The Prince is a great man. Timing would be very important here. One couldn't start out crawling, The Prince would need to know that he'd broken the buyer.
I'm not sure there would be a "right way" to deal with The Prince once he had received the deposit money. No matter what, the buyer would almost assuredly get a car in the end - because if he did not, The Prince would be held in breach of contract (which would be bad for him personally). Whether or not the buyer received a nicely finished car would depend solely upon where The Prince perceived him in the pecking order.
It surely is a good thing that we don't have anybody like that building cars in Southern California in 2022.
Or Knoxville........
@Gordon Nichols posted:Or Knoxville........
I think that's another situation altogether. That's just theft, pure and simple.
I think I may have been a teen when I read The Prince. One of the joys of the site is seeing where these threads go.
The showroom looks great, the website is flashy, and the paint is gorgeous. Add a dream and most folks stop thinking with the big head right then and there. Here's a piece of two different conversations I had when researching where I'd spend my money. Both in California. Guess who I went with (after much research with you all, too).
#1
me: So does the coupe come with a dome light and sun visors?
vendor1: Do you want that?
#2
me: So does the coupe come with a dome light and sun visors?
Vendor2: Of course it does. It's a coupe.
I think the Prince would jump at the chance to meet a big deal in Boise, Idaho...just saying. I agree about the other places.
Bought a widebody JPS speedster from original owner..only 410 miles...wife made him sell it ,wanted mini van. Car was delivered NEW a few months ago to original buyer. I am now new owner. Car seems to be finished with great workmanship. Rides and drives great..called JPS to ask questions about ordering accessories and about maintaince. John Steele answered the phone and was very helpful and spent several minutes with me. No complaints at this time about car or company.