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...a word from the publisher... We began publishing "The Complete Guide to Specialty Cars" kit car buyers' guide in 1983, and "The Complete Guide to Cobra Replicas" in 1994. You'll find a comprehensive "Good Guys Roster" with each of our buyers' guides, and on the "Manufacturers Directory" pages on kitcar.com and CobraCountry. And although it'll be a while longer before we publish the 10th Edition of our big kit car guide, in the meantime you've got this page to refer to. That is to say, since the 1980s you've had a helping hand available to you when you needed to distinguish the good guys from the devils/the dubious/the deep blue sea. In the event, you can rest easy that at least 90% of the kit car, Cobra replica and streetrod-reproduction manufacturers are honest and hardworking craftsmen... and motorcar enthusiasts just like you! But all of that good news doesn't mean you should take leave of your common sense. During all these years there has always been a problem with about 10% or so of the kit car and streetrod-reproduction industries (and perhaps 5% of Cobra replica manufacturers), with those advertisers who deliver significantly less than their magazine ads (and now, websites) claim. Some of those firms often tend to look like the proverbial "pumpkin in the apple barrel," since their full-page color display ads and seductive toll-free telephone numbers dominate the kit car and streetrod/hot rod enthusiast magazines. Today you still see these telepredators' ads lurking in those same magazines. But you won't encounter their siren calls on our websites nor in our buyers' guides, where inclusion is by invitation only. You have my word on that.

If you're using Internet Explorer web browser, all you do is hold down your CONTROL key and type "F" (for "FIND"); in the little "find" box that pops up type in the word or company name you're searching for... for example, if you're looking for any feedback on a firm called "Yabba Dabba Exoticars," then type in yabba; if it's here, the page will immediately scroll to the first instance of the word yabba. To find the next instance of yabba, click "Find Next" (or, in some browsers, hold your ALT key and hit "F" again), and you'll instantly go the the next mention of yabba. Note: for Macintosh users, the "Find on this Page" keyboard command is "Command-F" (rather than "Control-F"), and the "Find Next" command is "Option-G".

Note: if you're a Macintosh user, the same approach works (using Internet Explorer OR Safari ); just use COMMAND F (instead of CONTROL F ) for your initial find; then use "OPTION G" (instead of ALT F ) to find again.

And if you're using AOL's browser, well, lotsa luck: this page will no doubt be weeks out of date. Don't blame us, blame AOL.

The AHA (Association of Handcrafted Automobiles) that hosts and manages the annual KBF show graciously honored me this year with a very nice plaque that reads in part:

In appreciation of your tenacious efforts in ensuring that the consumer is kept well informed of the handcrafted vehicle manufacturing standards and practices.

Urgent "READ THIS!!" if you're an AOL / America OnLine user      
(AOL alert opens in a new, "temporary" window;
just close it to return to this page)

Ck3 Design (March '02)

Cobra Int'l/Paul Fisker, Midlands, Ontario, Canada. Folks, the complaints keep rollin' in.(20 Nov. 2002)

Composite Racing Products/Steven Curtis (25 February 2002)

Creative Coach (25 September '98)

Creative Glass Works, Inc. (Oneida, Tennessee; 24 December '00)

D&D Corvette (16 January 2003)******

D&R Replicars (in November 2001 the situation was fully resolved)

Exotic Enterprises (22 June 2001)

Extreme Fiberglass Products (6 March 2004: Cobra bodies: major, major complaints: CAVEAT EMPTOR!!)

(The) Fibreglass Shop (Lamborghini Countach replicas; 1 April 2001)

Kit Cars to Go (Cobra replicas, '49 Merc replicas, '29 Mercedes/Gazelle replicas, Lamborghini Diablo replicas, et al.; 5 June 2007)

Sunshine State Slicktalkers (kit cars and Cobra replicas; 23 January 2003)******

IFG/Imaginary Fiber Glass/Warlock Designs (October '00)

Kustom Kraft Kit Cars (11 August '97)

Lambo Shop (Texas) Sigh.

Lear 2000/Bad Boyz Exotic Toys: Contact Detective Steve Hrynchuk of the Edmonton (Alberta)
Police Dept., at 780-421-3561 (11 August 2001)

Mike's Cobra Reproductions, Cobourg, Ontario, Canada (18 June '99)

Precision Replicas (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 April 2004)******

Prototype Research & Development (2 January 2004)

RKS Design/Roger Shelton Anderson, South Carolina (15 February 2006)

Specialty Auto Works/Steve Lawing (3 January 1998)

Thoroughbred Coachbuilders (December '97)

Thunder Ranch (December '97)

• C-R Cheetah Race Cars/Robert Auxier (Phoenix, Arizona)
• Greg Warren Custom Cars (Lewisville, Texas)
• Hi-Tech Motorsports (Tempe, Arizona)
• JLGI /Fiberglass Factory Outlet /Lucas Group/Diablo Express/ TecnoDesign USA /EAS (Jack Lugus & Jeffery Williams). Update (January 2008): Mr. Lugus is now employed as a salesman by Nida-Core Corporation in Port St. Lucie, Florida, phone 772-343-7300. If you're familiar with good ol' buddy Jack, you might want to give him a call. Here's a hot-linked page for you regarding (JLGI/EAS victim) Luis Yanez of El Paso, Texas. Mr. Yanez' photos speak for themselves...
• Lear 2000/Bad Boyz Exotic Toys (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
• Nereia/Cimbria (Wilmington, North Carolina)
• Vette-Rod (Mandeville, Louisiana)

Using purloined (i.e., illicitly copied/published) photographs and other graphic images to promote product has long been a scourge and a scandal in the kit car, Cobra replica and streetrod reproduction industries. In one notable instance in the 1980s, a firm in the U.K. (Prova Ltd.) advertised Lamborghini Countach replicas in American kit car magazines (and in our buyers' guides). The cars looked really spiffy in the company’s ads. They should've looked spiffy. You see, it eventually turned out that the photos were of real/original Lamborghini Countaches... a red one and a white one. You see, the firm had rented them from an exotic-car rental agency in London, then took them out for extended photo shoots in the Sussex countryside, to be portrayed as the firm's replicas. What you received for your money was a far cry from what you saw in their ads and brochures. We removed the firm from our guide as soon as we were provided convincing evidence of these tactics. But at least you got something for your money.

With the Internet, the situation is sometimes worse. Some folks who have nothing at all to sell, will copy photos and other graphic images (and even text) from various replicar websites, then employ those purloined images to create their own private and commercial websites, and to post "For Sale" (even on the big 'auction' sites) products they don't possess, much less own or produce. You must ask yourself, if they genuinely possess or produce said motorcar(s), why must they resort to stealing others' photos and then deploying them as representing their own possession or production? And these scofflaws commit these wrongdoings contemptuous of clearly-posted copyright notices and in the teeth of the severe federally-mandated penalties for copyright-infringement.

Now you can check this page for those lawbreakers who copy and use photos (or any other copyrighted materials) from any of the replicar-industry websites on kitcar.com, cobracountry.com and streetrodcountry.com, and especially those lawbreakers who falsely display said photos as representing their own non-existent product.

Each posting here will remain in place for a minimum of 120 days after the pirated images have been removed from the offending website or from the print publications(s) whence they appear.

Here we go again. Here's an Illinois-based insurance outfit that has curiously concluded that United States federal copyright law doesn't apply to them. On their home page and kit car page are two photographs purloined directly from our CobraCountry.com website. Rally must think it's a pretty good deal for them: we do all the expensive traveling and photography and image editing work, and they just copy it and deploy it on their site for free. And claiming ignorance would be a bit preposterous... that is to say, it isn't as if we don't have about 750 federal copyright notices emblazoned all over our four big websites.

Ms. Anderson responded to an insurance-related question in an insurance industry article: "Is it likely that (your car insurance company) would pay in a situation (wherein you have a wreck driving your souped-up car... and you never advised your insurance company of its high-performance capabilities)?" Ms. Anderson: "Well, a 50/50 chance," she says. "You could really end up in a real financial jam in a situation like that."

You're quite likely to end up in a real financial jam as well by disregarding federal copyright law, Ms. Anderson.

And if you count yourself among those ill-advised individuals who believe that copyright law can be blithely ignored, here's a hotlink to a copyright article I penned several years ago about the subject. Read it and become enlightened.

For some time I had posted here a stern commentary that we've experienced instances of Mr. Koester copying and using (Federally copyrighted) text and images from our websites kitcar.com, CobraCountry.com and streetrodcountry.com, on his own commercial website. I have a zero-tolerance policy for other commercial websites copying and using our copyrighted materials. Mr. Koester phoned me today; our conversation was to-the-point but entirely unhostile. Koester's position is that the (Crown Publishing) copyrighted materials most recently displayed on his commercial website were submitted to him by others, and that he had no idea that the materials in question had originated from our sites; he further averred that indeed he has strived to avoid copying anything from our websites since June 2001, when this issue first arose.

I'll accept Mr. Koester's word for all of this, and conclude that the matter is resolved. Mr. Koester and I agreed to establish a de facto 'Hot Line' to promptly contact one another should any copyright concern (or any other issue of potential conflict) arise in the future.

The lawbreakers du jour:

Kris Delong is yet another of those boneheads who operates with the delusion that U.S. Federal copyright law doesn't apply to him. You see, we were alerted by one of our readers that Mr. Delong has a Cobra replica advertised on a cars-for-sale website (along with his ads for a CMC Gazelle replica and an MG-TF replica, and perhaps still others); the photos accompanying his ad raised our reader's eyebrows. Mr. Delong describes the Cobra as unfinished, and says it's a Shell Valley Cobra. We checked it out: one of the two photos he displays of a SOLID BLACK Cobra... which is a federally-copyrighted photo of a Lone Star LS427 that Mr. Delong purloined (stole) from CobraCountry; the second photo is my federally-copyrighted photo of B&B Cobra replica... a photo which for several months graced the home page of CobraCountry; you can see it now on B&B's CobraCountry website; that dazzlingly beautiful Cobra was built by and belongs to George Spencer of Altadena, California. It DOES NOT belong to Mr. Delong, and neither does the photo. Moreover, on every page that ever featured that photo on CobraCountry, a full-blown federal copyright notice has continuously accompanied it. Thus, ironically, this bonehead cannot even plead ignorance.

Mr. Delong states in the text of his ad "The picture may not be this car." You mean you're not quite sure if you shot those two photos of two entirely different (and non-Shell Valley) Cobras, Mr. Delong? In any event, Mr. Delong, I don't spend my photography time and travel dollars to provide you with a phony representation of your unfinished Cobra replica. And you'd do well to hone up on the devastation that violating federal copyright law can wreak upon your net worth.

It's an unfortunate fact-of-life that, just as in this case of Mr. Delong's purloining of my copyrighted images, the purloined/ misappropriated photo is more-often-than-not (mis)used to misrepresent something. Sigh.

KitKars.com (no relation whatsoever to this website), run by one Jeff Collison, allegedly at the address of 19601 East Walnut Dr. South, City of Industry, California 91748, with yet another business address (RV rentals) in La Habra, California; The "Hostmaster" is listed as: DataPipe, 80 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, phone: (201) 792-1918; needless to say, I contacted DataPipe re the scenario described below:

One of our readers alerted me to this scenario: the KitKars.com website's home page boasts "We Specialize in building Factory Five Cobras." That same home page displays (at the time of this writing on Thursday, 24 October 2002) a big/beautiful broadside shot of a red & white (presumably Factory Five) Cobra parked alongside a lake. Nice photograph.

It oughta be. I shot that photograph (of a MidStates Cobra) in Ohio in 1991, and it has since that time been Crown's (federally) copyrighted property, covered in various copyrights in both our printed buyers guides and on our CobraCountry website. That photograph was copied illegally from the CobraCountry.com website... from a page that displays a clearly-posted and (trust me) unambiguous federal copyright notice.

If that federal copyright infringement isn't enough to command your attention, there's more: the caption beneath that photograph boasts: "The exquisitely-detailed  red Cobra you see pictured above is my  personal car... I drive it daily." Sigh. Do I discern a blatant falsehood here?

There are other images on Mr. Collison's site similarly copied from CobraCountry, notably a photo of a Unique Motorcars red Cobra burning rubber at a drag strip... again, copied from yet another page that clearly manifests CobraCountry's federal copyright notice.

I phoned Mr. Collison on Thursday, 24 October 2002; I advised said scofflaw that he was illegally using my copyrighted photos on his website... indeed including at the top of his home page... whereupon he first acknowledged that he used that photo "Because it looks just like my (Factory Five) Cobra." When I advised him that nonetheless, it's in flagrant violation of federal copyright law to use (without my permission and without copyright acknowledgement) copyrighted materials, and further, that his claim that "it is his personal car... that he drives daily" is certifiably false, he bristled and proceeded to raise his voice and object, shouting that he didn't deem copying a photo to be a federal case... whereupon I assured him that it is by definition a federal case. He protested angrily "Well then, why don't you file suit against me in federal court," followed up with a shout of "F--- you" and slammed the phone down in my ear.

Sigh. It's was entirely predictable that this copyright violator and falsehood fabricator would opt to display anger and indignation that anyone would dare to challenge his indefensible actions... it's in the DNA of folks who illegally copy and use copyrighted materials. Been there... been treated to this adolescent display of rage and false indignation before.

Curt Scott

Exoticar Kits, at the residential address of 2220 North Bryan, Mission, Texas 78572 (county of Hidalgo), phone (956) 583-1009, residence of Jesus M. & Rosalinda Sandoval. Email of the website's administrative contact: domain.tech@yahoo-inc.com. Principal Josue Sandoval. Mr. Josue Sandoval's commercial website has since Thursday, 3 January 2002 displayed more than twenty copyrighted photographs of two NAERC exoticars copied from North American Exotic Replica Cars' website on kitcar.com. The photos are deceptively displayed as representing for sale NAERC exoticar replicas that Mr. Sandoval neither possesses nor owns nor produces nor represents as an NAERC dealer. On 22 January 2002 a sharp-eyed replicar enthusiast alerted us to this unauthorized, unlawful and deceptive use of these images. So it appears that another bozo has enlisted into the ranks of copyright violators. Let's see: two dozen images X $150,000 maximum federal fine per willful violation = $3,600,000. Put this shell game up to your ear and you can almost hear the roar of copyright attorneys pushing and shoving to get in line...

25 March: update on "Exoticar Kits/Josue Sandoval": Ken Esler, President/CEO of NAERC phoned Mr. Sandoval, posing momentarily as a prospective customer; Sandoval assured him that he had a car in stock, and that if he sent a $10,000 deposit, he could have it. When Esler identified himself as the owner of NAERC and was preparing to file a lawsuit, Sandoval gushed out with "I'm just a 17-year-old kid trying to earn a buck!" Sigh. Not yet old enough to vote, but old enough to crank up a flim-flam operation.

Esler also heard from a fellow Canadian who had sent a large deposit to Sandoval and had received nothing for his money; he was concerned that he'd been sucked into a scam. Yep, that about sums it up.

And, incidentally, after getting the call from Esler, this artful dodger was thus inspired to promptly remove his fraudulent enterprise from the Internet. You read about it first here on kitcar, folks.

Financial Vision, dba "Big Boy Toys," at the gated community/residential address of 16845 North 29th Avenue, Suite 1302, Phoenix, Arizona 85053, phone(s) 602-980-4300, 623-582-2300 & 623-516-8697. Principal Anthony Garrison. Mr. Garrison's commercial website is displaying copyrighted photographs copied from Exotic Illusions' website on kitcar.com. The purloined photos are displayed to purport that Mr. Garrison's company offers for sale an (Exotic Illusions) exoticar replica that his firm neither possesses nor owns nor produces nor represents as an Exotic Illusions dealer nor has any dealings with whatsoever. On 7 January 2002 a sharp-eyed replicar enthusiast alerted us to this unauthorized, unlawful and willfully deceptive use of these images.

10 April 2002: update on "Financial Vision/Big Boy Toys/Anthony Garrison": Mr. Anthony Garrison (hereafter referred to as 'AG') appears to be conducting a scheme of advertising (on eBay) replicars that he doesn't possess and cannot possibly deliver... and furthermore, he's using photographs (no doubt in violation of someone else's copyright) of an original McLaren F-1 and purporting it to be the replicar he's advertising. (No surprise there, since we've already nabbed him for purloining copyrighted photos off this website to promote his smoke-and-mirrors exoticar sales). Randy Berry of Marauder, in Potomac, Illinois, who produces a replica of a (vintage 1969 or '70) McLaren M6 GTB Coupe, was contacted recently by AG. It seems that AG, who had been advertising for sale (on eBay) an F-1 McLaren replica, apparently had a fish on the line, and was desperate to get his hands on an F-1 replica he could deliver. Sighhhhhh. Randy explained to AG that his (vintage 1970) M6 GTB replica doesn't even vaguely resemble a McLaren F-1, and that in any event, he had no intention of involving himself in AG's embarrassingly self-evident sleight-of-hand. So here it is, folks: The mere fact that you see a replicar (or anything else) advertised on eBay doesn't mean that you can rely upon what you see and read there. It might not be a McLaren F-1 replica, but an Anthony Garrison/ Big Boy Toys Charade instead...

• Affordable VIP Classics (reportedly makes a Porsche Speedster replica; California). On
  13 December 2000 we received a polite email from a car enthusiast in San Diego who had this to report: "I have purchased several cars from Affordable VIP Classics. I have found them to be a very above-board business. The Porsche replicas that they sell are Vintage Speedsters. They buy them complete from Vintage in a package deal. They are not the builder, they just sell them. Keep up the good work, Danny Biesel, San Diego, California
  
  
• American Fiberbodies (at one time advertised Countach replicas in the kit car magazines; they seem to have disappeared entirely, and the old phone number is now answered at a residence. Ohio)***
  
  
• American Speed Enterprises (advertises body conversion; we dropped ASE from our database after the firm failed to respond to eight (count 'em: 8) mailed requests for information between 1992 and 1996. Moline, Illinois)***
  
  
• ASPP/Auto Sport/Auto Sport Performance Products (we removed this firm from our database in 1997, after they consistently ignored our repeated requests for product information; Tempe, Arizona)
  
  
• Auto Illusions (reportedly claims to make a Countach replica; Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
  
  
• Blacklaw Cobras We've had several email inquiries asking if we know anything about this company. If there is such an outfit, we've never seen one of their cars, never heard from them and never received a return phone call (refer to our "Golden Rule #7 regarding firms who don't bother to return their business phone calls). On two occasions I've phoned during a workday, got an answering machine, and left a message and never received a return call; on 3 or 4 occasions I've phoned during the weekdays and got no answer at all after a dozen or so rings. Massachusetts***
  
  
• Canadian Cobras & Roadsters Inc. (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)***
  
  
• The Car Factory (claims to make a Ferrari F355 replica; reportedly sued by Ferrari; Florida)
  
  
• Cobra Automotive (Langley, BC, Canada; not to be confused with Cobra Automotive in CT)***
  
  
• Cobra Fibercraft (Chatsworth, NJ;we know nothing about 'em; in 2002 I left two messages for owner Marvin Matlack to give us a call so we could find out more about 'em; on each occasion the phone was answered with a "hullo"... definitely not a businesslike greeting. Mr. Matlock never bothered to return either of our calls. Consult our Golden Rule #6 for our advice to you regarding firms that don't bother to return your phone calls)**
  
  
• Custom Coach of America (They apparently promote some GM Saturn-based kit. We've received several inquiries about this firm; sorry folks, but we've never heard of 'em, never been contacted by them, never seen their product, don't even know where they're located. Update 5-November-02: we found 'em on the Internet: their website treats you to automatic "pop-up windows" that ballyhoo "LOWER YOUR MORTGAGE! Click Your State For a FREE No Obligation Quote!" -AND- "You're today's winner! You have won an $1100 Travel Shopping Spree!" and "Your computer clock may be wrong. Would you like to keep it accurate?" and "Free Web site hosting!" We unanimously deem those irrelevant and intentionally misleading and annoying pop-up windows to be unacceptable for any website in any industry; in case you haven't noticed, you not forced to endure any of those commercial annoyances on KitCar).
  
  
• Danko Productions (purportedly makes Camaro/Firebird rebody kits, doesn't return phone calls; Florida)***
  
  
• Denise Coach Works (somewhere in California)
  
  
• Encore Motors, Inc. (purportedly makes '53 Corvette replicas; Michigan)
  
  
• European Exotic Cars (reportedly claims to make a Ferrari 512TR replica; California)
  
  
• Excellence Motor Carriages (reportedly claims to make a Gatsby-styled neoclassic; Quebec, Canada)
  
  
• Exotic Motor Sports (principal: Rally Garcia; Santa Rosa, California):
  14 July 2002
  (Dear KitCar):
  I am new to the kit car world and I appreciate your highly informative efforts to prevent kit car enthusiasts from being taken advantage of by certain dishonest individuals. I have come across a little situation that you may want to look into. The website www.exoticmotorsports.com claims to be "The NUMBER ONE provider of the nations exact custom replicas built from the ground up"; however, almost none of their pictures seem to be any good or authentic. There is one photo section with a few pictures. I found two of the site's photos on another (exotic replicar) website.
  
  The site has very few pics, none of good quality, which I find to be strange for the "Number one provider of the nations exact custom replicas built from the ground up." Tell me what you think. (Name withheld by request)
  
  
• And from another eagle-eyed Kit Car reader (January 2003): Dear KitCar.com, have you noticed the copy right notice on their site? It reads (in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS): "ALL PICS FROM THIS PAGE IS THE PROPERTY OF EXOTICMOTORSPORTS.COM (COPYRIGHTS) ENFORCED." ALL PICS IS??????? Sheeeesh...
  
  
• Curt: ALL CAPITAL LETTERS? The entire website is in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Folks, make sure you don your sunglasses and take a half-bottle of aspirin before you venture onto this rank-amateur-designed website.
  *****
  14 July 2002
  (my reply)
  What do I think? Seeing as how 1) I've never heard of 'em (even tho' they are here in California, and they claim to be a big producer of exoticars); 2) they've never contacted me to advise me of their existence; 3) no address and no owner/principals' names appears anywhere on their website; 4) THE ALL CAPITALS TEXT EMPLOYED THROUGHOUT THE SITE GIVES YOU AN INSTANT MIGRAINE HEADACHE, and 5) I've never encountered this firm at any California kit car show, you should appreciate my skepticism.
  
  My advice? Make a mad dive for the nearest exit.
  
  Curt Scott
  *****
• G&D Fiberglass [From the "You Get What You Pay For" Dept.": we've never heard from them, never seen one of the Lambo Diablo Fiero-conversion kits they advertise (even tho' they're only about 15 miles from us), but we have received two negative observations/complaints about G&D's body quality and overall buildability; Sun Valley, California]
  
  
• GRB Fabrication (reportedly claims to produce Lambo and Ferrari replicas; Florida)
  
  
• Group Five Ltd. We received an email message from one "Viper Chris" (no last name given) that this firm is in business. But that's all we know about 'em, folks. ***
  
  
• Handcraft Motorcar/Braden River Engineering (removed from our database in 1996 after repeatedly ignoring our mailed requests for information; Florida)***
  
  
• Harland Rover (No replies; removed from our database. Utah)***
  
  
• Holden Motorsports (Purportedly makes Cobra replicas, although we've never seen one at any event. Has never responded to any of our repeated requests for information. Dropped from our database. Florida)***
  
  
• Hunter Kit Car Manufacturing (Purportedly makes Cobra replicas, although we've never seen one at any event. Has never responded to any of our repeated requests for information. Dropped from our database. Florida)***
  
  
• J.M. Design AutoSport/Jean Palitimo (used to advertise a Chevy Cavalier body conversion; removed from our database since 1999; Quebec, Canada)***
  
  
• JPS Motorsports/Autospeed Inc. (Sigh. We can't keep up with their "Here today, gone tomorrow" changes of company names and addresses. California)
  
  
• Jurassic Truck (closed down March, 2001; built 115 units; email Tim Barton: BartonLink@SBCglobal.net; Texas)
  
  
• KoobleKarWerke (advertises a Kübelwagen replica; removed from our database in 1998 after repeatedly ignoring our mailed requests for information and failing to return a single one of our several telephone messages left on his answering machine (there's self-evidently never anyone there to provide a live voice on the telephone; New Mexico)***
  
  
• Kustom Auto Service (they advertise “The Ultimate Beetle hop-up kit, but none of their advertised phone numbers gets you an answer. We’ve tried several times, gave up. Texas)
  
  
• MidTec/Brass Bottle Buggies (Although they have a website of sorts, their phone numbers are obsolete; indeed, the toll-free number listed gets you The American Red Cross. Sigh. Wisconsin)***
  
  
• Perry Designs (VW-based kit car; Corona, California)***
  
  
• RKS Designs/Roger Shelton (We've received several very serious allegations about this company; complaints include very late delivery of product, and outright failure to deliver fully-paid-for kits) ***
  
  
• Rayco Inc./Porsche 914 conversions (we removed this firm from our database in 1995 after they repeatedly ignored our mailed requests for information; Missouri)***
  
  
• Rotus (Super 7 replicas; apparently no longer in business. Maryland or West Virginia)***
  
  
• Shrike Cars (We've received numerous observations and comments from readers and (kitcar.com) visitors that while they exhibit numerous computer-rendered graphic images of their "Shrike" on their website, and they occasionally advertise in DuPont Registry, the firm doesn't appear to have ever produced anything; there's nary a photograph to be found anywhere, only 3D renderings. Connecticut)
  
  
• Speedster Motorcar Company (reportedly claims to make Auburn Speedsters; Florida)
  
  
• Status Cars of Texas (Super 7s. Apparently out of business; removed from our database. Texas)***
  
  
• Sun Ray GT (advertises VW-based budget kits. We dropped them from our databases in 1996 after we mailed them six (count 'em: SIX) requests for product and company information and never received a reply; Minnesota) ***
  
  
• Tatonka (Hummer replica; we photographed one of their Tatonka/Hummers at Knott's Berry Farm show in 2000, never heard from 'em or about 'em again; in early 2001 we were advised that they had been sued by GM for design infringement, and may have gone out of business; Utah)
  
  
• Titles Unlimited (advertises a service providing titles for replicars; Alabama)***
  
  
• Ultima Sports Ltd. (We photographed their car at Knott's Berry Farm 2002 and included a photo of their car in the KBF 2002 article, but had no information at all about the company; I finally ascertained their location and phone number, phoned 'em (on June 11) and spoke to one Ed Ingalls and requested that he please look over the show coverage and phone me back with information for an informative photo caption. Although he passively agreed to do so, he didn't bother to ask for my phone number, so it was no surprise that we never heard back from him. That's what we're often up against in the kit car industry, folks; Wyoming)
  
  
• Warnes Int'l Vehicles Inc. (reportedly advertises an SUV; Virginia)
  
  
• Xanthos Cars North America (reportedly produces a Lotus 11 replica; California)

1. The California Attorney General's Office
2. The Colorado Attorney General's Office
3. The Oxnard (California) District Attorney's Office
4. The U.S. Postal Inspector's Office
5. The Oxnard BBB -and- The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce

Excerpted from "The Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer" newspaper, 16 January 2003:

01/15/03
Karen Farkas, Plain Dealer Reporter

Akron (Ohio) William Hoskins builds replicas of 1963 Corvette race cars. His work attracted the interest of men around the country willing to pay about $50,000 for the striking vehicle. But Hoskins promised more than he could deliver, police said. He was arrested Monday and charged with three counts of theft by deception for taking money and not providing cars.

(Toledo attorney) Eugene Canestrano, whose client is involved in civil lawsuits against Hoskins, said Hoskins built two types of Corvette Grand Sport replicas. He said there are only about 22 original cars remaining. "If you saw it, it would turn your head because it has enormous curb appeal," he said. He said his client, Alpha Beta Design Inc. of Toledo, found Hoskins on the Internet and signed a contract in February 1995. "Hoskins has a certain amount of notoriety and as a craftsman, he's not bad," Canestrano said.

But after years without getting the car, Alpha Beta sued Hoskins in Summit County Common Pleas Court. It was granted a judgment of $56,434 in 2000 but agreed to let Hoskins finish building the car in lieu of payment. The car was delivered in November 2001, but was incomplete, and his client now seeks a judgment for work not done, Canestrano said. Foreclosure action against Hoskins is pending.

According to police documents, David Hudson of Kissimmee, Florida, paid Hoskins $52,000 for a car in July 2000; Dean Schumacher of Waterford, Michigan, paid $42,000 in July 2001, and Thomas Lutge of San Francisco paid $58,000 in August 2001 for Grand Sport replicas. Hoskins assured them the cars were built. But when buyers called his company, the phone was disconnected, so they contacted police.

Officers found no cars were built and the men had each been sent the same identification number for the car on their receipt.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
kfarkas@plaind.com, 1-800-628-6689
hotlink to entire 'Plain Dealer' newspaper article: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer

Footnote: I've been cautioning the world about D&D since 1994... and for several years right here on this Consumer Alert page (altho', sigh, all the while the kit car magazines went right on accepting their advertisements and--in lamentable disregard of reader complaints--publishing rave-review feature articles about them). Yet good folks still go right on swan diving into the empty pool. Sigh. Curt Scott

1 June 2002: We received an inquiry from a reader who wants to know if "GSReplica," who is now advertising in Kit Car magazine, is one and the same as D&D Corvette. I just received a call from GSReplica's Mike Miller, who assured me that his company has absolutely no affiliation with D&D, and indeed are aware of the problems that D&D's customers have experienced.

Over the years we've received several serious complaints about this on-again, off-again advertiser of 1962 Corvette Grand Sport replicas and related component parts. Today we received, from D&D customer (Charles and Leslie Howard, in Colorado), an affidavit alleging that the firm and its principal William ("Dean") Hoskins have once again predictably failed to live up to their promises and contractual obligations. On or about 20 October 2000 the Howards, in accordance with prior agreement with D&D's Dean Hoskins, sent a cheque for $2500 for certain Corvette parts, accompanied with Mr. Hoskins' personal assurances of prompt delivery; on several occasions thereafter Hoskins promised Charles that the kit was scheduled for immediate shipment, or had already been shipped; no parts were ever received by the Howards. In the month of December 2000 alone, Mr. & Mrs. Howard left at least fifteen (15) telephone messages with D&D personnel or on the firm's answering machine, with not a single call ever having been returned. Sighhhhhh.

Once again here's an excerpt from the 4th Rule of our "10 Golden Rules for Selecting and Purchasing Your Specialty Car": "Apply the 'telephone test' of character: Don't even consider doing business with anyone who can't exhibit the simple courtesy of returning your telephone calls." And it's far more nefarious for a firm to disregard/avoid telephone calls from a good, paying customer, as is alleged in this case. How do you spell "Caveat Emptor"?

We've begun receiving some negative comments about this company. So we called up their website.

Their site, for some reason, lists two different addresses:

• Kit Cars to Go, 5624 Highway 418 East, Fountain Inn, SC 29644, and
• Kit Cars to Go, 2563 Trammel Road, Woodruff, SC 29388

The site displays an entire lineup of replicas of Lamborghini Diablos, Shelby Cobras, a '49 Mercury, a '29 SSK Mercedes/Gazelle (misspelled, incidentally) replicar. They advertise prices that seem to be... how shall we put this.... too good to be true...

It shows you a page of photos showing several 1955 Ford Thunderbirds that look curiously like original cars, not fiberglass replicas. On that page is this message: "We are currently producing New Molds of this Kit, this Kit will be available again soon. Thank You." Taken together, all this may indicate that they don't really have the tooling to produce this car... so have they ever really produced a 1955 T-bird replica?

There's another page of photos displaying photos of '32 Ford and '36 Ford reproductions; almost all of the photos were taken at car shows alongside vintage cars that are clearly NOT replicas. On that page also is the same message: "We are currently producing New Molds of this Kit, this Kit will be available again soon. Thank You." Taken together, all this may indicate that they don't really possess the tooling to produce these '30s-vintage Fords either.

There more that's a bit more--shall we say--troubling to us: the site proclaims "Kit Cars to Go assumes no responsibility for the build of any 'Kit Cars'. You build the 'Kit Car' at your own risk." How do you spell "caveat emptor/buyer beware"?

Also, the site offers this gem: "In order to ensure our catalog is provided to our customers, we will email the catalog or mail it to you.........It will be provided FREE with your NEW KIT.........BIG SAVINGS.
If not a customer send $25.00 check or money order to: Kit Cars to Go, 5624 Highway 418 East, Fountain Inn, SC 29644"

$25 for their product literature? Excuse me for my skepticism, but is this company in the business to produce product, or to sell you overpriced literature. After all, this is a time-tested tactic that you can witness in just about any given issue of any given street rod or kit car magazine: advertise kits for what appears to be a bargain price... just send ($15, $25, $35) for out literature package... which more often than not turns out be a hodgepodge of Xeroxed and inkjet-printed flyers.

Finally, here is "Kit Cars to Go" advertising this massive lineup of replica/reproduction kits... and they've never phoned us, never emailed us a press release; the first time we even heard of them, in fact, was when we received the first complaint.

Color me not favorably impressed.

• 26 August 2000: Mr. Santilli (Joe) first contacted CGW, was directed to Lisa somebody, who advised him that he had to send a $1200 deposit, then be prepared to pay the (±$1600) balance when he was advised that the '32 Ford body package was within a week of being ready to ship.
  
  
• 5 September, 2000: In accordance with CGW's instructions, Joe sent CGW his deposit check of $1200.
  
  
• 25 & 26 October: Joe phoned to inquire on the status of his order. In spite of Lisa's promises that she would call him back, no one ever did.
  
• 3,3,3,9,9,9,9,9,10,10,10 November: Joe repeatedly phoned Lisa to inquire on the status of his order. In spite of Lisa's specific and unambiguous repeated assurances that she would call him back, she (and no one else) ever did. Not once, not ever. Indeed, once Joe had mailed his $1200 deposit on 5 September, Joe never again received any sort of communication from CGW.
  
  
• 10 November: Joe phoned Creative Glas Works, spoke to Lisa, was put on hold. She then came on the line and stated "Your order is going out next Wednesday (15 November)." Joe advised her that he would require a hard copy of the statement showing the completion date and shipping information; failing that, he would cancel his order and demand a full refund. Lisa replied "Will get back to you when I get this information." Joe never got any sort of reply from Lisa or from CGW.

I should also point out that on their website, CGW claims to be "The nation's largest fiberglass car body manufacturer." I've been reporting on this industry for nearly 20 years, folks, and I've never even heard of this outfit before. Suffice to say that CGW's claim of "The nation's largest fiberglass car body manufacturer" is clearly false and misleading; business practices such as these alleged by their customer Joe Santilli in his affidavit are utterly unacceptable and a discredit to the industry.

This scenario is yet another typical example (sigh) of why you must conduct your homework and your consumer research FIRST, instead of lunging to embrace the product claims you see and read on commercial websites and in the hot rod/streetrod/kit car magazines. Make sure you read (or re-read) my Predators and Editors editorial regarding the subject of trusting what you see and read in those magazines.

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2 April 2002. Over the past several weeks we've continued to receive VERY SERIOUS consumer complaints and allegations of fraud about Ck3/Blaine Kennedy, from as far away as the Netherlands. And the Calgary authorities continue to play their fiddles and ignore the pleas-for-help of Ck3's endless parade of casualties. If the Calgary, Alberta, Canada authorities and regulatory agencies are striving to displace Dade/Broward counties, Florida as The Consumer Predator Capital of the Universe... they're succeeding.

18 July 2001. Today we received a copy of (hotlink) an article that appeared in the Calgary Herald newspaper. The article reads:

22 June 2001. Sigh. We continue to receive MAJOR consumer complaints about Ck3 and principal Blaine Kennedy. One unlucky Colorado customer of this outfit alleges to have forfeited over $40,000 USD; yet another Virginia affiant (affidavit filer) alleges to have forfeited over $16,000 USD. And the municipal, provincial and federal authorities in Calgary do nothing. Nothing. In fact, the Calgary RCMP advised one of the affiants "There's nothing we can do to help you; hire a lawyer." With increasing evidence of a "Let 'em eat cake" attitude such as that, Alberta appears to be vying with Florida as the continent's epicenter of official/bureaucratic indifference to consumer allegations of fraud.

21 June 2001. Sigh. If you recall, in 1997 I exposed Ck3's "suite-sounding" address (1350 E. Flamingo Rd. Suite 704, Las Vegas 89112) as a mere "Mail Boxes Etc." post office box. I even provided you with a closeup photo of their deluxe "suite." The "suite" measured about 6"x6"x18" (or if you prefer, 15cm x 15cm x 46cm). They had been telling folks (including me) for many months that this address was their "research center." Sigh. Now it seems that there's yet another website with a "suite-sounding" Las Vegas address, allegedly selling Hummer parts and accessories (www.hummerparts.com). You guessed it: Network Solutions' reveals the contact information to be: Blaine Kennedy, c/o Advanced Definition Systems, Inc, 7649 West Lake Mead Rd. Suite # 200, Las Vegas, NV 89128. The toll-free phone number listed is 800-454-7627. I'd be willing to bet the farm that that number rings not in a shoebox-sized "suite" in Las Vegas, but in Calgary Alberta. Shucks, why not give 'em a (toll-free) call and find out for yourself. In any event, we haven't yet started to receive consumer complaints about "hummerparts.com."***

(***6 July 2001: Did I say that we haven't received any consumer complaints about Advanced Definition Systems/hummerparts.com? I spoke too hastily: with that brief posting above only two weeks ago, we've now been bombarded with customer complaints about that operation. Sigh. The saga goes on and on, and the Calgary and Alberta and Canadian federal authorities do nothing.

Back in May 1998 I was contacted by one Mr. Gabor Vinner, who identified himself as Ck3's legal counsel, stating that the "irregularities" of Ck3's operation had been addressed and corrected, and that Ck3 had begun an instalment payment arrangement to reimburse one of the firm's victims (Mike Shields of Baltimore, Maryland); he requested that I remove my reports of these incidents from our Consumer Alert page (which I did at that time), in return for which he would promptly send me information confirming his advisory and other items on my agenda of Ck3's alleged irregularities. The operative term here is "promptly." It's now early February 2002, and I'm still waiting.

Today we received an advisory from an Australian replicar enthusiast who shared with us the following observations about this firm:

1. There is a Melbourne-based operator (Scott Garner/Precision Replicas Australia) who claims that he manufactures Lamborghini Diablo and Murcielago replicas.

We have phoned him on numerous occasions, but he refuses to show us anything that he is doing; he does not provide an address of any sort (even his website (http://www.precisionreplicas.com.au) does not provide any address); he is contactable only by cell phone.

2. He is using real/authentic Lamborghinis on his website. But when you question Garner he assures you that the cars on his site are (his) replicas.

Curt Scott: When I checked out the Precision Replicas site, sure enough, there is no address provided, and indeed the two cars in the photos (the only two photos on the entire site) do appear to be genuine Lamborghinis; indeed, the Murcielago is without question the real McCoy. This is not a good sign.

Moreover, Mr. Garner cannot even manage to get his company name (or his country) correct on his site: the opening page of his annoyingly sound-accentuated site boldly displays his company name as "Prescion Replicas Austrlia." Sigh.

I've encountered these stratagems too many times in the kit car industry... especially since the advent of the Internet, where folks are free of all restraints to claim whatever they please.

My advice? This scenario evidences all of the earmarks of, shall we say, a less-than-bona fide enterprise. Bolt--don't merely jog or walk--for for the nearest exit.

Today we received a copy of an affidavit (a formal complaint) filed with the Canadian Justice Dept. and Canada's Ministry of the Attorney General, and with The New Jersey Attorney General's Office, by Gerry Perillo (of West Caldwell, New Jersey), regarding Prototype Research and Development (PR&D) and its owner David Carlaw.

Mr. Perillo is demanding a refund of $2,139 U.S. dollars for work and component parts to restore his MG-TD replica, that he alleges he paid for in advance, but was never executed. Briefly stated, his affidavit alleges:

Upon paying in full for work which Mr. Carlaw assured me would be completed, I received the car and found many of the items which Carlaw charged me for were never replaced or even worked on (Mr. Perillo provides an itemized roster of parts he contracted PR&D to do or and work he contracted the firm to install, that he alleges were not done at all, or (in some instances) used parts were installed even though his complaint alleges that he'd been charged for brand-new parts.

He also alleges that, based upon Mr. Carlaw's personal assurance that his car was ready, he spent $475 to fly to PR&D's shop in Campbellford, Ontario, Canada to inspect andd test-drive his MG-TD; when he got there he says his car was on a lift, with no interior and only partially complete... "My trip to Canada was a thorough waste of my time and money..."

Mr. Perillo sums up his experience with "My entire experience with PR&D and Mr. Carlaw was NOTHING SHORT OF A NIGHTMARE."

If you have had any experience with PR&D that you'd like to share with Mr. Perillo, you can email him at: perillos@comcast.net

9 December 1998
Prototype Research and Development

Dave Carlow of PR&D phoned me today, with a detailed explanation of what had caused the complaints we'd received (which mostly consisted of lengthy delays in shipping some parts); further, he assured me that those situations had been resolved completely.

If you're considering Specialty Auto Works to do assembly/completion work for you, I urge you first and foremost to contact Mike Cromwell of St. Louis, Missouri at (314).432-1066. Mike will be delighted to share with you his experience as a customer of Mr. Lawing and Specialty Auto Works...

3/99 It has recently come to my attention that Specialty Auto Works' prospective customers are being led to believe that the above unhappy former customer (Mike Cromwell) was just an aberration, not to be taken seriously. One caller even advised us that Steve Lawing told him "Mike Cromwell bought him a wrecked Cobra for him to try to fix." Sighhhhhh. Bear in mind that Tennessee's Attorney General intervened in Mike's behalf and compelled SAW to reimburse Mr. Cromwell... and not for "... a wrecked Cobra," but for the Cobra that Steve Lawing/Specialty Auto Works built for him.

And since we have the names of other equally-unhappy SAW customers on my database, here's another example of the complaints we've received about SAW: One SAW customer (of Fairfield, Connecticut) purchased his "Speedster C" through Mr. Lawing, after being advised that Lawing was a "preferred assembler" of the infamous Florida telepredator. To make a long story short, when Lawing shipped his car (months late), the brakes didn't work, the transmission wouldn't go into gear, the gelcoat finish was "wretched" and required a full refinishing & repainting; furthermore, the (SAW-installed) VW engine blew up shortly after delivery. In all, this customer had to spend over $5,000 to fix all those things that he had every reason to expect would be "right" when his car was delivered. He also complained that every time he sought Lawing's advice regarding how to best fix the sundry glitches his car displayed, the "solutions" Lawing gave him were invariably useless; furthermore, he never received any refund for all those additional expenditures.