Streetbeasts fraud controversy

StreetBeasts is a notorious manufacturer of street rod kit cars with an extremely poor reputation among the online automotive enthusiast community. In June of 1999, Streetbeasts's previous incarnation ("Classic Motor Carriages") pleaded guilty to wire fraud, and was ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution.

Besides "Classic Motor Carriages", StreetBeasts (or companies run by Streetbeasts's ownership) has previously operated under the names "Auto Resolutions", "Classic Auto Replicas", "Fiberfab", and "Innovative Street Machines".

Recently, representatives from StreetBeasts have been making the rounds of automotive forums, attempting to spin their checkered past, and threatening those who inform the public of their history with frivolous legal action and financial ruin.

 

After this wiki page was published, StreetBeasts and its owner [http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/streetbeasts-attacks-our-free-speech-frivolous-lawsuit-against-me-147173.html filed three frivolous lawsuits against the administrator of Hotrodders.com], across two states, over two years. All lawsuits were [http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/hotrodders-com-defeats-streetbeasts-all-lawsuits-dropped-189082.html eventually dismissed], Streetbeasts went out of business, and its assets were [http://static.auctionservices.com/documents/31629/3308-Fly.pdf sold at auction]. The lawsuits were classic examples of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SLAPP SLAPP suits] -- frivolous suits intended to silence criticism by burdening the defendant with the cost of legal defense. Hotrodders.com forum members banded together to raise funds to defend against the suits, and ultimately succeeded in preserving their free speech.

In 1994, the Florida Attorney General's office filed suit against Classic Motor Carriages, on behalf of hundreds of defrauded customers, in ''USA v. GGL d/b/a Classic Motor Carriages''. ("GGL" are the initials of George G. Levin, the owner of Classic Motor Carriages). For the relevant court documents, see: [[Media:Streetbeasts_fraud_charges.pdf|Streetbeasts_fraud_charges.pdf]] and [[Media:Streetbeasts_judgement.pdf|Streetbeasts_judgement.pdf]].

Classic Motor Carriages eventually pleaded guilty to the charges in summer of 1999, and was ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution. Shortly thereafter, sales plummeted, and Classic Motor Carriages was evicted from its headquarters. Around the same time, the owner of Classic Motor Carriages, George G. Levin, re-opened the kit car business under a new name: "Auto Resolutions" (later changed to "StreetBeasts").

These forum posts were an attempt at producing what is known as a "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilling_effect_(term) chilling effect]", the suppression of free speech with fear tactics.

After being notified of the creation of this wiki article to document StreetBeasts's history, Streetbeasts representatives edited this article in a blatant attempt to cover-up the exposure of their ethically questionable actions.

Below are photographs of a Street Beast on the left and steel 1934 Ford on the right.  Although some may say that the differences in the two are subtle they actually are substantial.  Perhaps the first noticeable difference is the grill.  The Street Beast grill does not even try to emulate the original.  Another major difference is the roofline. The Street Beast is chopped but has the front lower than the rear which creates a very mis-shaped window.  Although, any chopped top, roof modification, etc is going to create "mis-shaped" glass and window openings.  Also the hood sides are stylized and not even close to the original.  Finally the biggest difference is that the Street Beast is a one-piece body compared to the original steel version on the left.  This means that none of the major parts made for the original car such as hood, fenders, doors, trunk lid, running boards, grill, glass, or windshield frame will fit the Street Beast. None of these parts made by any of the aftermarket manufacturers will fit either.  The customer is "LOCKED" into returning to Street Beast for any body repair parts and is therefore at the mercy of the company for not only price but delivery time for their needed parts.  Even though, most builders normally return to their vehicles manufacturer for major components.  Also, because the body is one piece a damaged fender can't be simply unbolted from the car and replaced with a new one.  The surgery involved is much more complicated and expensive.

===Resale value===

However, the opposing opinion states that there is no hard proof. Kit cars are frequently sold unfinished by novice builders, and that could impact the overall perception of "lower resale value".  Various eBay sales constitute anecdotal evidence, and can't be used to credibly demonstrate the lower resale value of StreetBeast vehicles.

Numerous factors go into deciding the resale value of a vehicle, including proper assembly, "right" looks, details, overall appearance, and many other deciding factors.

In [http://www.streetbeasts.com/subquestion.php?hsk=13 the FAQ on their website], StreetBeasts claims that their bodies are "pretty close" to the originals, but then goes on to state that "Street Beasts parts generally do not interchange with parts on original steel bodied cars".

*[http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2006-03-02/news/a-beastly-background/ A Beastly Background]