Superformance

by Jason Fogelson

A few weeks ago, I went down to Irvine, California to meet Lance Stander. He’s the CEO of Superformance, a company that builds “continuation vehicles” based on some classic race cars from the 1960s.

Lance turned out to be a real talker. A native of South Africa, he’s been in the US since the late 1980s, and he has been involved with Superformance almost as long. As CEO and owner, he has done some amazing things.

First of all, he builds truly amazing cars, including the Shelby Cobra and the Daytona Coupe, as well as the Corvette Grand Sport and Ford GT. He’s also the US importer for Caterham, a very cool low production vehicle that’s basically an engine, a frame, two seats and a dream.

Second, and maybe just as importantly, he had the foresight to negotiate licensing deals with Shelby, Ford, GM and others for the cars he builds. These are not copies or ripoffs in any way — they are officially licensed “continuation vehicles.” Superformance wants you to imagine that the original makers never stopped building these cars, and these are the results.

You can read my conversation with Lance Stander, CEO of Supeformance, at Forbes.com.

Photos (c) Jason Fogelson

Jason Fogelson

Jason Fogelson is a freelance automotive journalist and editor. He has covered cars, trucks, SUVs and motorcycles for a variety of print, web and broadcast media. His first book, “100 Things for Every Gearhead to Do Before They Die,” came out in 2015. Jason served two terms as President of the Motor Press Guild, and is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association and the Automotive Press Association. He also writes music, theater and film criticism, in addition to the occasional screenplay. Jason lives near Detroit, Michigan, with his wife, two dogs, two cats, 25 guitars, his motorcycle, and his pickup truck.

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