Even when we confirmed that VRT was out of its lease and now operating out of a residence, the deception and excuses continued. We requested that Alvarez stop work on the car and prepared a laundry list of parts to have ready when we went to pick it up. Two days before the pick-up, we were told Alvarez would not be in town, even though we had already scheduled the appointment. In reality, he was in town, but scrambling around to put together an engine for our car using the original block. He had also sent off our turbo kit (the second complete system he scammed from JWT using our name) in yet another customer's car. By the time we got our car back, the old supercharger and built motor both had parts missing, and the 'core' that came back was nothing but a box of scrap metal with damaged heads and a block minus its main caps (although the new owners of VRT did eventually cough up another long-block).
What finally broke the camel's back was that VRT managed to steal our front brake calipers (even though the wheels were put back on), some cosmetic parts and the rear anti-roll bar, which had nothing to do with pulling the engine. Project Z had been raped and we had been taken by a con man.
According to the new owners of VRT, Alvarez is no longer involved, although the operation still runs out of Casa de Alvarez. We finally have our Z back and it's being restored under the capable and well-trusted hands of Steve Mitchell of M-Workz, along with the help and parts support of Nissan Motorsports and JWT.
While we strive only to present and refer to shops we trust and have a long relationship with, we still get suckered on occasion. I just feel bad for those on a long list of VRT customers who have also been burned and have to suck up the loss and rebuild their cars out of their own pockets. It would be great to see everyone gang up and take legal action, but at least Mr. A is done in our industry.