This Lamborghini Diablo Roadster Replica was Once a Proud Porsche Boxster

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There's no doubt that the Boxster series has been a wild sales success for Porsche, and being in the market for three generations and more than 16 years, means that you can find many used examples at affordable prices.

Up until recent years, replica car builders looked at the Pontiac Fiero when it came to cloning mid-engined models, but it's getting harder and harder to find worthwhile vehicles on the market, be that because the last ones were manufactured back in 1988, or because most of them have already been transformed into other models.

One car that appears to be picking up in popularity lately in the replica community (for all the reasons we explained previously) is the first generation Porsche Boxster, and it is this model that forms the base for the Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster we found on eBay. 

The builder replicated the Diablo's looks on the outside but left most parts of the Boxster's interior intact sans the floor, seats and for some inexplicable reason, the steering wheel, the upper part of which was removed. This may have worked for the Hoff in Knight Rider, but we can't see it being practical in any way on a regular car…

More photos and the seller's description can be found after the break.

Seller's Description

"It is a 99 Porsche boxster that makes a 99 Lamborghini diablo vt roadster shift stick 5 speeds It has original Lamborghini Rims with brand new tires Original lights Original door handles and locks Original emblems etc

It has remote operated windows Power mirrors Airbags,GPS etc. all the Porsche specs and everything works Hydraulic front suspension as the original Functional top with all the hardware on the top as well in the rear bonnet where the top attaches when in use Mommo seats. Not the cheap ones.

$1000 each Red carpet on the interior from the same manufacturer that provides Lamborghini Pioneer sound system with 2 boofers and 4 speakers Ice cold a/c Hella fog lights Apple candy red original paint it is NOT made from different parts from different cars...it was a whole running car with no problems when it was built.... clean title...NEVER SALVAGED,REBUILT OR CRASHED..... it is a kit built on a porsche not a cheap fiero or custom made car.......

ALL the safety features are in working order as they were when it left the factory in germany.... safety is a very delicate issue that a lot builders oversee in this kind of cars i have too many cars...and it is imposible for me to keep them all in this economy , this car really looks good and you better don't be married."

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EPA Says 1 in 4 New Vehicles Meets 2016 Emission Standards Today; 2025 is Another Issue

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Apparently, meeting future emission standards shouldn’t prove too hard for auto manufacturers as one would expect. That’s because according to an Environmental Protection Agency official, one-quarter of all new vehicles today already meet federal emission standards that won’t come into effect until 2016.

Jeff Alson, senior policy advisor at the EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality, said during an event at the agency’s Ann Arbor test facility that nearly 90 new models sold today either meet 2016 emission targets or can meet them simply with air condition improvements and no powertrain changes.

Alson commented that vehicle manufacturers’ progress in the fields of fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions are “on a pace that none of us would have predicted a few years ago”.

"The big improvements and innovation in fuel economy for the conventional gasoline vehicles have made (selling electric vehicles) a much tougher challenge," Alson told the Detroit News.

The downside is that none of the gasoline-powered models, which account for half of that fleet, would meet the much stricter 2025 standards. Only 25 out of the 90 models, all of them hybrids, all-electric and fuel-cell-powered, which make up for a measly 3 percent of today’s total U.S. market, would be able to do so.

Does that spell the end of the gasoline-powered engines?

Not yet, at least according to senior manager of environment and energy strategy at American Honda’s product regulatory office Robert Bienenfeld.

He believes that technologies such as downsizing, turbocharging and direct injection will make it possible for gasoline engines to “dominate” until the end of this decade. “I don’t think customers are going to notice a lot in the next seven years”, he said.

Meeting the 2025 emission and 54.5 mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets, though, is going to be much more difficult: “After that, we’re going to need some strong market signals to head toward more electric options”, said Bienenfeld.

The government projects that the use of new technologies and lightweight materials, such as magnesium and aluminum, which will enable manufacturers to achieve the 2025 CAFE target will raise the price of new cars by an average of US$2,000.

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) estimates that, if enforced, the new standards will result in a US$5,000 hike in the average price of new vehicles, making them too pricey.

By Andrew Tsaousis

Story References: Detroit News

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What Exactly Was this Bicyclist Trying to Do?

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Good old Russia (or so we’re told that this incident happened in the land of fire and ice) never fails to entertain us.

Who knows why, though we're pretty sure you can think of a few reasons if you try hard enough, but a bicyclist travelling on the road tried to jump over a car that was slowly heading towards him.

And yes, as you can imagine even without taking a look at the video shot from a vehicle following on from behind, the biker's incomprehensible move ended in pain and lots of it.

After the damage he caused to the small hatchback, we wouldn't be surprised to learn that the driver had some more pain to offer him….

VIDEO

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Marchionne Chooses U.S. Soil to Get Back at Germans by Offering Discounts to VW Owners

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Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has accused the VW Group of taking advantage of its overseas profits to undercut its rivals in the European market and, thus, create a “bloodbath” for their sales.

Despite VW calling for his resignation as president of the ACEA, the European Auto Manufacturers’ Association, they subsequently made up, with VW CEO Martin Winterkorn and Marchionne settling the issue during the Paris Auto Show.

Marchionne was also re-elected today for a second two-year term as ACEA president. Apparently, though, despite being “good friends” with Winterkorn, he hasn’t buried the hatchet and wants to get back at VW.

Europe is a no-no, as VW is dominant, with a 25 percent share and Fiat is simply fighting to stay alive. In the United States, though, it's a whole different game: the Chrysler Group has an 11.4 percent market share and VW, despite its four brands (VW, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini) posting a 31 percent increase in sales, commands only 4 percent of the market.

Marchionne has decided to take advantage of this role reversal in the States by offering US$1,000 rebates to current U.S. VW owners if they buy a Fiat or Chrysler vehicle – and the best part is that they don’t even have to sell their VW.

So, the Fiat-Chrysler CEO has found a way to give VW a taste of its own medicine. We’ll have to wait and see a) if it works and b) how his German frenemies will react.

By Andrew Tsaousis

Story References: Detroit News

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Skoda Drops New Images of 2013 Octavia III Including First of the Interior

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If what the rumor mill is saying is true, then we're literally counting days until the online unveiling of the next generation of Skoda's most popular model, the 2013 Octavia Mk3, which could explain the number of teaser images being released by the Czech carmaker.

A couple of days after Skoda provided us a set with photos of the rear combination lights and the rear window and C-column treatment, the VW Group-owned company published three more images on Friday.

The latest ones show the new front grille with the piano black vertical bars, the side mirrors that incorporate turning lights and somewhat more interestingly, the interior where we see the steering wheel with the voice command buttons, the center console with the large screen for the infotainment system and the chrome trimmings of the instrument gauges.

Skoda officials have hinted at a higher quality and better-equipped interior as the introduction of the more affordable Rapid allowed the company to move the new Octavia more upmarket.

If you're interested in seeing what the finished car looks like (sans the logos), click here to check out our previous post.

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You Won't Believe What this Truck Driver Found in the Middle of the Road

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Truck drivers have the unique opportunity to see many things while traveling on the road for miles and miles on end, some of which are interesting, some of which are boring and some of which are, well, just plain scary.

Without much debating, we decided that we are going to count this one as odd, shocking and mostly sad, all at the same time.

The video was shot from a dashboard camera mounted inside the cabin of a lorry, which may or may not have been traveling in Russia (at least that's what our tipster told us).

Find out for yourself what the driver saw in the clip just below the break.

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Yema Auto's All-Electric and All-Audi Looking Mustang F16 Enters Production

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It's been a little over a year since China's Yema Auto dazzled us with its replication capabilities when it introduced a new breed of clone concepts at the Chengdu Auto Show 2011 with the T-SUV (call me VW Tiguan), E-SUV (Infiniti EX) and the F16 and E-Taxi twins (Audi A4 Avant).

In the time that passed since then, Yema Auto's engineers worked hard to finish the development of one of those models, the F16, that is now ready for a small-scale production in battery-powered form under its sub brand Mustang.

The Mustang F16 (E-Taxi) measures 4,510mm (177.6 inches) long, 1,760mm (69.3 inches) wide and 1,615mm (63.6 inches) tall.

A Yema Auto official told Chinese car site Autohome that the F16 features an electric motor developing 80hp fed by a set of lithium-ion batteries that offer a driving range of up to 260km (162 mph).

For the time being, the F16 will be available only as a taxicab in select areas with Yema Auto to introduce the regular version for private buyers in the upcoming months. Bellow you will find photos of both the F16 and one of Yema Auto's other clones, the F99.

Photo Credits: Yema, Autohome & Auto.QQ

YEMA AUTO MUSTANG F16 E-TAXI


YEMA AUTO MUSTANG F99

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