How Not to Customize Redux: 1996 Ford Taurus “Space Ship”

Do you want a car that, "look deferent and feel deferent [sic]"? If so, this Australian tuner - whose skill at vehicle modification is in line with his comprehension of the English language - has the car for you...

The third generation Ford Taurus was not a very pretty car to begin with. Its ovoid shape, which extended to the taillights, rear window and even the dashboard was not especially attractive and made the car look like it was slowly melting.

This enterprising owner has attempted to fix that by adding an ill-fitting body kit, hood and roof scoops and a generous amount of black and gold paint (which makes the car look like a tin of Lyle's Golden Syrup). The result is...well, you can see for yourself.

Underneath that hideous façade the Taurus appears pretty stock with a 3.0 L V6, automatic transmission and 164,321 km (102,104 miles) on the clock. It looks like it even has the stock wheels and tires.

For the enterprising buyer in Blacktown, NSW, this...thing could be yours for a little over AU$1,500 - or at least that's the highest bid currently on eBay.

By Tristan Hankins

Link: eBay 1 & 2 , Via: Jalopnik

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Canadian 1966 Batmobile Replica Commands Audi R8 Money

Last week, Carscoop asked you what your favorite TV or movie car was. Many of you expressed a fondness for the Lincoln Futura-based Batmobile used in the Adam West TV series of the late 1960s.

One of our readers tipped us off to this sweet, '66 Batmobile replica in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. You'll no longer be the "uncool dad" when you drop your kids off at school in this baby, old chum.

But before you rush out to buy some grey tights and adopt a young, orphaned acrobat consider this: it has the rather un-sweet price tag of CA$176,995 (US$172,779). You could easily get into an Audi R8 V10 for that money. Heck, we even found a 2003 Lamborghini Murcielago for roughly the same price.

And it pains me to remind you that under that svelte body are the aging Ford V8 and 3-speed-automatic transmission from a 1974 Lincoln Continental. Sure it's appropriate for the era, but then so were headbands and paisley and nobody wears them anymore.

What we really want is the Batmobile we saw on TV, not the one that was wheeled on and off the set between takes. You know, the Batmobile that could unlock doors and sounded like a jet fighter taking off.

Unfortunately, this little boy is still waiting.

By Tristan Hankins

Thanks for the tip Craig! , Link: Excellencechrysler

Low, Low Mileage Ferrari F40 Goes to Auction at Historics at Brooklands

A Ferrari F40 with just 10,500 miles (16,898 km) on the clock is set to go under the hammer at the Historics at Brooklands Auction in Surrey, England. Organizers believe interest in the vehicle will be high, valuing this particular example between £280,000 and £320,000 (US$439,432 and US$502,208).

Once the world's fastest street-legal production car, the F40 was the most powerful, most expensive and fastest car Ferrari had produced at the time.

It was also the last model commissioned by company founder Enzo Ferrari, built to celebrate 40 years of production at the brand's Maranello factory. 1,315 were built between 1987 and 1992. This example - appropriately finished in red - was built in 1989.

The F40 featured a 2,400 lb (1,089 kg) body made from a combination of carbon fibre, Kevlar and aluminium and a mid-mounted, twin turbo V8 that was good for 471 bhp (346 kw) and 200 mph (322 km/h). It had an impressive-for-1987 Cd figure of 0.34, which it shares today with the more down-to-earth Chevy Tahoe Hybrid...

The Historics at Brookland auction starts at 3pm on September 25th, with viewings starting on the day at 10am.

By Tristan Hankins

Classic Bentley Parts Bin on 8,000 Mile Journey Across the U.S.A.

Classic cars come with classic car problems. The sort of reliability we take for granted today was unheard of thirty years ago. Classic cars don't start in cold weather They overheat in hot weather. They leak brake fluid. Their wiper motors break. Bits of trim fall off them. Their clutches fail. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

And it's not like you can take it down to your local mechanic and have them fixed. Parts are expensive or unavailable. In the days before eBay you had to go to swap meets and scrap yards in the hopes of finding the part you needed. It was Hell.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, at least for those who own a Bentley built between 1955 and 2002. To ease the burden on its U.S. aficionados, Bentley Motors is planning a road trip across the U.S.A., bringing with them over a thousand heritage parts and genuine accessories.

Dubbed the Bentley Heritage Roadshow, the idea is that Bentley owners will be able to get specialist and hard-to-find parts, as well as genuine accessories, direct from the original manufacturer. And if Bentley doesn't have the part you need on the day, then they can organize to have it shipped over from Crewe.

"Our task is to continue to provide these passionate owners and drivers with the service and parts they need." said Steve O'Hara, Director for After-Sales at Bentley.

Carrying everything from complete V8 engines to as-good-as-new owner manuals (still in their original packaging!), you're sure to find the right part for your Bentley.

The Roadshow starts its journey in California on September 16th, before passing through New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina and Texas before finishing up in Florida on October 23rd. If you are a Bentley owner who would like to get his hands on some genuine parts, contact your local dealer for further details.

By Tristan Hankins

Classic Flashback: The Ferrari-Powered 1986 Lancia Thema 8.32

All the talk about the Fiat Group's plans to re-badge the redesigned 2011 Chrysler 300 (see our high-res gallery here) and re-brand it as the Lancia Thema in Europe, brought to mind the original Thema of the mid-1980s and -1990s, and especially, the Ferrari V8-powered 8.32 model.

Introduced at the 1984 Turin Motor Show, the Thema was Lancia's flagship sedan, sharing the "Type Four" platform with the Fiat Croma, Alfa Romeo 164 and the Saab 9000.

Shaped by the hands of Giorgetto Giugiaro, the boxy sedan model featured a 0.32 drag coefficient, which was an impressive figure at the time. Being a luxury model, it featured a comprehensive list of standard and optional features, including automatic air conditioning and heated seats wrapped in leather or Alcantara.

It also came with a wide range of engine choices, while in 1986, Lancia enhanced the range with the introduction of the Pininfarina-styled Station Wagon. All in all, Lancia sold a total of 358,000 examples of the Thema between 1984 and 1994.

Two years after the launch of the model, Lancia executives decided to step it up a notch with the presentation of the Thema 8.32, perhaps better known as the "Thema Ferrari". The Italian Q-car was fitted with a 3.0-liter 32valve V8 engine (hence the 8.32 in the name) sourced from Ferrari. Power was sent to the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox.

There were two Thema 8.32 models, the Series 1, which was produced from 1986 to 1988 and featured a 215HP version of the Ferrari V8, and the Series 2, built from 1989 to 1992, which came with catalytic converters and was rated at 205 hp.

The Ferrari-powered Thema completed the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 6.8 seconds (Series 2: 7.2 seconds) and achieved a top speed of 240 km/h or 149mph (Series 2: 235 km/h). At the time, some argued that the available 2.0-liter turbocharged model was equally capable in terms of performance, while being lighter and more agile than the 8.32, but that's another story.

The styling of the Thema 8.32 was rather discreet with exterior upgrades being limited to the different grille, tailpipes, gold/yellow pinstripes on the sides, a retractable rear boot lid spoiler and the alloy wheel designs. Inside, the flagship Thema offered buyers a full leather treatment (or Alcantara) along with a wood trimmed dashboard featuring unique gauges and a three spoke leather steering wheel.

A total of 3,971 Thema 8.32s were built, out of which 32 Series 1 and 32 Series 2 models were offered in a special Ferrari-red finish. You can check out some used examples from Europe in the links below.

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