2002 Porsche Boxster 2dr Roadster With 48826 Miles on 2040-cars

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Porsche 911 with VW turbodiesel prepares for LeMons assault

LeMons racing is a wonderful example that setting limits can actually breed creativity. The series mandates that all entries must cost $500, not counting safety equipment, and that cap forces teams to be ingenious in how they build a racecar. Take for example this diesel-powered Porsche 911, which its creators have dubbed Ferkel the Nein-11, that will be racing in the Sears Pointless race this weekend in Sonoma, California.
This Frankenstein combines a 911 chassis that was originally bought just for its European powertrain and a Volkswagen TDI diesel engine mounted in the rear. After deciding the shell could still be of some use, the team decided to go racing. "We began brainstorming what replacement drivetrain to use for maximum offense and there was really only one answer: a diesel," said Philipp von Weitershausen, one of the team captains, to Jalopnik. They bought a 1998 Jetta TDI on the cheap and started figuring out a way to hack the engine into the bay. To pay respect to the donor, the VW's trunk was highly modified (and drilled) and grafted onto the back of Ferkel.
This team isn't a newcomer to LeMons. Its last car was a classic VW Beetle with a Subaru engine and dual controls, named Ferdinand the Bug, which could be driven from the left or right side. It's quite a sight.

Leno buys classic Porsche 356 Carrera 2, seeks out and finds perfect expert for help

The world of collector cars is fairly tight-knit when you get down to individual models. Need proof? Just take a look at this latest video from Jay Leno's Garage. The subject is a gorgeous 1963 Porsche 356 Carrera 2. Jay, being known as quite a collector, got a call from someone looking to sell. While doing his due diligence and looking for a 356 expert to go over the car with him, he came across John Willhoit.
Where the story gets weird is when Leno is asked the license plate number - it turns out that Willhoit, owner of Willhoit Restorations, had restored the exact same car more than 30 years prior. He then sold it to the same person that was looking to give it to Leno. What follows is a truly interesting video on the little quirks of the 356, along with Willhoit's personal history on a car he hadn't seen since 1976.
This is a bit more mechanically detailed than Leno's normal videos, but it's on a very interesting subject. Take a look below for the entire film.

Malaise Era All-Stars

A few weeks ago, we bid a fond happy 40th anniversary to the automotive dark ages of 1973-84 that have come to be known as "The Malaise Era" - the performance ice-age when 160 horsepower was a lot and a 0-60 time of under 10 seconds was remarkable. Like music in the 1980s, everything in automobiledom didn't suck, however. There were a few bright spots. Here are five of our favorites:
1976-79 Porsche 930, aka 911 Turbo Carrera (above)
Photo Credit: Dorotheum