Devil in a Blue Suit

Good news! Prices on Diablos have come down from their introductory price of $280,000! You can find real 10-year-old Diablos for just over $100,000, but you'd better own a bank if you want to be able to insure and maintain it properly (how does $10,000 for the R&R on a belt replacement sound?).

So what if you could combine the style and exotic looks of an Italian supercar with a powertrain that has 50 years of proven reliability? That was the question that prompted North American Exotic Replica Cars (NAERC) to get into the replicar industry four years ago, and the one they answered with their Diablo kits and parts supply business.

North American offers seven different versions of the Diablo (including both roadsters and coupes versions from 1990 to 2001) to customers who would like to drive a Lambo instead of watching it depreciate in their garage (try and find a Lamborghini with 10,000 miles on it, let alone 20,000). More than one of North American's customers has owned a "real" Lamborghini Diablo in the past, but they were tired of the expenses involved with the upkeep. In fact, this Monterey Blue Diablo roadster is headed for one such customer--a former "real" owner who just got fed up and wanted to drive his car!

The skeleton found under North American's Diablo bodies comes either one of two ways: an extended and modified Fiero chassis or a brand new replica of an original Diablo chassis (a kind of triangulated space frame design) that North American fabricates. This car featured runs the former, with 11 inches being added to the stock chassis, while its track was increased by four inches (with two-inch longer A-arms per side).

North American assembled the reworked Fiero chassis with Wilwood disc brakes on each corner, along with 18x8 and 18x12-inch NAERC polished aluminum wheels wrapped in 235/35ZR18 and 335/30ZR18 Pirelli rubber (just like you'd find on the originals). In fact, North American prides itself on offering the most exact replica of a Lamborghini Diablo out there, and is especially the case when their replica Diablo chassis is used.

Thinking that most of their customers will want to cruise their rides rather than race them, North American relied on the simple Chevy 350 tune-port engine to power this creation (though supercharged 3.8L Buicks, LS1s, LT1s, or even BMW 850 V-12 engines are also available). With an available 300 horses under the rear deck, the power is enough to get the job done when motoring around town or across state lines. And if something breaks on the motor while you're driving through, say, Boaz, Alabama, would you want to walk up to the man at the NAPA store and ask for a thermostat for a small-block Chevy or one for a V-12 Lamborghini Diablo?

Under the well-detailed fiberglass engine cover, a single four-barrel carb feeds the stock GM heads, with power being transferred to a Getrag transmission (the German-made, five-speed transaxle found in Fieros). However, what is an exotic without some creative advancements? North American knows of two customers who are building all-wheel-drive versions of their Diablos with their NAREC replica chassis--but more on that later.

The body itself is as exact a replication as you can get. North American uses the hand-laid 'glass method (as opposed to chopper gun) to lay up their bodies, then finishes them off with Glasurit paint (in this case a Monterey Blue--a factory Diablo color). Inside, the cockpit is the same as a factory model, right down to the VDO gauges (the gauges even have Lamborghini's snorting bull logo at their base). If you've never seen a factory Diablo, the interiors don't scream DIABLO! In fact they kind of remind you of a Lexus, except that the speedo goes to 260 mph! Leather-covered bucket seats keep driver and passenger comfy while they adjust their A/C vents or listen to the stereo/CD system.

Kits come in various stages, from basic body kits for the home builder who wants to stretch his own Fiero chassis (North American also sells a collection of CAD illustrations to make it easier for the home kit builder to do just that), to a rolling replica chassis already fitted with a motor, harness, body (with glass, door, and hinges installed), plus interior and exterior trim pieces. You can also find complete cars for sale on their Web site (www.exoticreplicacars.com) as well as some nifty 3D artwork of their replica chassis that you can actually spin around and look at from different angles.

It seems about the only thing missing on this car is the whine of a V-12 in your ear at 200 mph, but, for the $100,000 or so that you'd save by purchasing a North American replicar, you could buy a crummy old Ferrari and play with it at the track on weekends while you rack up the miles in your dependable Diablo the rest of the week! KC

Under the well-detailed 'glass...        read full caption Under the well-detailed 'glass engine cover resides a Chevy 350 with a single four-barrel carb. Besides having the reliability associated with the venerable small-block, the 300 horses it pumps out under even the most common of instances is more than enough to put a smile on the vehicle's driver.

Both inside and out, the North...        read full caption Both inside and out, the North American replicar does a faithful job of recreating what the Lamborghini interior should be. Custom seats are made to follow the original design, as does the gauge layout (with VDO gauges just like in the Lambo), right down to the shifter gate.