Acura Nsx-turned-lamborghini Diablo
Intriguing supercar mashup was owned by former MLB player Jose Canseco
Give a person tens of millions of dollars and they’re bound to buy some weird stuff.
Over his decades-long career, Major League Baseball legend Jose Canseco earned a total of around US$45 million. He used some of that wealth to buy a 1999 Acura NSX and then a bit more of it to convert said Acura into an even more rare supercar, the Lamborghini Diablo GT.
The one-of-a-kind hybrid was recently listed on ebay (not by Canseco) with an initial reserve price of US$175,000, but ended up with a sold sticker on it after the final bid came in at just US$126,100.
Canseco was obviously enamoured with the Diablo GT — of which only 80 were ever made — but, for whatever reason, decided against the real thing. Honestly? I’m not upset. Are you?
Because his homage, built on an original Acura NSX chassis, was quite well done from a visual standpoint, with on-point dimensions and several parts and pieces coming directly from Lamborghini OEM, including the scissor doors and emblems.
The Acura-cum-lambo also features custom parts made specifically for the Diablo GT and other convincing features like in-body headlights rather than the NSX’S pop-ups, a roof-mounted airintake and a spoiler.
But, under the hood, it’s lacking a full six of 12 cylinders required to be a part of the Diablo GT club.
The NSX’S six-cylinder engine remains intact and tied to a five-speed manual transmission. In the ‘99 NSX, that plant makes 270 horsepower and 224 lb-ft of torque, a fraction of the Diablo GT’S 570 horsepower and 465 lbft.
But as a result — and like some other clever knock-off Lamborghinis — what this faux devil lacks in pedigree and power, it makes up for in purchase and maintenance cost.
“While other Lamborghini owners are draining their bank accounts to pay for repairs, you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank when you get your parts at a local auto parts store or online for a fraction of the price,” the ebay ad description reads.
Its seller claims the car not only looks like the real thing, but also sounds “EXACTLY” like the Diablo, making it a sure conversation starter wherever it goes.
The last time a Diablo GT was up for sale, it fetched US$950,000, all but guaranteeing its million-dollar-plus value today.