Project 1983 Lamborghini Jalpa

COTC does not favor project cars. They're usually a waste of time, energy and money. Why buy in pieces when you can buy whole and running? The answer is that a lot of people think projects means the seller will let it go for cheap, but cars like this Lamborghini show that's not always the case. Consider this a cautionary tale, then. COTC is watching out for our readers wallets when possible. Cars are the worst investments made, so they should be in the best possible condition when buying used, and at the very least have major parts intact.

The seller says this '83 Jalpa is rare (true), but then estimates about 50 are left (pure conjecture).

Then they say it has no engine or transmission. This basically eradicates any value the seller thinks it has. All that's left now is a shell, and a shell in very very poor condition, with sanded down sections, mismatched paint, uneven panels and missing parts.

They do say it has shocks, suspension, interior, glass and "rare taillights".

But is that enough to justify a purchase? The body is going to need a ton of work, and a new coat of paint at the very least (please someone do it in either black or white). Then there is mechanical sorting, and worst of all, electrical connections on a 30 year old Italian car. The seller says it would be good for fitting a Fiero transmission and MR2 engine, but you have to find those parts first, make sure they are in good shape, then install everything. This is basically an experts-with-deep-pockets-only car, and even when you're done, it still won't have the Lamborghini exhaust note.

Available here on ebay in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with bidding already too high at $3,350.

You be the judge.

Mega Rare 1994 Cizeta Moroder V16T

Have you ever wondered what the godfather of synth music would drive if he could create his own vehicle? Look no further than this beast. The godfather is Giorgio Moroder and the car is the Cizeta.

If you think this looks a lot like a Lamborghini Diablo, it's no coincidence. When Lamorghini was readying to replace the aging Countach towards the end of the 80s, Marcello Gandini, creator of the original, offered a wild new design. But Chrysler had a controlling interest in Lamborghini since 1987 and softened the edges of what Gandini submitted. Gandini took it as an insult, so he and a band of employees quit and joined forces with Claudio Zampolli to create a new brand and execute his original, pure, undiluted vision of an all-out supercar.

Gandini's vision features harder corners, crisper lines and geometric shaped. There are no circles, except for the wheels. The rear tapers dramatically down to the nose, pulling the side windows with it. The front features four (!) pop up headlights in stacks of two, smoked turn indicators, and four fog lights below that. In a slight misstep, the cheese-grater side intakes are too similar to the Ferrari Testarossa, but later versions would have more creative vertical slots.

The seller provides one dark and blurry photo of the interior. It's all-business and no-nonsense, swathed in dark plastics and leather.

In the rear is the stuff of fantasy. The Cizeta is powered by a two transversely mounted 90-degree flat plane V8 engines in one 5,995cc block. That's right. This monster has 16-cylinders working to move it from 0-60 mph in 4 seconds!

The Cizeta was launched with a glittery presentation at the 1988 Los Angeles Auto Show, beating the Diablo by two years. The press was excited, and the idea of having synth maestro Moroder's involved upped the glamour and coolness factor by an infinite degree. The car was priced at $300,000. It made quite an impression, but this was out of reach for all but a select few. The economy was slowing down, and tastes were changing. As such, just a mere 8 were made until the company dissolved in 1994. It was also never made street legal for North America, and a red example was famously (and shamefully) confiscated by the U.S. government in 2009, with a local agent snootily claiming it posed a threat to "public safety and health". What a load of sh*t. Don't they have anything better to do than steal private property? Bill Clinton's infamous Show & Display law (to help pal Bill Gates nab a Porsche 959) still lets people import non-street-legal cars, but just not for use on public roads. So what gives?

It's not exactly clear what has happened to Cizeta in successive years. And although Moroder invested in the car and original press releases bore his name, it never actually appeared on the car except on the prototype. Sources say Moroder pulled out in 1990, and the original Italy-based Cizeta company went bankrupt in 1994, but a website is up and running and accepting orders of the vehicle at a build-on-demand basis. Zampolli was last heard moving to California and founding Cizeta Automobili USA. Did he own the red car that was confiscated? Is Cizeta still alive? Will they ever be road legal here?

Fortunately, this example is somewhere in Europe, where it must be legal to drive. The seller states it is one of 3 built in right-hand drive, and the only one in blue. They don't list an odometer reading, but say it is in excellent condition. I'm betting it's been barely touched.

This thing has enormous history, super-low production volume, and tons of style and power. The fact that it's such a naughty car to have here only makes it more seductive and elusive. I love it.

Find the dealer listing here in the Czech Republic, and a classic car site ad here, where they say the price has been reduced to $500,000.

No Reserve 1974 Lamborgini Urraco P300 Project

Well here's a frustrating listing. The seller has neglected to include ONE photo that captures the entire vehicle, and no photos that completely show the front or rear. Which in turn makes my life difficult (just kidding).

Lamborghini had all sorts of cars in the 1960s and 70s I forget about, until someone posts a broken down one on ebay for the world to see.

Just 791 Urraco were made from 1973-1979. It wears styling by exoticar maestro Marcello Gandini of Bertone, and looks pretty cool. Italian supercars wore the most cutting edge bodies out there (and they still do, to an extent). At the height of the wedge shape's popularity, Gandini cuts another classic profile, with a relatively short and sloped front, hidden headlights, and heavily louvered rear that hides a rear mid-mounted engine powering the rear-wheels.

This example is the coveted P300, featuring the largest and most powerful V8 engine producing a respectable 247 horsepower.

The seller of this example seems pretty honest about the car's current state. They say they purchased it at an auction, have no history on the car and were ready to fix it up before becoming involved in another project (or scared to death of this one). They say it's a non-running car that needs work from end to end. They say it's missing some parts "here and there". Frankly, when dealing with a rare and old Italian car, any missing part is a big deal. From the photos alone I can see the bumpers were removed. The seller does say some boxes of parts come with the car.

To make matters worse, the car has no title. The seller explains that Connecticut doesn't issue titles for cars older than a certain year.

Honestly, when I see project cars like these, I think they're really only best for classic car dealers to pick up at a fair price, restore, and then flip. Who in this day and age has time and money for all of this? Bless you if you do, though.

Find it here on ebay in Suffield, Connecticut with no reserve bidding at $11,100.