Supercars are the pinnacle of passion for motoring and speed, but although they are a minority, not all owners of these engineering gems are millionaires. With a little luck and over the years, it is possible to acquire some Lamborghini, Ferrari or Porsche supercars second-hand (or third-hand) at a much more affordable price than they cost new.
The problem in these cases is that, although the cars have lost some of their value, the spare parts to repair them have not, and remain extremely expensive. Especially when the car is no longer manufactured.
Little money, but a lot of creativity
This is exactly what happened to YouTuber B is for Build, a fanatic for cars and extreme customisation, who decided to restore an old Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640 that he had bought for around £30,000. A real bargain, considering that this model costs around £150,000. But there is an explanation for such a low price.
The car had several seriously damaged body parts, including the right headlight. To avoid the huge additional cost of parts at the dealership, he looked for a replacement for his Murciélago on eBay. The search was successful, but the best price was still €20,000 for a pair of new original lights.
As the YouTuber acknowledged in his video, spending €10,000 on each headlight for his supercar far exceeded his restoration budget, so, far from being discouraged, he opted for a much more affordable solution: making them himself with a 3D printer.
To do this, he had to scan the headlight using a scanner and improve the initial scan with hours of 3D modelling to finish defining all the angles of such a complex part as a headlight. One of the many challenges he faced was scanning and printing the rings that hold the lamp lenses in place.
Because they are made of aluminium, the scanner’s laser was unable to detect the details correctly. On the other hand, as they had to withstand the high temperatures reached by the lights, these elements had to be printed with a specific resin with high heat resistance.
Interestingly, the simplest part was the outer glass of the headlight. Given the shape of the Murciélago’s nose and their rearward position, it was enough to cut a piece of transparent methacrylate into the appropriate shape, and it fitted perfectly to the gentle slope of the Murciélago’s nose.
After hours of testing, sanding, adjustments and a little painting, the result was a very well-made piece. However, some details revealed that it was a “handcrafted” piece.
For example, the rivets securing the headlight dome, which would never be visible on an original Lamborghini. However, the YouTuber’s intention was to create a customised Lamborghini Murciélago with a post-apocalyptic style in the purest Cyberpunk style, so the rivets did not look out of place at all and the headlights fulfil their function.
