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The hottest modern sports cars rendered as rally racers

The modern-day World Rally Championship a monumental amount of fun to watch – I should know, as I recently was lucky enough to head to the UK to watch WRC Wales Rally GB – but even the most monstrous of the current WRC cars are based on fairly pedestrian European hatchbacks. Back in the heyday of rally, the Group B era in the 1980s, much hotter cars were the basis of even more incredible competition machines, for the most part. Take the exotic Ford RS200, or the Lancia Delta S4 with its twin-charged engine. And the hatchback-based Group B cars were bonkers, too. So what would some of our favorite modern cars look like if Group B had never ended? A British site named CarWow hired an artist to reimagine everything from the Rolls-Royce Wraith to the Porsche 911 as a retro-inspired rally car, and they were kind enough to let us share the results in the gallery above. The gallery features an Alfa Romeo Giulia in Martini livery, an Audi TT in classic Ur-Quattro colors, a Fiat 500 Abarth sporting massive flares and a hood blister full of auxiliary lights, a new Ford Mustang in RS200 livery, a Lancia Delta in Alitalia colors, a Porsche 911 in Rothmans livery, a Renault-Alpine in classic blue, a Rolls-Royce Wraith tribute to the Jules cologne Corniche Coupe, and a relatively modern-looking VW Touran. So far, the favorite around the office is the incredible Mercedes-Benz S-Class that is an homage to the wonderful 300 SEL 6.8 AMG "Red Pig" that essentially put AMG on the map. Check out the gallery above and see which one you like the best. Related Video:

Paul Walker's father sues Porsche

Porsche will reportedly face another wrongful-death suit in connection with the death of Paul Walker. This latest suit, according to USA Today, was filed by the late actor's father and the executor of his will. In the suit, Paul William Walker III claims that the Porsche lacked the safety equipment that could have saved the life of his son, actor Paul William Walker IV. The case dates back almost two years, to the day when Walker and his associate Roger Rodas were traveling in a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT. Rodas lost control of the car, which struck a lamppost and two trees on Hercules Street in Santa Clarita, CA. A fire erupted after the crash and both Rodas and Walker (who was riding in the passenger seat) were killed. The ensuing investigation determined that unsafe speeds were at fault, however grieving members of the deceased victims' families have launched a series of lawsuits – including several directed against the German automaker – in the aftermath. Walker's father previously sued the Rodas' estate over the ownership of a collection of cars estimated to be worth some $1.8 million. Meanwhile Rodas' widow Kristine has also filed a wrongful death suit against Porsche. And just this past September, Walker's 17-year-old daughter and heiress Meadow filed another wrongful death suit, also against Porsche. In response to the latter, Porsche spokesman Calvin Kim wrote to Autoblog: "As we have said before, we are very sad whenever anyone is hurt in a Porsche vehicle, but we believe the authorities' reports in this case clearly establish that this tragic crash resulted from reckless driving and excessive speed." This latest lawsuit filed by Walker's father alleges that the Carrera GT should have been equipped with stability control, reinforced doors, and a breakaway fuel line – features that, the plaintiff asserts, could have saved his son's life. According to USA Today, Porsche recently claimed in court that the vehicle in question had been modified and improperly maintained. Those factors could have led to the accident that claimed both Walker's and Rodas' lives. Walker was an actor who made his debut in television before appearing in movies like Varsity Blues, The Skulls, and Flags of Our Fathers. He will perhaps be best remembered, however, as the star in the Fast and Furious series – the most recent installment of which was completed posthumously with the help of his brothers and computer animation. The California native was 40 years old.

Porsche will sacrifice profit growth to fund EV development

Porsche is so serious about developing electrified vehicles that it's willing to sacrifice big jumps in profits to fund the investment. After a massive upgrade to the Zuffenhausen plant, the company will build the Mission E EV (above) there in 2020. "Therefore it's clear that we can no longer carry out major leaps on results," the CEO Oliver Blume said about the automaker's financial growth, according to Reuters. Porsche will invest 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) through 2020 to make additional electrified vehicles possible. Around 700 million euros ($765 million) will go into the Zuffenhausen factory to build a new paint shop, assembly plant, and upgrade the engine factory to produce electric motors for hybrids and EVs. The expansion will also bring all Cayman and Boxster assembly under one roof. Outside of Zuffenhausen, the money will improve the research and development center in Weissach and update the sales and marketing department in Ludwigsburg. Blume said Porsche has "many new products in the pipeline," according to Reuters, and he wants as many of those as possible available with some level of electrification. In addition to the Mission E, there are rumors the company might build a 911 plug-in hybrid as soon as 2018. While Blume doesn't forecast big jumps in profits, Porsche should still remain financially successful in the coming years. The automaker doesn't report its 2015 earnings until March 11, but Reuters reports the company's global deliveries topped 200,000 vehicles for the first time ever last year, which could push its operating profit well above 2014's 2.72 billion euros ($3 billion at current rates). Related Video: