And the Bride wore a PORSCHE.....

Diamonds maybe a girl's best friend but one savvy lass in England decided that she would rather have a PORSCHE....one she built herself from an old VW....

Where are girls like this stateside??? She sounds like a real catch.

A bride's welded bliss: How she built Porsche from wrecked VW for her big day
By Sadie Whitelocks - UK MAIL
15th September 2011

For Megan Ashton, it was her childhood dream to arrive at her wedding in a classic Porsche.
Now the 26-year-old has done exactly that – not by hiring one, as any bride might, but by building her own from a clapped-out Volkswagen Beetle.

She spent six years painstakingly transforming the 40-year-old VW into a Porsche 356, the company’s first production model.

The Royal Navy engineering officer paid £200 for the wreck before stripping it down to the chassis and meticulously rebuilding it virtually from scratch, donning blue overalls, getting covered in grime and grease, and spending £4,000 in the process.

The stunning vehicle now features a white leather interior with a mahogany finish, has a 356 body shell, and includes an authentic steering wheel and speedometer. It also boasts an impressive top speed of more than 100mph – and is valued at £25,000.

The proud owner was driven in it by her father to her wedding to Rob Ashton, also 26, a captain in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

After the ceremony at Sandhurst military academy in Surrey, her new husband took the wheel to drive them to their reception.

‘I loved every minute of it and it was such a special moment to be able to pull up on my wedding day in it,’ said the new Mrs Ashton, from Amesbury, near Salisbury in Wiltshire. ‘It was a close-run thing getting the car finished in the end, but after six years it was well worth it.

‘There were times when I didn’t think we’d get it done in time as it was such a huge project, but it meant so much. I dreamed of driving the car but got carried away buying my wedding dress, which meant it was quite difficult to fit in.’

The 356 was created by Ferdinand Porsche, son of the company founder who had designed the Volkswagen Beetle.

It was manufactured between 1948 and 1956 and shared many parts with the Beetle to save money – making the two cars easier for Mrs Ashton to fuse together.

She bought the battered 1969 VW when she was a student, then stripped it down to the bare chassis before fitting larger cylinders and pistons to the engine, increasing it from 1285cc to 1776cc.

Only the chassis, which had to be shortened, wheels and engine remain of the original car, which was also given a new registration plate.

Mrs Ashton, whose father Viv Beal, 54, runs a garage in Barnstaple, Devon, said: ‘I know people might think it is quite unusual for a girl to be interested in cars but I have always grown up surrounded by it.

‘My Mum and Dad have been buying various parts for the car for birthday and Christmas presents for the past six years – so I am looking forward to getting some girly treats now.’

Her father added: ‘We’re all into classic cars and it was a very proud day for all of us. Megan’s Porsche replica is her pride and joy.

Well, DUH ! - Study results show Women dig dudes driving hot cars

REALLY ?? Like we needed a study to tell us this info?? Any guy who has owned a Chevy Camaro, Corvette or one of 100 other hot rides has proven this postulation a hundred times over.....And glad we always got the same results by providing the young ladies what they were looking for....ahem.

Next thing they'll be telling us is that Men enjoy watching sports, drinking beer with the guys and going out for the regular " Guys night out "....along with finding a winning lottery ticket.

Seems like even a 48 year old Willys Jeep can attract a few New England Patriots Cheerleaders...maybe my Navy Jeep needs to be added to the list of "hot cars"...hmmmmm.

Study: Women dig dudes driving hot cars
By Jim Forsyth Jim Forsyth – Tue Jun 21

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) – A recent study by Texas researchers proves what single men have known for a long time: Chicks dig hot cars.

Men who wear expensive clothes and drive flashy cars are more successful at having flings and staying single than their financially conservative counterparts, researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio said.

And while it's not exactly groundbreaking information that some women are more likely to go from the bar with a guy in a Porsche rather than a Geo, the project found the phenomenon is less about gold-digging and more about "signals," University of Texas at San Antonio marketing professor Dr. Jill Sundie told Reuters on Monday.

By engaging in splashy personal spending, men are sending a signal to women that they want a "short term relationship," much like peacocks trying to woo a mating partner using "wasteful, elaborate displays," Sundie said.

"Basically, they're just trying to convince a female that, 'Hey, if all you're looking for is genes, I have the best genes, so you should choose me,'" she said.

Women, pick up on that signal and respond to it -- positively if she's into that kind of thing, or negatively if she is looking for marriage material.

"Women seem to understand that when they see a man who has chosen to spend money conspicuously, they think he would be more interesting as a date," Sundie said.

That is, if all they want is a one-nighter or something temporary. When it comes to the long term, Sundie said, flashing the cash becomes a turn-off for women.

"If you ask them to think of these men instead as a long term partner, how good is this guy as a marriage partner, the flashy spending doesn't help him at all," she said.

The same is not true for women, the study shows.

Researchers surveyed nearly 1,000 men and women in four separate studies to determine the signals sent by conspicuous consumption and how it is viewed by the opposite sex. Their findings were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Sundie stressed that not all men who spend conspicuously do so in hopes of having a fling, and women who date these types of men are not all interested simply in flings.

But the signals are clear, even if the intentions are not.

"It appears to be a behavior that is much more likely to occur if the guy is seeking short-term relationships, and he is thinking about a situation where he might be able to get one of those short-term relationships," she said. "When they think about women, they spend lots of money."

(Editing by Karen Brooks and Greg McCune)