1990 Lamborghini Countach Reviews

The body will be pulled much tighter around a new V10 engine with more power and torque, while the cabin will get a much-needed update and the latest technology from Audi - which owns the Italian brand. We expect to see the real Cabrera previewed at the Geneva motor show early next year.

Polish company Manufacture RETRO might have the answer for your Lamborghini lust in their Unique Racing Desks collection. Yes, that's a bright orange, Lamborghini Murcielago desk you see--and while it won't handle quite as well as the real thing, nor make your computer any faster, it'll do a pretty good job of brightening up your office with its vivid orange hue. It isn't the first time we've seen car-themed furniture, but it's one of the more affordable options. Some people will spend $240,000 on a beautifully-engineered but ultimately static Bugatti desk, or $25,000 on an office chair made from a Ferrari seat. But to the casual observer, they do just look like a fancy metal desk and nicely-trimmed office chair. No risk of this with the Lamborghini desk, which is as in-your-face as the real thing. The best part is the price. Its US$7,800 tag is expensive for a piece of office equipment, admittedly, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than the aforementioned exotic furniture. And in the grander scheme of unrealistic purchases, it's much cheaper buying an actual Murcielago and a Lamborghini desk than it is a Bugatti Veyron and a Bugatti desk. In fact, who needs the real Lamborghini? Hook up your games console and a TV to the desk and pretend you're driving the real thing. Though we will warn you: Owning a Lamborghini desk and not having the car to go with it is just as bad as those people you see dressed head-to-toe in Ferrari gear stepping out of their Corolla... www.motorauthority.com  

The noise hurts. The exhaust note pounds the eardrums and the shockwaves turn my chest into a kettle drum in the hands of some musically-challenged maniac.All I have to do to make that noise -- that vibrating air -- disappear is to turn the console switch from "sport" to "strada" (street). That changes the engine settings, diverting the exhaust gases away from the optional performance-tuned extractors.But I can't. It's addictive not just to me but to the occupants of the cars alongside me at the traffic lights, to the cyclist I just passed a kilometre or two back down the road and to the now slightly-shaken shoppers wandering the narrow city streets. At least I presume they are equally in awe of the music as they are of the sharp-edged, hexagonal-trimmed wedge that is Lamborghini's Aventador Roadster.It is a car that shocks the senses with more than just its sound, with its razor-edged lines that defy the organic lines of contemporary transport and in its disproportionate dimensions that exaggerate its 2.3m width against a tiny 1.1m height.PRICEAnd if all that doesn't get you in, then the entry-level price of $795,000 - incidentally including about $300,000 of government taxes (so who says wealth is obscene) - is a reality check and the $929,000 on-road cost of the test car is just an impossible Monopoly number.Few cars - at least those capable of being licenced in Australia - will make your driveway look as good as this. Remarkably, it will make the driver look fantastic as well and do wonders for the person in the passenger seat.If you're introverted, drive a Pulsar. If you're here to be noticed, it's a Lamborghini and certainly one like the Aventador Roadster - there is also the Gallardo Convertible - that without its roof will make you a sunburnt star.If you've got it, flaunt it! Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916-1993), who started the company, reputedly said once about the high price of his cars: "The engine costs $150,000 - the rest you get for free."DESIGNThe hexagons that make up a large part of the Roadster's shell design - and incidentally are absent in the Aventador coupe - are a tip of the hat by Lamborghini to the element of carbon. Carbon fibre, you see, forms the bulk of the car's bodywork. The rest is jagged euphoria.The test car gets 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels (a $10,350 option) and glass-panelled engine cover ($14,985), a carbon-fibre fillet in the centre of the engine's vee ($4995), and metallic paint ($4875). Signs of parent company Audi are visible in some switchgear - not a bad thing, really.TECHNOLOGYToo much for this space but the engine can cut off six cylinders when coasting and the Aventador has stop-start with a capacitor - same as Mazda6! The AWD system sends power out of the front of the engine, into the gearbox between the seats, then uses one prop shaft to the rear wheels (alongside the right of the engine) and sends the other forward through a Haldex diff to the front wheels. The complexity ranks alongside Nissan GT-R's power transfer.SAFETYIt doesn’t have an Australian crash rating. If you've got $929,000 then buy one of these and give it to ANCAP and they'll crash it for you. Let me know how it fares.DRIVINGSomeone once described the acceleration of this as horizontal bungee jumping. I can't argue. Nothing comes closer to the slingshot immediacy of the Aventador with a claimed 2.9 second blink from rest to 100km/h.The first lesson is: Be very prepared when you play with the accelerator pedal. From start there's a click of the right-side paddle shifter into first gear, then a squeeze on the accelerator pedal. Then more of a squeeze and so on until I believe that the gear hasn't engaged. It has, it's just a few more hundred revs around the dominating, multi-coloured single tachometer dial before the electronic clutch bites.Then 515kW lurches forward. Leave it in "strada" mode for general street use and the exhaust note is tame and the automatic mode of the robotised seven-speed manual is almost domesticated - certainly a far cry from the early "e-gear" box in the first Gallardo that was like trying to appease a grumpy Collingwood supporter after a lost game.Depending on accelerator pressure, the box will either hold the gears back and fling them upward around 3000rpm, or roll up the cogs quickly. The steering is firm, almost heavy, and while visibility to the front is clear, the rear view is little more than a letterbox slit and to the sides - well, forget it.The car isn't hard to drive. It's the fear of failure that grips me. I drive haunted by thoughts of one tiny corner miscalculation resulting in doom in a financial vacuum yet, at the same time, the sheer exhilaration of pedalling a remarkably simple, shatteringly quick piece of hand built Italiana.Change the console-mount button the "sport" and that exhaust note erupts. There is an urgency that doesn't mix well with the lazy mid-week traffic on the coastal route. The "corsa" button keeps the exhaust bark and wail the same but turns off the electronic nanny - a move made by the brave or foolish. It also firms the steering and the gearchanges alter from abrupt to violent.Traffic lights disappear and the road sweeps and flows and traffic reduces, so the car can be moved with less restriction. Here, on the open bitumen, is where the Aventador starts to shine. Sure, it is upset by uneven bitumen that makes the suspension jiggle and the chassis jump and coachwork exhibit the occasional small squeak.But its hunger is insatiable. It eats the road and the faster - academically to speeds even intolerable in northern Italy - it goes, the more it hugs the bitumen and becomes locomotive solid. Roof up, the car is taut and quiet from wind - not road or engine noise, however - but with the two targa-type panels removed and the bevel-edge window glass down, it twirls the wind through the carpet and the leather and my remaining hair.These two targa panels, made of a composite so they're remarkably light at 6kg each, are suitably numbered so amateurs like myself can find how they slot into position beneath the shovel-shaped bonnet. Be warned: Once in place, there is no room for luggage. None. The seats - optional here in a Roadster-exclusive Elegante pack ($4440) with Lamborghini branding (add $2070) - look tiny but are supportive while being easy to access.The scissor doors are made of carbon fibre and perfectly balanced so they open and close as a two-finger exercise, far removed from the heavy hand needed for the Murcielago.VERDICTThe best Lamborghini to date.Lamborghini Aventador RoadsterPrice: from $795,000 ($929,000 on-road as tested)Warranty: 3 years/unlimited km, 3yr roadside assistCapped servicing: NoService interval: 12mths/12,000kmResale: 54%Safety: 8 airbags, ABS, ESC, EBD, TCCrash rating: Not testedEngine: 6.5-litre, V12 petrol; 515kW/690NmTransmission: 7-spd automated manual; AWDThirst: 17.2L/100km; 98RON; 398g/km CO2Dimensions: 4.8m (L), 2.0m (W), 1.1m (H)Weight: 1690kgSpare: None

Lamborghini has a history of shock-and-awe supercars, but eyebrows still raised when it unveiled the Veneno concept at the Geneva Motor Show back in March. Here was a car devoid of any sanity whatsoever, with only three examples ever to be produced. Or so Lamborghini claimed.Following rumours a Veneno roadster would also be released, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann has now confirmed to Car and Driver that a drop-top Veneno will be produced -- each example costing around 3.3 million euros, or $4.9 million at today's exchange rates (in the unlikely event one could arrive here without the usual massive import taxes and duties).By Veneno standards, the roadster will be positively common -- a whole nine units, to the hard-top's three. The Aventador-derived 552-kW powertrain will remain unchanged, and one assumes so too will the styling -- save for the necessity of a removable roof.Performance is likely to be similar to the closed-roof car too, meaning a 354km/h top speed. While roadsters typically weigh more than their tin-top cousins, heavy use of carbon fiber elements should keep the Veneno roadster's weight well below that of the "regular" Aventador.Rumors of a Veneno roadster circulated last month, after several loyal Lamborghini owners were contacted by dealers to gauge interest in such a model. In the rarefied world of hypercar ownership, we'd not be surprised to learn some of those contacted already count the hard-top Veneno among their collection...For everyone else, you'd better hope those owners are suitably extroverted to bring their cars to shows -- as the production Veneno roadster may never be officially shown to the public.We'll just have to wait for the next crazy Lamborghini. Winkelmann recently told us that Lamborghini will "always the will to build dream cars with technology which is equal to innovation and stunning design." Veneno Roadster, Egoiste... there's plenty more to come from Sant'Agata.www.motorauthority.com 

It was only a few months ago that Lamborghini founded its Squadra Corse department to handle its motorsport activities, including its one-make series, the Blancpain Super Trofeo. The Super Trofeo race series spawned its own special-edition racing Gallardo, and now the Squadra Corse department has given us another. Also based on the Gallardo Super Trofeo, the Gallardo LP 570-4 Squadra Corse is a road-going car that leverages technology and weight savings from race car, including extensive use of aluminium and carbon fibre, high-downforce aerodynamics, and quick-release engine cover. The engine is the same V10 used in the race car, accelerating the car to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds and to 200 mph in 10.4 seconds. Top speed is 320 km/h. The quick acceleration isn't just about power, however, as Lamborghini has managed to cut the Squadra Corse's weight by about 70 kg compared to the Gallardo LP 560-4. Like the Super Trofeo race cars, the LP 570-4 Squadra Corse is all-wheel drive, and comes standard with the robotised e-gear six-speed transmission operated by steering wheel paddles. The design of the car is intended to highlight the brand's Italian roots, with a decal strip along the flank of each car in the colours of the Italian flag: green, white, and red. Available exterior colours are yellow, white, grey, and red, with a matte black rear wing and high-gloss treatments for the hood, intakes, wheels, and rear diffuser. Inside each Squadra Corse is a minimalist interior finished principally in carbon fibre and Alcantara. The Gallardo LP 570-4 Squadra Corse will make its world debut at the Frankfurt motor show this September and is expected to be the last Gallardo variant before the car's successor arrives.  

If Australia lost its car manufacturing industry, design would be able to step in, says the head of the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce. Speaking at last night’s announcement of the organisation’s annual design awards, VACC executive director David Purchase said the future was bright for automotive design in Australia.“The Awards are VACC’s attempt to generally focus on automotive design as a high value-add that could fill the void if, heaven forbid, we lose automotive manufacturing in this country,” Purchase said.“Recent announcements by Ford and Holden make this potentially a little more likely, than we would like to think. Faced with this prospect, the relevant Governments must work with all stakeholders and do everything they can, financially, morally and every other thing, to ensure we have a world class automotive design capability in this country.  We are good at design and you should do what you are good at,” he said.Event organiser Murray Collins said this year’s entries – which were judged by design heads from the three Australian manufacturers: Holden, Ford and Toyota -- were of a very high standard. “This year’s designs are excellent and the event was a great success,” Collins said.The awards include two secondary students earning an opportunity to have work experience at the Ford Design Centre and all shortlisted secondary students being invited to a master class at both Monash and RMIT. In addition, one tertiary student has won an overseas scholarship. The entries will be displayed in Federation Square, for public viewing, until June 28. FINAL RESULTSSecondary Model Winner: Hamzah Brown – Trinity College, Kew“The detailing was impressive, there was a good understanding of 3D form, good visualisation and a high degree of modern technology.”Tertiary Model Winner: Anthony Farnell – Monash“Anthony’s model was very professional, well-conceived, with excellent execution and incredible attention to detail.”Secondary Design Winner: Todd Linnett – Mildura Senior College“The complete visual package, highly resolved, well-conceived and comprehensive, high quality”Tertiary Design Winner: Daniel DeBono – RMIT“Great attention to surface quality, well-conceived, a super concept and thoughtful future needs of transportation.”Secondary Essay: Eddie Gaudernack – Simonds Catholic CollegeTertiary Essay: Daniel Debono – RMITAOF/VACC Scholarship: Kouhei Kawakami – MonashFord Work Experience winners:1. Hamzah Brown – Trinity College, Kew2. Aman Bhatti – Lavalla Catholic College

If you were thinking Lamborghini’s run of concept reveals were over for the year, you had better think again, as word on the street is that the Italian sports car manufacturer is planning a new concept for the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show in September. But unlike the previous Veneno and Egoista concepts, which were more about celebrating Lambo’s 50th birthday (as well as shamelessly grabbing attention) than showing serious production intent, the latest concept is said to preview the automaker’s replacement for the Gallardo. Autocar, citing sources close to Lamborghini, reports that the new concept will closely preview the Gallardo replacement due in showrooms in the second half of 2014. The car will be joined about a year later by a second-generation Audi R8, which it will share a lightweight multi-material platform with. Instead of going exclusively with aluminum or carbon fiber, the multi-material platform will combine aluminium and carbon fiber and perhaps even some fiberglass to make a structure that’s almost as sturdy and light as a full carbon structure, but significantly cheaper to produce. To help differentiate the two cars, the Lamborghini is expected to have a slightly shorter wheelbase. Overall weight of the Lamborghini should be less, too, and should come in under the1497kg curb weight of the Gallardo. The Gallardo’s 5.2-litr V-10 will carry over, but with extensive revisions to deliver more power and fewer emissions. Peak output should come in at 435kW. This means the new car is likely to be an LP 600-4. Note, an engine with these very specs was previewed in the Egoista concept. And yes, all-wheel drive will remain standard, though rear-wheel drive is likely to be offered at some point during the car’s life. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will be fitted instead of the Gallardo’s e-gear automated manual, and we’re not expecting a conventional three-pedal manual to be offered anymore. Styling, meanwhile, is likely to be influenced by the Egoista and earlier Sesto Elemento, both of which were based on Gallardo running gear. In particular, look for the Egoista’s active flaps to make it over onto the Gallardo replacement’s bodywork. As for its name, this too remains up in the air, though one of the possibilities making the rounds is “Cabrera.” In Lamborghini tradition this name comes from a legendary Spanish fighting bull, though it roughly translates to “goatherder” in Catalan and Spanish. www.motorauthority.com  

Swedish supercar manufacturer Koenigsegg recently came out with a new model, a variation of its Agera supercar dubbed the Agera S. The latest supercar sits in between the standard Agera and range-topping Agera R, and like all Koenigseggs has been built as a roadster, which means its roof can be removed and stored aside when open-top driving is desired.The Agera S was privately launched in late 2012 and only now has Koenigsegg released all the details. The car was created specifically for markets where E85 fuel is unavailable, with most of the orders so far coming from Asia. The Agera S has all the features and functions of the Agera R, except for its flex-fuel capability.As pump gasoline has a lower octane rating than E85 fuel, peak output of the Agera S is slightly lower than that of the Agera R, coming in at 758 kilowatts instead of 850 kilowatts. Peak torque, meanwhile, registers at 1098 Newton metres. The 0-100km/h sprint takes 2.9 seconds and up to 1.6 g of lateral force can be exhibited on the skidpan. Top speed is said to be in excess of 402km/h while the curb weight comes in at approximately 1415kg.Like all Agera models, power comes from a twin-turbocharged 5.0-litre V-8 and is directed to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and electronic differential. This drivetrain is mounted in a mid-engine position in a monocoque chassis built from carbon fibre but with aluminium honeycomb filling.The Agera S is still available for sale, in either left- or right-hand drive. And in case you were wondering what Agera means, Koenigsegg tells us that in Swedish it means “take action” but there is also a connection with the Greek word Ageratos, which means “ageless.”www.motorauthority.com 

The new Lamborghini Egoista concept is one of the most startling vehicles the Italian brand has produced. Developed as a tribute to Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary by a team led by Volkswagen Group design boss Walter De Silva, the concept’s name, which is Spanish for “selfish,” has been applied because of the single-seat design. But rather than signify a potential for single-seat racing, the design was picked to allow its driver the ability to express their individual personality to the maximum.“This is a car made for one person only,” De Silva explained at the unveiling of the Egoista at Lamborghini’s recent 50th anniversary Grande Giro drive in Italy.The Italian designer also used the words “hedonism,” “four-wheeled UFO” and even “Never Never Land” in describing the car. While the Egoista is a pure design concept, Lamborghini has said in the past that it never builds a concept without the intention of production. But this one is a gift from Lamborghini to itself, so we doubt it will be sold to the highest bidder.It does present some interesting technology we may see in the future, however. Namely, lightweight construction, new design language and a 441 kilowatt version of the Gallardo’s 5.2-litre V-10 engine. Materials used in the construction include aluminium and carbon fibre.The upper part of the vehicle also features active flaps integrated in the bodywork that move depending on the driving conditions, providing a balance between drag and downforce. Two rear flaps activate automatically at high speeds to increase stability, while a series of air intakes on the back of the engine hood provides the cooling air flow to the V-10 engine. New features of the Gallardo successor perhaps?Inspiration for the concept’s design came from an Apache helicopter, whose ejecting cockpit design was borrowed for the Egoista. The profile, meanwhile, is said to represent a charging bull with its head down and horns pointed forward.“The cockpit represents a sort of survival cell, allowing the driver to isolate and protect themselves from external elements,” De Silva explained.”We kept an eye on the future when designing the Egoista, with the idea that its cockpit could have been taken from a jet aircraft and integrated into a road vehicle.”Inside, there is a racing seat with a four-point seatbelt, airbags, and the bare minimum of instruments. The focal point of these is a head-up display, typical of jet fighters. To get out of the vehicle, the driver must remove the steering wheel and rest it on the dashboard, open the canopy, stand up and then sit down on a precise point of the bodywork, then swivel 180 degrees. At this point, he or she can finally set their feet down and stand up. Hedonism, indeed.www.motorauthority.com 

It has just given the green light for its outrageous Urus as the world's luxury carmakers rush to satisfy the SUV craving with a range of models including future cars from Bentley and Maserati.The Urus will not hit the road until 2017 but is already predicted to comfortably double production for the Italian brand, just as the Cayenne SUV did for Porsche. That points to sales of around 3000 a year.It will lumber in above the Gallardo and Aventador with a body teased from Lamborghini's existing Urus concept car and a mechanical package based on the Volkswagen Group's MLB platform, which is designed to fit under the next-generation Audi Q7, Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg.Confirmation of the Urus future comes during Lamborghini's 50th birthday celebrations but it comes not from the Italian company's management but from Audi, which has ultimate control of Lamborghini."In the year 2017 we will start the third model range: the Urus. So, in the future, Lamborghini will continue to stand for exclusivity, uncompromising aerodynamics and sporty driving," says Rupert Stadler, chairman of Audi.The Urus project first surfaced last year in the run-up to the Beijing auto show, where the bright-red concept was shown for the first time. It's big and brutal but has an edginess family to all Lamborghini products and a nose which picks up hints from the Gallardo and Aventator.Stadler says Lamborghini "has to do it" and development of the Urus is "on track". There is no confirmation yet of the Urus's engine, but it is highly likely to be a turbocharged V8 with hybrid electric booster to liberate around 440kW.It is expected to undercut the other VW Group SUVs on the weight front, by around 100 kilograms, by using carbon fibre in its body structure. The Urus should be around 4.9m in length but only 1.7m high, rolling on alloy wheels at least 20 inches in diameter.And its name? Unlike other Lamborghini models, which are named after Spanish fighting bulls, Urus goes back further to the original ancestral name for the cattle which came before modern cows.This reporter is on Twitter @paulwardgover