Lamborghini Countach Reviews

European luxury carmakers have begun a massive rollout of plug-in hybrid technology, seeing it as the only way to meet increasingly stringent emissions standards.Cars with the system, which differs from a traditional hybrid by enabling a distance of about 30km on battery power alone, were centrepieces of almost every stand at the Paris motor show, which opened this week.Mercedes used the show to detail its S500 Plug-In Hybrid, a version of its flagship large luxury car that has "the performance of a V8 with fuel consumption of a compact model".The company says it has learned from involvement in Formula 1 to achieve fuel economy of just 2.8 litres per 100km - much less than a Toyota Prius - in a car that can charge to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds. The S500 combines a turbocharged V6 with an electric motor and can travel on lithium ion battery power for 33km.It is the spearhead for an armada of plug-ins, with Mercedes planning to launch one every four months until 2017.Mercedes chief Dieter Zetsche believes plug-in hybrids will be adopted quicker than electric vehicles, with prices in line with equivalent petrol models. "A plug-in hybrid is the 'easy entry version' for those who are still a little uncomfortable with electric cars," he said. The first luxury plug-in hybrid available in Australia is the recently launched Porsche Panamera sedan at $285,300. Porsche used the show to unveil the same system in its Cayenne SUV. It expects to sell up to 70 plug-in hybrids a year.Lamborghini was another supercar brand with a plug-in hybrid debut at Paris, with the Asterion, which combines a 5.2-litre V10 petrol engine with three electric motors for fuel consumption of 4.2 litres per 100km.It says the Asterion is a "demonstrator" but the brand has to be ready for changes in European fuel emissions rules.Lamborghini is part of the Volkswagen group and chief Martin Winterkorn warned EU regulators that companies needed time to recover the investment in new technology before emission rules were tightened further."Every gram of CO2 that we save in our European fleet costs our group almost €100 million ($144m) - €100m that we have to invest in advance, without knowing when these investments pay off," he said."That's why I worry when Brussels already now starts to cry out for new, more stringent norms for the time after 2020." Volkswagen has invested heavily in plug-in hybrids, with its luxury arm Audi committed to the system. Its Australian rollout begins with the A3 small car in March, priced at about $60,000.

Lamborghini unveils 669kW hybrid supercar concept in Paris.

Neil Dowling track tests the 2014 Lamborghini Huracan, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Neil Dowling track tests the Lamborghini Aventador, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

The one of a kind Lamborghini Egoista has found a permanent parking spot.

The Lamborghini Huracan is the garlic bread and herbed butter of the Italian supercar maker's line-up.

With a top speed of 325km/h, the new Lamborghini Huracan supercar may be one of the fastest machines on the road, but owners better be good at parking it.A rear view camera and parking sensors are a $5900 option on this $465,000 car, even though they are standard on a $20,000 Toyota Corolla and available as an accessory on any vehicle for as little as $500.As consumer pressure mounts for rear view cameras to be standard equipment on all cars, and in particular on SUVs due to their impact on driveway safety, Lamborghini has defended the decision to make the safety features an option.The Italian company’s Asia-Pacific representative Sebastian Henry said the high cost option was “not so unusual for Lamborghini”.“These have always been Lamborghini optional extras and the Huracan will therefore follow suit,” he said.“Senses and cameras aren’t legally-required and so we think it best to give our Aussie customers as much power as possible to customise their Lamborghini to their liking.”There is a fair bet most Lamborghini customers will take up the option.With the car’s sleek lines, low roof and small back window that overlooks its V10 engine, it’s almost impossible to park without the aid of a camera.The company said 60 per cent of customers take up the option in Australia, although declined to reveal how many buyers negotiate to get the option included in the deal.Rear view cameras on an option on Porsche sports-cars and cost between $1690 and $2580. But it fits them as standard on the Cayenne SUV.From this year, Ferrari has made a rear view camera standard on all its sports-cars.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

German car design house Mansory is set to work on a production model of its restyled Lamborghini Aventador Roadster.Mansory has already made two Aventador coupes that are sold under the Carbonado name. The exhaustive and expensive process involves buying an Aventador and then striping off the body panels.They are replaced with Mansory's own carbon-fibre panels with dyed fibre threads to create colourful and permanent patterns. The new body is 50mm wider and new axles are added to stretch out the track.While the car is disassembled, the drive train gets a once-over to boost power to 920kW and 1232Nm of torque, up from 515kW/690Nm thanks to the addition of two turbochargers.Also going up is the price. The $761,500 Aventador coupe, for example, has a sticker price as a Mansory Carbonado in Europe for the equivalent of $2 million – a cool $1.2 million upgrade. 

An adrenalin rush at the wheel of a rented Lamborghini Gallardo ended in a roaring crash into a Flinders surf shop on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.Patrons at the Flinders Hotel put down their beers as the yellow Gallardo -- believed to have been hired as a birthday celebration --  careered out of control through a roundabout, took out some poles on sleepy Cook St and let out a roar as it launched into the vacant shop near the pub."He came from the pier end flew through," one witness said. The driver, believed to be a man in his 30s, suffered a minor injury but seemed fine after the incident. "He was laughing about it, thought it was funny," she said.The witness said the Lamborghini, owned by Ultimate Driver, is one of three regularly seen being driven around the area. Its front end crumpled on impact and will require extensive repair. Its pricey 5.2-litre 10-cylinder engine -- which generates 412kW of power and 540Nm of torque -- however, is behind the driver.It has been reported the fast supercar was rented for the man's birthday. The Lamborghini Gallardo price tags start at around $400,000 for the current model, which is being phased out with a new Lambo on the way. 

Want to know what it's like to drive the Lamborghini Huracan? We'll have a road test review for you in a few weeks, but until then you can get a taste of the action with Lamborghini's Huracan driving simulator. and that's without having to shell out the $428,000 that will be price tag when the Huracan hits Australia mid-year.Replacing the 10-year-old Gallardo, and carrying an uprated version of its 5.2-litre V10, the Huracan delivers 448kW of power and 560Nm of torque, getting it to all four wheels via a new twin-clutch transmission derived from the system used in VW Group stablemate Audi R8.The four-wheel drive system has also been upgraded, and offers electronically switchable modes -- Strada (road), Sport, and Corsa (race) -- that alter the gearbox and engine settings, exhaust note, drive system and stability control.Official time for the 0-100km/h sprint is 3.2 seconds, with 0-200km/h claimed in 9.9, and a top speed of more than 325km/h -- all while keeping fuel economy to a fairly reasonable (for supercars) 12.5L/100km with the help of a stop-start system and weight-trimming use aluminium and carbon-fibre spaceframe chassis -- also to be shared with the R8 -- that keeps the Lambo to a trim 1422kg. Standard features include carbon-ceramic brakes, with the options list offering magnetic active suspension and electronically controlled variable steering ration system.To try out the simulator, head to the Lamborghini website. It doesn’t work on mobile or tablet, unfortunately, and it may demand you download the latest version of a web player to get the site running, which is a downside. But it's worth those extra minutes to get behind a Huracan wheel -- even just virtually.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott