Lamborghini News

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

A Chinese journalist has smashed a Lamborghini Gallardo during a media launch outside the city of Hangzhou. The driver reportedly lost control of the new Lamborghini while driving on wet road with other journalists. The all-wheel drive Gallardo spun, wiping out both the front and rear. The driver reportedly was uninjured, but the car -- which costs 3.3 million yuan (about $530,000) in China but sells for between $400,000 and $578,000 here -- will be written off according to Car News China. The report states that the car was the newly-facelifted Gallardo that debuted at Paris motor show in September last year. It says the 30-year-old journalist, whose name is listed only as Zhu, was an experienced driver.  

The $750,000 luxury black matte Italian sports car has been a known pride and joy for the rapper for quite some time.

Luxury car buyers in Australia are paying too much, according to a British exotic brand that has just slashed a massive $100,000 from its local pricetags.

Lamborghini has long been known for its extreme approach to design. Usually those designs are not just striking, but beautiful as well. Usually.Here we have the Egoista, apparently designed to echo the look and feel of an open cockpit formula car as viewed through a kaleidoscope.Unveiled during an event for the brand's 50th anniversary celebrations--and apparently not to the world, but just to the crowd on hand in Sant'Agata--little else is known about the Egoista except for its origin.Built, according to Luxury & Supercar Weekend, for an upcoming film called “Egoista,” the car may not even be a proper concept car, with no intent or future influence behind its design. We certainly hope that's the case based on the photos so far.www.motorauthority.com 

We first caught wind of Dutch firm Vencer and its Sarthe supercar project in May of last year. Back then, the company had just a few renderings of its Sarthe and the promise of a production version in the not too distant future. At the 2013 Top Marques Monaco over the weekend, Vencer lived up to its promise by unveiling the Sarthe supercar in production trim. The Sarthe, presumably named after the French race track that plays host to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has been in the works for several years and takes its inspiration from the Le Mans prototypes of the 1980s. It is an exclusive, hand-built supercar with a mid-engine layout and powerful V8 sourced from General Motors. Underpinning the car is a tubular steel structure utilising chrome-molybdenum for the crash structures and rear subframe. The suspension, meanwhile, features double wishbones with adjustable shock absorbers. Despite the lack of exotic building materials, the Vencer Sarthe tips the scales at a reasonable 1,389kg. In addition, the weight balance is a near ideal 45-55 front-rear. The V8 engine sits directly behind the car’s two seats and drives the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip differential. Peak output is rated at 375 kilowatts and 650 Newton metres of torque, which Vencer says should be good for 100km/h acceleration in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 328km/h. The wheels measure up to 508mm in diameter and house steel brake discs measuring more than 381mm across. Inside, the Sarthe boasts hand-stitched leather seating, a contemporary infotainment system and luxuries such as dual-zone climate control and a GPS. No pricing details for the Vencer Sarthe have been released yet, though previous estimates have come in at roughly 265,000 euros (approximately $336298AUD). www.motorauthority.com