Lamborghini News

That's Lamborghini's dictum. Automobili Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann dismisses the trends of competitors such as Porsche with its Cayenne and now Aston Martin which will rebirth the Lagonda name as an SUV. Winklemann says the future for super sports companies such as the Italian firebrand is with four-wheel-drive sports cars, not four-wheel-drive Toorak tractors. "SUV has no future anymore," he says. "We would be killed by the public if we did an SUV. "It might work in Russia, but not anywhere else. "For us, four-wheel-drive sports cars are important as a unique selling point." However, the company is embracing the trend among super luxury sports car companies to add two more doors. Porsche this year will launch the Panamera, Aston Martin plans to release a four-door Rapide and Lamborghini has debuted its Estoque concept. But Winklemann is cautious about adding to its two-door Gallardo and Murcielago coupes and convertibles. "For the moment we will stick with our two-car strategy," he says. "There is little doubt that it (Estoque) would double the sales volume for Lamborghini. "However, in this economic situation going to three models would be something that would double our efforts and not necessarily double our profits. "For the moment it is too much of a risk." So the Estoque (pronounced Ess-tock) is on hold. "If we would do a third model it would be a car like the Estoque," Winklemann says. "It is what our four-door product would look like; a 2+2 with a coupe look. "But it would have to have a business case, not just a product because we like it." Winkelmann also rejected following competitors into turbo-diesel, electric or hydrogen power trains, but said they would consider hybrid systems and technologies such as regenerative braking.  

Fast and flashy. That's the Geneva show of 2009 in two words.

Lamborghini used the Geneva Motor Show to unveil its new Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce, a more powerful, lighter and faster development of the Murcielago. The LP 670-4 SuperVeloce is even more powerful, lighter and faster than the Murcielago LP 640. With the output of the 6.5 litre V12 increased to 500kW and a 100kg weight reduction, the two-seater boasts a power-to-weight ratio of 2.3 kg per litre. This catapults it 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 342km/h via an all-wheel drive system that is split 35/65 front and rear. Distinctive design refinements ensure that each of the 350-unit limited edition cars looks distinctive. The sportscar has been extensively redesigned with a new front and rear, an innovative engine bonnet and a choice of two aerodynamic set-ups featuring either a small or large rear spoilers. The interior in Alcantara and carbon fibre provides a purist and minimalist approach. In order to slash the weight by 100kg the SuperVeloce was extensively reworked from chassis to engine and transmission, right through to the interior. The lift in engine power is the result of optimized valve timing and a reworked intake system. The significantly modified aerodynamics with substantially increased downforce brings considerable improvement to vehicle stability at very high speeds. With the small standard-fit rear spoiler, top speed stands at 342 km/h, while the large “Aeropack Wing” gives a top speed of 337 km/h. Visually the SuperVeloce gets plenty of matt black paint, carbon fibre front spoiler and redesigned front end. The large air intakes for the front brakes are more powerfully emphasized and new front mudguards have additional air intakes for brake ventilation. The air vent for the oil cooler located in the driver-side sill area is painted matt black to match the sills. The modifications are even more apparent around the engine bay. The 12-cylinder engine is presented under a transparent engine bonnet. The rear is dominated by a flat and extremely wide exhaust pipe and, on the underside, by a two-level diffuser system finished entirely in carbon fibre. The rear light clusters display their signals in that distinctive Y-shape that has been a fixed element of Lamborghini design since the Murcielago LP 640, Reventon and Gallardo LP 560-4. The panel between the lights is made from carbon fibre, while the large intake mesh below expands across the full width of the rear end. Made from thick-walled aluminum, the hexagonal pattern is laser-cut and a Teflon coating provides the necessary heat protection. The car’s structure uses a composite construction of extremely stiff carbon components and a tubular steel frame, as in a race car. The transmission tunnel and the floor are made of carbon fibre, attached to the steel frame using rivets and high-strength adhesives. The roof and the exterior door panels are formed in sheet steel, while the rest of the outer skin is made from carbon composite material. The SuperVeloce is equipped as standard with the sequential, automated manual transmission e.gear, which uses electro-hydraulics to shift gear extremely quickly and smoothly. A cockpit display informs the driver of the gear currently engaged. The car is also available with a six-speed manual transmission.  

Lamborghini has the answer with its Gallardo Spyder LP560-4, which makes its show debut along with the coupe version and Murcielago LP640 coupe. The Gallardo LP560-4 coupe and Spyder arrive mid-year. They share a 5.2-litre V10 engine, bolted into an aluminium spaceframe chassis with aluminium and thermoplastic body panels. The V10 develops 412kW at 8000 revs and 540Nm at 6500 revs, which in the Spyder gives it a top speed of 324km/h and a zero-100km sprint time of 3.7 seconds. The Spyder puts all this power to the ground through a six-speed robotic sequential gearbox and all-wheel drive. The Murcielago LP640 pumps out 471kW and 660Nm from its 6.5-litre V12 engine. Not surprisingly, the Murcielago is quick too, reaching 100km/h in 3.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 340km/h.   The 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show...  

UPDATED - The Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (shown here) set a new world record for a car sold at auction on the 17th May 2009. 0714TR reached 12 million dollars US at RM Auctions Leggenda e Passione Ferrari auction in Maranello.     For me it’s the car in the photo gallery on the right. However the judgement of the most authoritative list of automotive experts ever assembled to make such a decision voted the Citroen DS21 to be the car. This panel included Gioretto Giugaro, Marcello Gandini and Gordon Murray, three of the most respected names in the industry and themselves responsible for such legendary cars as the Lamborghini Countach, Lancia Startos and McLaren F1. This past weekend at the Paris Retromobile, a Citroen DS Chapron Convertible sold at by auction by Bonhams  for just under A$650,000. The Chapron Convertible is the rarest and even more beautiful version of the DS21. Personally while I greatly admire the DS, it does not make my top ten list, which comprises; 1.    1957 Ferrari 250 TR 2.    Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spyder 3.    1963 Ferrari 250GTO 4.    Ferrari 246GT 5.    Lamborghini Muira 6.    Ferrari P4 7.    Ferrari 206SP 8.    Mercedes 300SLR Coupe 9.    Maserati 5000GT by Touring 10.  Jaguar E-Type S1 11.  Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona Given my long term fascination with everything Ferrari I am interested to see how the auction of 0714TR will fare at Ferrari Leggenda e Passione in  Maranello, on 17 May 2009. This is the car that can (and should) break the current world sale record of $10.8m (currently A$16.6m) for the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder (s/n 2377GT) set at last year’s Ferrari Leggenda e Passione on 18 May 2008. The 1957 Pontoon Fender 250TR is one of the true legends of the Ferrari marque and generally considered one of the most desirable models by Ferrari cognoscenti. This particular example is unique and beautifully restored in its original black color scheme. Delivered to Piero Drogo; himself a substantial character within the history of Ferrari and extensively campaigned in races North and South America this car has the potential even in the current economic climate to blow the current record away. We will update you with the result in May.   Rod Halligan

Filming of the Australian series has turned into a demolition derby with a repair bill close to $200,000.

No.. but we are closer than we have ever been. Even more than architecture, fashion and aircraft, cars are the most visually represented statement of our possible future. From Rust Heinz’ 1938 Phantom Corsair to Syd Mead's Spinner in Blade Runner, the car has been central to our dreams and the imaginations for our potential. The 1950's saw the emergence of a style of design exemplified by Nuccio Bertone, Virgil Exner and Harley Earl, that while it may be considered visually naive now still has profound influence on our perception of future possibilities. GMs Motorama of 1956 was the major showcase for this style of design that lasted into the early seventies, the over-riding feature being the human interpretation of function as driven by form.. The last truly great examples of this period; the Coke bottle Corvette of 67-73, the Ferrari Dino, Lamborghini Muira and E-Type Jag are now revered as works of art by car cognoscenti and their prices reflect their stature in the motoring world.. All of these cars display a human’s perception of the flow of air over metal; the mind as a virtual wind tunnel. Post these cars we saw a period of design that was quite - well...., square. The second coming of car design emerged around ten years ago and has been going from strength to strength. While the Futuristic period of the 50's set the visual benchmarks and boundaries for current designers, the designers of the period did not have the shackles of the oil, financial or environmental crisis to deal with. They also did not have the technology available that allowed them to add the function to the form efficiently. At the very heart of the current design period is the evolution of human possibilities that advancing technology and social dreams and responsibilities allow and dictate.. What we are seeing is art meeting and merging with technology to create form with function. If the 50’s were the golden era of car design we have now reached platinum. The Veyron, the 599, the DBS, 997, Murcielago and yes, still the Corvette – all are incredibly beautiful and also capable of 200 mph in relative safety. As exciting as car design presently is the Futurama period is hard to let go of, hence the number of Retro-future cars we continue to see. From the Mini to the Mustang good design should be celebrated, honored and mimicked. The re-interpretation of a classic design when made relevant to the current situation is not something to scorn as it just adds another variety, another choice - and there is nothing wrong with that. For a lot of current designers the benchmark for futuristic design was set in the 70's by Syd Mead  ...Visually we are there. Technologically we are close. We are at the dawn of the alternate propulsion era. We have broken through the political and financial barriers of the oil era. In many ways we can thank the current financial crisis for that. Electric is on the way, which will be an enthusiasts dream with its full size slot car performance and environmental friendliness. Let’s just not get to the point we ban petrol cars from our roads, let them naturally evolve out. With the future - we are almost there, but our past is continuing to remain with us longer. - Thankfully. The last turn of a V12 on a public road should be put off for as long as possible. Rod Halligan

What should have been the main attraction in the car world was reduced to a sideshow as the heads of America's Big Three sat down in Detroit on the same day to beg for the billions they need to stay in business. There was plenty of shiny new stuff but all the talk was doom and gloom, even from car chiefs who do not have the same live-or-die pressures as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. "I think it is fair to say this is the worst we have seen," the head of the world's fifth-largest carmaker, Carlos Ghosn of the Nissan- Renault alliance, says as he delivers the keynote speech at the opening of LA '08. "And we are not certain. Is this the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?", Ghosn says of the critical cash crisis which is affecting nearly everyone in the car world. Still, there is plenty of new stuff and news on the strangely subdued stands in downtown LA. The latest Ford Mustang, for a start. And then the world debut of the latest Mazda3 and Lexus RX, the great looking new Nissan 370Z, the updated Porsche Cayman and Boxster, and even a droptop Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4. It's no surprise, either, that some of the special impact in LA is reserved for cars which are chasing the elusive path to a future beyond petrol that satisfies American lawmakers' deepening desire for transport without emissions. The Mini E is the obvious champion, but LA also has the electric Mitsubishi i-MIEV which is likely to become Australia's first plug-and- go volt car, and all sorts of new-and-old battery-powered concept cars from the Big Three and a growing number of hybrid production cars including the Mondeo-sized Ford Fusion. As well as the radical looking Honda FC Sport Concept, which was done to prove that a hydrogen-powered future car does not have to look as boring or family as the company's upcoming Insight or the benchmark Toyota Prius. The show is a mis-hit for General Motors, which canned its concepts and parties, although Ford stays totally committed with a Mustang which makes the running for an event which typically draws around one million visitors in a city which is the car capital of the USA and, by extension, the world. "I think there is a mixed emotion at the show," says J Mays (SUBS: CORRECT), the design director of Ford Motor Company. "You still have to try and tug hard enough on the heart strings that people forget about the purse strings. It's a yin-and-yang situation." Looking over at his Mustang, and across to the Honda FC, Mays expresses what many people are thinking. Even at a time when it is more politically correct to attack the car chiefs, and their private- jet flights to Washington, than to talk about a show which takes another important step towards the world beyond petrol. "Automobiles are escapism. It's not just transport," says Mays. "People ask if it's appropriate to launch the Mustang at his time. Damn right it is. It puts a smile on your face and enhances your quality of life." That is definitely true of the Mustang, which still looks muscular and fresh despite a chassis which trails well behind the Ford Falcon, and the open-air Gallardo and even the second-generation Nissan Cube, which could just make it to Australia one day. And the 370Z looks tauter than today's 350, with the promise of more go and much better cabin quality, and the Mazda3 is fresh and happy. The Mini E looks just like the regular petrol-power car but is a milestone car which has the power and range to win people to electric. "It's an important time in the history of the global car industry," says Carlos Ghosn. He worries about the impact of the global recession, and the money pressures on carmakers trying to evolve faster than ever before, and the challenges of safety and emission regulations. But, just like the cars on the LA Show stands, and the regular car people who flood in once the doors are open, he is bottom-line upbeat and bright. "The one thing that is certain, absolutely certain, is that people will continue driving cars. Cars have no substitute. We have convergence on the issues, but divergence on the solutions," Ghosn says. And that is pretty much the way things looked in LA.  

It is long, low and very nasty; right down to the 5.3-litre V-10 engine ripped from the Gallardo supercar and slammed into the nose of the new Italian four-seater.