Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the featured Lamborghinis at Pebble

While Pebble Beach is perhaps best known as a place to honor classic American and European cars, sports cars have always held a special place in the hearts of the Concours committee and judges. With 45 years under its belt, Lamborghini is certainly deserving of a special place on both counts. As a featured marque here at Pebble, Lamborghini was extremely well represented with a selection of exquisite rare examples. Nine vehicles were on display being judged by 40-year test pilot Valentino Balboni among others.

The lineup of seldom-seen Lambos included the earliest known Lamborghini 350GT, the earliest known Miura, the earliest Miura SV, the Miura Roadster fresh from a yearlong restoration that swapped its army green paint for the correct blue metalflake, a 350GTS, 350GTZ by Zagato, an early LP400 Countach, and three one-off concepts - the 1990 P140, 1996 Raptor, and the Gallardo Concept S. A truly spectacular selection of models representing the fabled Italian marque. Check out the gallery below and follow the jump for the full press release.

Photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Click image above for high-res gallery from Concorso Italiano 2008

The festivities continue around the Monterey Peninsula. We've already shown you pics from Gordon McCall's party and from the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance, but today's coverage picks up an Italian accent. The Concorso Italiano is one of the largest annual gatherings of all things Italian, be it music, cuisine, fashion, tourism, and of course cars. Previously held at the nearby Bayonet Black Horse Golf Course in Monterey Bay, this year's gathering took place at the Marina municipal airstrip. Just like the past 20-something years, this year's Concorso brought out some stunning examples of Italy's finest, cars designed with passione and intended to be driven con brio. And just like in previous years, a few non-Italian cars that bring that same driving thrill were invited in for the party.

While the tarmac didn't offer the same soft picnic grove as the golf course, the organizers tried their best to make up for it with plenty of shady tents to visit filled with vendors, food and fun. Concorso has always been more laid back than some of the other judged events during the week, and even with the slightly more rigid airport setting there was still a feeling that you were at more of a car club meet than a genuine concours. Check out the gallery by clicking one of the images here and you'll hopefully see what we mean. The usual Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, and Alfas were joined by a bunch of Lancias, DeTomasos, Fiats, and a smattering of "others" that included German, Japanese, American, and British cars. Our favorite stop was the supercar lineup that featured two MC12s, two Veyrons, an Enzo and an F50. We even spotted Valentino Balboni, Adam Corolla and Jay Leno while we were there. Click away and enjoy.

Click above for a gallery of the Veno.

Apparently, dreaming up a new design for a rarefied vehicle is too difficult for Veno Automotive, a Polish spinoff of UK-based Heros Capital Ltd. Rather than relying on design experts, with their fancy degrees and engineering knowledge, the company cribbed the Lamborghini Reventon so closely that we predict flying lawsuits.

Veno's car not only looks like a Lamborghini, the company claims it will perform like one, too. Underpinning the bodywork is supposedly a chassis that can make use of more than 1,000 horsepower. Coupe or convertible flavors are planned, with a low yearly volume of about 15. Carbon fiber will make up the bodywork, carbon-ceramic brakes are part of the package and there's an array of tech like night vision and an on-board computer with internet access. Power will initially come from Audi's 4.2 liter V8 in various levels of tune, and the company suggests that it will be able to wrest some LS9s from General Motors, a claim that's as plausible as space aliens at the White House. If V8s don't whet your appetite, there's also some idle chatter about an electric version. Our impression is that this car is just talk right now, and the pictures of the office look staged to some degree, so while the story is making the rounds, we wouldn't get our hopes up for anything real.


[Source: Carscoop]

Click above to view video after the jump

We received over a dozen tips about a hot video including a Lamborghini Gallardo (good start) and some aqueous material of the municipal kind, so we had to see the motion pictures for ourselves. We pictured a hot yellow Lambo crashing into a huge fountain, or some scantily clad young lady giving the Italian supercar a bath, but we got none of the above. What we did see is some guy using a blue bucket to transport water from a homely looking city fountain and dousing it on his prized Gallardo. To complicate the news-worthiness of the video, it looks like it was captured with a camera phone, it's shot from across the street, and the guy doesn't even seem very excited about saving $4 at the local car wash. But, you asked for it, so we've provided the video after the jump for your enjoyment (or indifference). Power to the people! Thanks for the tip, everyone!

[Source: Auto Market]

Click above for a high resolution image

Every year in August the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance gives car enthusiasts a chance to see exceptional automobiles together at the same place at the same time. With Lamborghini as a featured marque this year, it was inevitable that some of the best of the breed will be on the 18th fairway in just a few days. The earliest known 350GT (Lamborghini's first model), the earliest known Miura, and several one-off examples will be on display. As a bonus, Valentino Balboni, Lamborghini's legendary test driver, will be serving as a class judge. More information can be found in the press release after the jump, and look for our coverage of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance as we report live from Monterey next week.

If Las Vegas were a car, what car would it be? If you answered "Lamborghini", you're in the same boat as us. The city and the exotic automaker share the same combination of fast-paced excitement and unbridled showmanship. It's only fitting, then, that Lamborghini's latest showroom opened its doors on the Strip.

The newest of 34 dealerships in North America and 116 worldwide, the Vegas showroom, which includes the first Collezione Automobili Lamborghini fashion boutique, is spread across 20,000 square feet on two floors amidst the shops and restaurants at the Palazzo. Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann was there to preside over the opening, which included a fashion show of the new collection. All they needs now is a Lamborghini craps table and they'll be all set.

[Source: Lamborghini]

Click to view a gallery of the Lamborghini Zagato Raptor

If you thought the Lamborghini Reventon was as exclusive as Bolognese supercars get, feast your eyes on the Zagato Raptor. The one-off concept car unveiled at the 1996 Geneva show took on the insurmountable task of supplanting the Diablo (on which it's based) on the bedroom walls of enthusiastic children worldwide.

The concept car borrowed its mechanics from the Diablo VT, but while it retained the Lambo's 492-hp V12, in a gesture to insanity it did away with the traction control and ABS. The design, which Zagato appears to have echoed with the Spyker C12 concept, features the carrozzeria's signature double-bubble roof that tilts up with the doors not unlike the canopy on Pininfarina's Maserati Birdcage or Giugiaro's Quaranta concepts. The Raptor was developed in conjunction with Swiss sledding champion Alain Wicki (yes, he has his own Wikipedia entry), and while public reception was hot, the car was never put into production. All that remains is this one original show car, which is now going up for auction at Pebble Beach by the auctioneers at the Blackhawk Collection.

Check out the images in the gallery below. Thanks for the tip, Jonathon!

[Source: Blackhawk Collection]

Click above for high-res gallery of this TT Gallardo

Jason Heffner is in the business of building fast cars. We're talking about quadruple digit horsepower, spinning the tires at 100 mph and pulling-away-from-a-Bugatti-Veyron fast cars. You might remember watching a Heffner-powered twin-turbo Ford GT that could hit 222 mph in the standing mile. His latest project is this twin-turbo Lamborghini that's putting down 930 horsepower and 762 lb-ft torque at the wheels. This particular owner also wanted to cut some weight, and added a carbon fiber deck lid and rear diffuser, race seats, and lightweight wheels. Follow the jump to see the extensive upgrade list, or check out the photos below.

What to do when you want the style of a Lamborghini without the obscene payment? Seek refuge in GM's stunted program of 1980s awesomeness, the Fiero, that's what. Armed with time and skill, a steel fabricator from Canada named Woody has done an incredible job transforming a $60 mid-engined Pontiac wedge into an amazing homage to the Reventon. Obviously talented, the finished Woodighini is going to be incredible, Woody's done a fine job of transferring the Reventon's proportions to the Fiero's chassis.

When you're rocking Sant'Agata styling, you can't make do with an Iron Puke or even the L44 V6. Woody's tucking a hotted-up GM small-block under the engine hatch, fed pressurized atmosphere by a pair of turbos. The blow-through carburetor is a bit too stone age for our tastes, but we're sure it's not going to stand in the way of this car being a wheeled rocket. Flat out amazing work, and it's likely to have the same amount of attention lavished on it by passerby as a real Lamborghini gets; it's sure had as much extreme care in its crafting as anything wearing the Bull.


[Source: Hub Garage(reg. req.) via Motorfoot]

Click above for high-res gallery of the edo competition LP640

German tuner edo competition is determined to leave no supercar untouched, and the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 is the latest to undergo the conversion. Starting with the 6.5L V12, edo adds high performance camshafts, upgraded cylinder heads, and new high flow air filters. The exhaust system is also reworked, including new headers, high-flow cats, and new mufflers. The result is 710 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0-60 mph sprint in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 224 mph. Additional modifications include a conversion to RWD, 19-inch alloy wheels, and a new aerodynamically efficient adjustable rear wing. Follow the jump for full details in the press release and check out the gallery below.

[Source: edo competition]