Autoblog

Smoking cigars. It conjures images of wood-lined, quilted-leather private clubs and back-room deals brokered with a hand-shake between captains of industry and diplomats. Though tobacco may be taboo in modern society, cigars still have an air of class about them. At least until Lamborghini got involved.

While we're all for automotive-themed products, especially those of the finely-crafted variety, this seems to take things too far. Made by Tonino Lamborghini (think of it as Sant'Agata's Porsche Design), this range of lighters and cigar cutters, in our view, infuses the flashy, fast-paced Lamborghini image into a realm where it doesn't belong. Maybach can get away with slapping their badge on a smoker's set. Even Porsche Design manages to carry it off with a degree of class. But as much as we like Lamborghini's fantastic sportscars, when our first-born child arrives, we'll take a pass on these.

[Source: eLighters via CarScoop]

Click above to watch the video

To the outside observer, Lamborghini and Ferrari may appear to be peas in a pod, and while the two exotic automakers may arrive at similar points, they come from completely different directions. While Ferrari remains essentially a racing team that produces road cars to support their motorsport campaigns, sporadic privateer entries notwithstanding, Lamborghini has never had the same degree of racing pedigree. That may be about to change, however.

This year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance highlighted Lamborghini as a featured marque, and the guys over at Garage419 had a chance to talk with Stefan Winkelmann. The Lamborghini CEO revealed that the company is preparing a full-on factory racing program, and though details are still a few weeks away, Winkelmann said the factory racing effort would start in Europe. Winkelmann also dispelled rumors of a potential RWD-only variant of the new Gallardo LP560-4, as well as a Superleggera version, saying that Lamborghini had no such plans for the time being. Follow the jump to watch the video.

[Source: Garage419 via eGMCarTech]

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.

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]

A wealthy Arab man, thought to be a Sheikh, recently had his black and gold Lamborghini LP640 flown 3,250 miles to London via Qatar Airways and trucked to a certified UK Lamborghini dealership last Friday for a fluid change, which cost him a paltry £3,552 compared to the £20,000 round-trip flight. That's a grand total of £23,552 ($46,644 USD) for a friggin' oil change.

Environmentalists are obviously not pleased with the owner's wanton display of conspicuous consumption. Airport workers at Heathrow also blasted the owner's excess after watching the car get the royal treatment on the runway. One commented, "This car doesn't have a carbon footprint - more of a crater," and another pointed out that it would've been much cheaper to just fly certified Lamborghini technicians to Qatar to do the service.

This type of behavior begs the question of how far one's personal choice extends in the face of the greater good. We're told the Earth is dying beneath our feet and it's all our fault, so should a Sheikh be allowed to ship his car around the world for an oil change while the rest of us stick compact flourescent light bulbs in our lamps and wait in line to buy a Prius? Perhaps the only act that could be more environmentally egregious than this is if he just threw out his exotic and bought a new one every 3,000 miles.

[Source: The Sun]

Click above for high-res gallery of new pics of the LP560-4

It seems that well-to-do individuals who grew up staring at Countach posters on their bedroom walls are still finding a way to fulfill their childhood fantasies. Both sales and profits are up at Lamborghini, with most of the increases coming from emerging markets, including the Middle East, China and Hong Kong. Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann believes that the key to its recent sales successes is its policy of producing fewer vehicles than it believes it can sell, thereby keeping demand high. Winkelmann also noted that costs go down as production goes up, a further boon to increased profitability.

With Lambo's latest Gallardo LP560-4 about to hit its 114 dealerships, the second half of the year is already shaping up quite nicely. Ridiculously expensive options with high profit margins like $19,000 carbon-ceramic brakes are sure to help the bottom line too.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Most car enthusiasts know about the Lamborghini Miura, one of the most beautiful and desirable cars from the '60s and '70s, but few know about the one-off Miura Jota and subsequent SV/J models. The Jota was built in 1970 as an experimental car to test new ideas for the upcoming Miura SV. It featured a lightweight body with extra vents, a split sump engine (implemented on later SV models), "Megaphono" exhaust pipes, and a bevy of bespoke features. After the car was finished, it was sold to a loyal customer. Unfortunately, the Jota was involved in an accident and was completely destroyed when it burned to the ground. However, when several of Lamborghini's customers heard about the car, they asked if they could buy one of their own. Lamborghini decided not to officially build a production Jota, but they did offer conversions based on the SV model. The Lamborghini Registry lists only six "works" SV/J models, all featuring the Jota bodywork. The one seen here is chassis number 4892, and it will be auctioned off at the upcoming Russo and Steele classic car auction in Monterey. It's tough to tell what the car will go for since the SV/J models rarely ever change hands, but you can bet it won't be a paltry sum.

[Source: Russo and Steele]