Autoblog

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 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]

Click above for hi-res shots of STRUT's Gallardo collection

Has that yellow Lamborghini Gallardo been sitting on the lawn for a while because it's simply not getting you the attention you want? Or have all those other LP560-4 owners made it too hard for you to use the Phone Number Collecting Set? If so, STRUT could have just the right bit of jazz to put the rage back in your bull.

An 11-piece accessory kit in carbon fiber and steel includes grilles for the front, side, and rear intakes, and the engine cover and bumper vents, as well as a STRUT shield for the front of the car. According to STRUT, the accessories give the Lambo "a disctinct, personalized appearance," because pulling up to the party in a Gallardo just wasn't distinctive enough. The price of personalization: $25,000 for the basic set, $35,000 if you gotta be a baller and choose the titanium edition. And no, that doesn't include the STRUT wheels -- those are $9,000 extra.


[Source: STRUT]

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

Lamborghini just released pricing info on the new Gallardo LP560-4, at least for the UK. Not too thrilling to those of us on this side of the puddle maybe, but there was more to the release. Along with the price information, you see, Lamborghini released a bunch of new high-res pics of its refreshed supercar in action (previous pics were only studio shots). We have been smitten with the new Gallardo since seeing it in person at the Geneva Motor Show. It takes the basic Gallardo shape and adds just the right tweaks to make it instantly sharper and more modern, especially at the rear where the vertical tail has been lowered and widened to make the car look much more capable of tackling the twisties. And that isn't an optical illusion, either.

With its 50% new chassis, all-new suspension and engine, it should be a world-beater. Horsepower has jumped to 560 and its slightly lower weight means that the 0-100 km/h sprint is now just 3.7 seconds. Top speed has also crept up over 200 MPH for the first time, as well. If that sounds like your cup of tea, be prepared to shell out £147,330 ($288,943 USD) in the UK. It should start appearing in dealerships at the end of June. Check out the full press release after the jump and don't forget to click on the gallery to see those new pics! There should be a new desktop wallpaper in there somewhere for you.

[Source: Lamborghini]

This tractor Gallardo-trailer combination was been spotted somewhere in the wilds of Miami Beach. If there were any allowable reason to put a trailer hitch on your $180K coupe, this could be one of them. The dandelion yellow Lambo is pulling a custom trailer with matching wheels, and that trailer is holding a Lamborghini-badged (but obviously custom) chopper. And even though we're not a fan of yellow cars... this little combo is pretty sweet. Thanks for the tip, Philippe!

[Source: Top Speed]

He usually spends his time behind the wheel of a Dodge Charger, but recently Samuel Hübinette made an exchange for something with a lower roofline. Lamborghini asked him to take a seat in a 2009 Gallardo for the filming of a European-market commercial set on the streets of Los Angeles and Palm Springs. Blowing tire smoke for the camera is nothing new to Sam since his blue Mopar-mobile has been featured in many a BF Goodrich tire commercial. Unlike the Charger though, the Gallardo isn't quite the towering elephant. It is also equipped with all wheel drive, a feature that requires a bit more driving finesse in order to pull off an extended slide. Look for the spot to hit YouTube sometime in the not too distant future. Also follow the link to see a few more of Sam's photos from filming.

Thanks for the tip, Eric!
[Source: Samuel Hubinette Blog]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4.

Say what you will about the Germanification of Lamborghini; it's producing damn good cars. Audi's stake in the Raging Bull has helped move Lamborghini from a quirky, inscrutable supercar producer to a purveyor of some of the finest road-going rockets our generation has ever seen. But according to Audi pres Stephan Winkelmann, the magic number for cross pollination of the two brands is 20-percent. "In the future, we will always work together just on the hidden parts – parts that will not touch the DNA of Lamborghini," Winkelmann told Autocar.

That pronouncement by Winkelmann is an attempt to quell criticism that the Gallardo shares too many components with the Audi R8 and that the majority of parts sharing will include unseen components, like electrical, plumbing and other, smaller pieces. "We have a quality benchmark with Audi," Winkelmann said, "[Lamborghini] gets the best and fastest, and Audi gets us the cheapest."


[Source: Autocar]

Click to view the Premier4509 Gallardo in hi-res

Did you have enough of Premier4509's outlandish tuning after viewing the tuner Continental GT? Judging from the comments left by our readers, you most definitely did, but in case you missed out, the Japanese aftermarket firm has released a similar body kit for the Lamborghini Gallardo.

Set aside the extroverted aero kit for a second and the big question mark follows: why are they just now releasing a kit for a model that's already been replaced? The Gallardo LP560-4 debuted last month in Geneva and effectively replaces the model on which Premier4509 has based this kit. For those with an existing baby Lambo, however, plus a chunk of cash and a taste appetite for the extreme, Premier4509's Gallardo kit consists of a new bumpers front and rear, side skirts, a rear spoiler and optional stainless exhaust tips, plus the same forged rims as seen on the company's Bentley. The front end clearly draws its inspiration from the Lamborghini Reventon. The parts are all made of carbon fiber, which, as Premier4509 points out, has been laboriously hand-stitched together because some panels are actually wider than the sheets in which the material comes. Premier4509 also notes that it is working on new kits for Bentleys, Maseratis and Astons Martin, so better hide your exotic wheels now before it's too late. Click through for more details and high-res images can be viewed in the gallery below.

[Source: Premier4509]

Lamborghini apparently has a sense of humor; how else would you explain the exotic brand's website using an image of a small paper bag with a bull logo and the automobili Lamborghini script, described as a sick bag, as the entry to the merchandise section of its website? If the performance of its cars doesn't kick you in the gut, the prices will likely induce at least some swooning. A better use for this barf sack - which appears to just be an inside joke to the folks at Sant'Agata - would perhaps be toting the finest of chocolates. Too bad that they're out of stock (probably forever), so even if you wanted to toss your cookies into what's undoubtedly one of the highest performance puke diddies available, it's not possible. The time honored tradition of hanging your head out the side window after a particularly hot lap in, say, the Reventon is always an option, though. We wonder if they offer napkins?

[Source: Lamborghini via Motor Trend]

Click above for more high-res images of the Lamborghini LP560-4

Seems like yesterday when we first saw the new Lamborghini LP560-4 debut in Geneva, but we were glad it was here at the New York Auto Show today too for its North American debut. Rather than bring three variations on the theme like the Italian exotic automaker did in Switzerland, Lamborghini simply uncovered the matte white pearl version with the shiny black LP640-like rims. It still looks incredibly hot. All of the changes seem to have made the car crisper and immediately more current, especially out back where the car now appears lower and wider, which it needed. About that LP560-4 name... as Lamborghini's Stephen Winkelmann pointed out that it means "longitudinal posteriore" for the rear longitudinal engine position, 560 for the ponies that the new 5.2L V10 generates, and "-4" for the number of driven wheels. The cosmetic and name changes don't begin to delineate the numerous alterations made under the skin though. It's essentially a new car, with a highly revised chassis, all-new suspension and engine, as well as a new interior. We guess "Lamborghini New Gallardo" just doesn't have the right ring to it even though it fits corporate overlord Volkswagen's naming scheme a little better.

All the official details from Lamborghini are available after the jump and we've assembled a high-res gallery of live and press images below.