Autoblog

Click above to view the Lamborghini Reventon in high res

Automotive news moves fast. Sometimes faster than a Lamborghini supercar, even. Take the Reventon, which by now seems like yesterday's news. But after being revealed back in October 2007, Lamborghini has yet to begin delivering the $1.5 million supercars to their 20 eagerly-awaiting buyers. We would hardly have noticed, waiting for news of one rapped around a pole somewhere, until Lamborghini started announcing the selection of component suppliers for the Reventon.

The latest: coating specialist Zirotec, which will be supplying its Diamond Black coating to the exhaust system on the Reventon. The material was developed for nuclear reactors, and uses zirconia-based ceramics to insulate extreme heat. The coating is plasma-sprayed to the exhaust tubing in order to protect the composite bodywork, and gives the tailpipes a unique black finish. The material is also used in racing cars and on the Koenigsegg CCX. Check the press release after the jump.

[Source: Zirotec]

Click above to view gallery of Lamborghini Reventón flown over Turin

Look! Up in the sky... it's a bird... it's a plane... it's an extremely rare and expensive supercar being suspended hundreds off feet of the ground by an Italian military helicopter! That's right, Lamborghini got the bright idea that it could make a big entrance at a conference today in Turin, Italy by having its halo car, the Reventón, flown in by military helicopter and placed atop the roof the Lingotto building, wherever that is. The conference, which was hosted by Lamborghini and about the Italian automaker, was called "Lamborghini and speed – a project in record time". It was apparently about how Lamborghini developed the Reventón so quickly and attended by "local, international and academic VIPs" as part of a larger conference called "Turin 2008 – World Design Capital". Hopefully this particular Reventón, of which only 20 will be made, stays firmly placed on terra firma from now on.



[Source: Lamborghini]

Click above for photo gallery

Sometimes people say the best gifts come in small packages. We beg to differ, because if someone were to deliver us the big 'ol box you see above, we'd probably think it was the best gift ever. In that box is Lamborghini Reventon number one of twenty. Apparently, it's the only example which will be sold privately via a traditional dealership -- in this case, Lamborghini of Las Vegas. The other nineteen were all spoken for before ever leaving the factory. We've attached a sampling of photos here, but to see the complete, step-by-step gallery of the car's unboxing in Sin City, you'll need to drop by Fresh Tarmac. If you're an Autoblog reader vacationing in Vegas, you know what to do if you jackpot one of those hundred-dollar slots.


[Source: Fresh Tarmac]

Click above to view Magvisio's Lamborghini Ferruccio in hi-res

Anything you can do, I can do better. That's pretty much been Lamborghini's attitude towards arch-rival Ferrari since Ferrucio Lamborghini starting building sportscars to spite Enzo Ferrari. Fast forward 45 years and with both men gone, the idea remains the same: if Ferrari could create an exotic supercar and name it after its founder, so can Lamborghini. Only in this case, the heritage is carried on by independent designer Pule Magau of carrozzeria Magvisio.

What you see before you is the Lamborghini Ferruccio. Like the Reventon, the Ferruccio was conceived as an ultra-exclusive uber-exotic based on the Murcielago LP640. But while the Reventon had its production run upped to 100, the Ferruccio was planned for only 10 road-going examples: five coupes and five roadsters. Also like the Reventon, the Ferruccio was supposed to sell for Є1 million ($1.5 million), but it very well might have been the manifestation of the Reventon that stopped the Ferruccio project in its tracks, siphoning off potential customers to the factory's own show-stopper.

The use of carbon fiber inside and out on the Ferruccio promised to undercut the Murcielago's 0-60 time to three seconds flat en route to a claimed top speed of 230 mph, with 330mm ceramic discs and six-pot calipers to keep the speed in check. Couple that with razor-sharp styling to rival the Reventon, and you've got an interesting package, if only it didn't cost so much. Magau, however, is reportedly working to reduce the costs. If those goals can be met and the deposits roll in, the Ferruccio project could turn from wet dream to startling reality. Thanks for the tip, Mike!

NOTE: Autoblog team is split 50/50 on whether this is actual news or a bit of chain yanking from the Brits. Nunez wants it categorically stated on record that he is 100% convinced this is an "elaborate BS festival", noting that CAR's link to Magvisio's website is bogus. Noah, meanwhile, points out that there's even a video rendering of the Ferruccio, which means it would be one very elaborate hoax if it weren't the real deal. Alex fires back that the BBC was responsible for the most famous April Fools stunt ever. Your call.

[Source: Car Magazine]

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 the image above for a hi-res gallery of the Reventón

The Lamborghini Reventón has been named L'Automobile più Bella del Mondo. Translation: The World's Most Beautiful Automobile. It earned this honor in the Special Models category of this annual automotive fashion show, recently held for the fifteenth time at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, Italy. There are eleven categories in all, though the Special Models category is generally considered to be the big winner. Other cats include your various sizes of sedans, coupes, convertibles, station wagons, crossovers, sports cars and concept cars. The judging panel included artists, architects, designers, a historian, and a journalist.

We like the Reventón and would even buy one if we had €1 million -- and an invitation -- lying around, but we don't know if it's the most beautiful car in the world. One vehicle we did expect to see on the list is the Aston Martin DBS in the Sports Car category, followed in second place by the supremely tasty Maserati GranTurismo. Lexus should also be happy with its LS 460 deemed the second most beautiful large sedan in the world. What's more beautiful than the LS 460? Why the LS 600h, of course. Follow the jump for the full list of this year's winners.

[Source: Top Speed]

Click image for photo gallery

Car vs. jet stunts are kind of ridiculous, but they're entertaining nonetheless. The more exotic the hardware, the better the entertainment, and Lamborghini's Reventón is about as exotic as it gets these days. In a made-for-TV showcase (no, we haven't found video yet), a Lambo test driver and an Italian fighter pilot lined up one of the jet-inspired supercars and a Panavia Tornado combat plane on a 3000-meter runway to see which vehicle could accelerate faster. Long story short, while it probably made for great TV, the Lambo lost in the end. Hey, the 650-horsepower Reventón may be badder than both John Shaft and Truck Turner combined, but when matched against a fighter jet whose twin Turbo-Union RB199 engines combine to make 39,332 horsepower at sea level, it's bound to come up a little shy. We'd take one, anyway.

[Source: Lamborghini]

click above image to view the Lamborghini Reventon in action

The Lamborghini Reventon is among the rarest and most exotic cars on Earth, and it's 650-hp V12 and lightweight components make it one of the best performers, too. Unfortunately, the Italian automaker has decided to produce only 20 examples of the $1 million supercar, and the closest we'll likely ever get to the stealth-inspired rocket is YouTube.

The scholastic studs over at Popular Science got time behind the wheel of the Reventon, and they had their cameras rolling. The sound of the V12 parked in the back of the Italian supercar will never be mistaken for anything built here in the States, as its eager whine sounds more like a crotch rocket than anything powering four wheels. The video can be found after the jump, and though the camera work may not be very good, we imagine it's tough to keep a steady hand in a vehicle that can surpass 200 MPH and hits 60 in just 3.4 seconds.

[Source: Popular Science]

When the dust settles at the Los Angeles auto show next month, at least 14 world debuts will have taken place, along with 30 North America unveilings. Amidst the premiers, expect to see a concept version of Hyundai's new RWD sports car (also to be shown in London), along with Nissan's restyled Murano CUV.

Those of you that can pry yourselves away from the Turkey table and shrug off your tryptophanic haze will be able to check out the Jaguar XF, BMW 1-series coupe, the new Mitsubishi Evolution X, Subaru WRX STI, Lamborghini Reventon, Porsche GT2 and Ferrari's F430 Scuderia the week after the press festivities end.

[Source: Just-Auto – Sub. Req.]

Click on the above photo for more hi-res pics of the Blown Tire Reventón

As many commenters have noted, the Spanish name of the million-euro Lambo, Reventón, is a bit of a surprise. The accent over the 'o' changes the stress, but it apparently doesn't change the meaning of the word in Spanish: blown tire. As one reader wrote, not exactly the right name for a car you plan on driving at 300 KPH. Yes, Reventón was the name of a bull that killed a toreador, like Murcielago was the name of a 19th century bull. But "murcielago" also means "bat" in Spanish, and "espada," also Spanish, means "sword."

In fact, Spanish seems to be the language that comes up most frequently in these delicately-named situations. Nissan made a car called the Moco, which means "snot." Chevrolet made the Nova, which, of course, means "no go." Mitsubishi still sells an SUV called -- not in Spain -- the Pajero, which means "wanker" in the, uh, more literal sense. Then there was the Mazda Laputa, which we can't get into on a family web site. Same goes for the Lexus LF-A, which caused one wide-eyed Spaniard we know to say "They need to change that name."

As other commenters have noted, none of this is really going to matter with a million-euro car that only 20 people will get to buy. But the debate is still fun: if there were a car called "blown tire" in your language -- even if it was named after a championship-winning something-or-other -- would you want it?

Thanks to everyone who brought this to our attention in the comments!