Autoblog

After the G419 Invitational ended last Sunday, I was outside BSing with Davey G. Johnson (the erstwhile Jalop, friend of Autoblog, and all-around great guy) as we looked over the cars that still remained parked in the GPNY lot. The front row contained both a Gallardo Roadster and a spanking new LP560-4, while row two was home to a silver Diablo SV. We were going over the SV, commenting on how it's aged rather well, when Davey noted something that inspired this particular post.

"Look at that," he said, pointing at the all-lowercase, italicized, block-letter 'lamborghini' badge on the Diablo's rear deck. "That would look so much better on the new cars." The new-school Lambos, as you're all aware, wear the cursive 'Lamborghini' on their tails. Davey and I walked over to the LP560, eyeballed it, and returned to the SV. I have to say, I'm with him on this one. Those lowercase block letters are like Countach-flavored exoticar comfort food, and they'd look perfect on the angular modern Lambos. Then again, maybe the happy medium would be to split the difference and go with this classic.

In any case, let's put it to a vote:

Ferrari does it. Porsche does it. And now, Lamborghini is going to do it, too. "It" is a single-make race series, and Lambo's will showcase a competition-spec Gallardo LP560-4 dubbed the Super Trofeo. Each race will feature 30 of the cars, piloted by deep-pocketed private owners, dealer teams, and a single, Lambo-sponsored "celebrity driver" who'll change from race-to-race.

The Super Trofeo racer weighs in at 1300 kg/2866 lb and is spec'd out with all the requisite safety equipment; race-specific chassis adjustments, ABS brakes and wheels; Pirelli slicks; new instrumentation; and aero tweaks. The powered-up 5.2L direct-injected V10 sends 570 horses to all four wheels via the automaker's e.gear six-speed sequential gearbox. If you have the itch, head to your Lamborghini dealer with €200,000 -- that's the buy-in fee for the car and parts package. Each race will offer trackside support and parts sales to participants, who get to cool their heels in luxury at the Lamborghini Village that'll be set up at every venue. It all kicks off next May at Silverstone. Head over to the Super Trofeo website for the rest of the schedule and additional info. Thanks to Mobius for the heads-up!


[Source: Lamborghini]

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

A 5.2-liter V10 with 560 horsepower, 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, a top speed of over 200 mph and one of the most beautiful modern designs to ever come out of Italy. It's the new Gallardo LP560-4, and Lamborghini wants us to drive it. There are certainly more lucrative ways to make a living than being an automotive journalist, but it's moments like this that we know we made the right career choice. The best news is that we got to drive the new LP560-4 with about two dozen Lamborghini owners. Lamborghini of Orange County recently opened up a new dealership in Newport Beach, and they invited all of their customers down to see the new showroom and go for a Sunday drive. We tackled some of California's best back roads in the LP560-4 with other Gallardos, Murcielagos, and even a few Diablos. Follow the jump to read on.

All photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Click for hi-res gallery of Jeremie Paret's custom Lambo

What you see here is living, fire-breathing proof that there is life after automotive journalism. Jeremie Paret recently left his position as Editor in Chief of Modify magazine to start his own supercar tuning outfit. This customized Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 is his first creation.

It takes a special kind of tuner to have the chutzpah to tinker with an Italian thoroughbred like the LP560-4, and there are only a handful of aftermarket outfits that are up to the task. Paret sets himself apart by offering a completely customized experience, with each vehicle designed by his team according to the specifications of the customer. This Gallardo has been fitted with Asanti Diamond wheels hiding pink brake calipers, plus a host of carbon fiber bits from the side skirts and door handles to the Reventon-style front end and enlarged rear diffuser. The interior has been decked out in custom leather and Alcantara trim and an Alpine/Focal info-tainment system.

Paret's crew will arrange for any customer's vehicle to be transported to France where they'll set up the car, or can ship the parts to the customer for local installation. Either way, Paret offers the client a complete range of options and a private blog to follow the process. Check out Jeremie Paret's first product in the gallery below:

[Source: JeremieParet.com via Serious Wheels]

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 to view the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 in hi-res

Nobody buys a bare-bones Lamborghini unless they're planning on racing it or want to pretend they are. With the Superleggera discontinued and the new lightweight Gallardo yet to rear its head, most buyers of the new LP560-4 will be spec'ing out their Lambos with all the kit. The car retails for $280,000. Big sticker price, then, but tick the boxes for all those must-have options and a quarter-million will look like a bargain as the price inches closer to a third.

For example, most Lambo buyers opt for the sequential paddle-shift transmission, which Sant'Agata calls e-gear, and which adds another $12k to the price. Carbon ceramic brakes? You're going to want that stopping power to keep your six-figure supercar out of the trees, won't you? Another $19k. Throw in sat-nav and up-rated rolling stock and the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 is pushing $322,000. And that's if you can actually get your hands on one without finder's speculation or premiums, not to mention the cost of gas, insurance and the racks of tires you're bound to go through. Better talk to the kids about the benefits of going to college in-state.

[Source: CarFront]

When Jaguar's "Gorgeous" campaign TV ads came out a few years back with the XK, some ad critics questioned the none-too-subtle message they contained: older, distinguished gentleman gets to frolic with beautiful young women when he drives this car. Whether or not that's the case -- concerning the ad or in real life -- a new Lamborghini commercial with Sam Hubinette takes that same riff and, being Lamborghini, pushes it even further.

Hubinette and some wet, downtown LA roads show what the car can do, and the spot also shows what the car has. Boasting "features like no other," the first one of which is a Phone Number Collecting Set that appears to specialize in tall brunettes, the car also has an Anti-Boredom Assistant (that engine, a Talk of the Town Guarantee, and a Gets Into All Clubs function0. And that's all before you order it in Giallo Halys (that's Lamborghini-speak for "yellow.") Follow the jump to check out the video and the powerslides. Thanks for the tip, Eric!


[Source: YouTube]

Remember Lamborghini's pledge to attend each major auto show with a new product? Pretty ambitious, but by and large the exotic Italian carmaker has lived up to its promise. In unveiling the LP560-4, the revised version of the Gallardo, Lamborghini opened up a whole new range of possibilities, and we're expecting new Spyder and possibly Superleggera models to follow at coming shows.

The former is likely to be the first to make its debut. While modifying a vehicle – especially one with such dynamic excellence as the Gallardo – to drop its top is a time-consuming affair, remember that the outgoing Gallardo on which the LP560-4 is based had its own Spyder version, so we wouldn't expect too long a development period. Still, the Paris show in October could be a bit soon, so we might have to wait a while longer to see the new Spyder. In the meantime, we've got a very...different video of the new Gallardo LP560-4 after the jump, just because we like you that much.

[Source: AutoGespot via World Car Fans]

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.

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

After circumnavigating the whole of the Geneva expo center, a strange force drew us to a minimalistic booth on the west side of the complex. There, we were afforded our first live glimpse of Lamborghini's newest exotica, the Gallardo LP560-4. As its name implies, the gussied-up Gallardo is sporting 560 hp from its new, direct-injected 5.2-liter V10. Hacking off 20 kilos from the curb weight allows the LP560-4 to rocket to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 201 mph, all the while increasing fuel efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions by some 18-percent.

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