Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lamborghini Reventon.

Speaking at the old Fiat Lingotto factory in Turin, Italy, Volkswagen Group's Design Director, Walter De Silva, discussed the future of VW, Audi and Lamborghini, keeping light on specifics, but offering more fuel for the speculative fire surrounding the future of Lamborghini.

According to CAR, De Silva waxed poetic about the aura of the group's Italian performance arm, with Design Head Manfred Fitzgerald making it clear that the Reventon's pointed proboscis and heavily canted intakes – which were supposedly penned before the launch of the Gallardo LP560-4 -- will be the primary influence for the next generation of Lamborghinis.

As for the future underpinnings of the Murcielago, Chief Engineer Maurizio Regginai wasn't willing to give up much, but said that "the power to weight ratio is key, and everything we can do to get the weight down is vital to the project" providing further proof that the welded steel chassis of current Lambos is on its way out and that aluminum will find its way under the composite skin of future models. All-wheel-drive, which has become an integral part of the "Lamborghini DNA" will continue, but when asked about the future of dual-clutch transmissions, Regginai simply said, "we have top performance in 0-100 kph with our cars, I don't understand why we'd want to change anything."


[Source: CAR]

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]

There are some photogenic cars that take your breath away just from the pictures. And there are others that you have to see in the flesh to appreciate. Then there are a few – like the Lamborghini Reventon – that fit both: each picture speaks a thousand words, but seeing it up close yields an even deeper appreciation of its styling. The most extreme of Lamborghinis was created for just that purpose: shock and awe.

Although rumors are circulating that Lamborghini may give the green light for a total production run of 100, currently the company plans to build only twenty examples, which means that most may never have a chance to see one up close and in person. Fortunately Sant'Agata has released this video walk-around to allow the world to take in its latest creation in all of its oblique glory. Follow the jump to see for yourself.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Lamborghini's pushing to ring up 3,000 sales per year, about 500 more than they currently move. Were they to drop a new Miura, revived LM002, or some other new model, they'd likely reach that target without any problem. Lambo Capo Rupert Stadler isn't in favor of spending the considerable development dollars it would take to bring a new model to market. Before coming out with a new car, it's more prudent for Lamborghini to sell its capacity of Murcielagos and Gallardos first.

So, if you're not coming out with a new car, but you want to move more units, what's an automaker to do? We somehow doubt that LP640s and Reventons will be showing up in rental fleets, and there's no such thing as incentives when it comes to supercars, so that strategy's out, too. Extra-special editions of the already special Italian cars, like the Murcielago SV and Superleggera versions of both vehicles should entice more buyers to pony up. If that doesn't work, they could always have a "push, pull or tow" event.

Follow the read link for a Google-translated version of the original story.

[Source: Caradisiac]

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 the image above for more high-res shots of the Lamborghini Reventón

It's fast, it's rare, and it costs one million euros to own. The Reventón may well be the Lamborghini to end all Lamborghini's, but with only 20 copies ever scheduled to see their way through the assembly process, it may be too exclusive for its own good. Either way, 650 HP and 0-60 in 3.4, and slap you in the face styling are enough to keep enthusiasts of all ages up at night. The Reventón may be 20 copies exclusive, and none of us may ever see one on public roads, but that doesn't mean it isn't all over YouTube. Hit the jump to see 1:41 of a fast cut montage all about Lamborghini's one million euro baby.

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!

click above image for more high-res shots of the Lamborghini Reventón

It's finally here, arrived in secrecy just like the airplane from which it takes its cues: the 2008 Lamborghini Reventón. It lurked between three women dressed in beige overalls and work boots. The beige tarp that covered it fell in a mess of sharp points and acute angles, as if someone had stuck a chunk of quartz underneath it. Before Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini, came out and spoke, there was a video presentation shown on the screen behind the car. It was probably the same video shown to the lucky few given advance notice of the car, a waterfall of quick cuts that gave tasty glimpses of the car at the center of the hubbub.

Thankfully, the first thing Stephan did before speaking was unveil the car. He spoke of the success of Lamborghini, how 2007 would be another record year, and that this car was a tribute to the continuing success of the raging bull. He let us know that it's a 6.5-liter V12 with 650 horsepower, that it has 4-wheel drive, that it is named after the bull that killed Felix Guzman in 1943, and that it costs one million euros before taxes. Then he introduced the team that was responsible for the car. And then he said goodbye. That was it. No mention of the dashboard. No mention of why they're only making 20 of them. No mention of... why? Sure, Lamborghini's doing well, and to celebrate you make 20 -- twenty?! -- of a car that is the most terrific piece of sculpture to breath God's oxygen in years.

UPDATE: Check out the live reveal here!

Click image for high-res gallery

The Volkswagen Group threw a major shindig in Frankfurt earlier tonight at which it showed off all the new wares its introducing to the public at the Frankfurt show beginning tomorrow. The car that has assuredly generated the most heavy breathing this evening is the holy-crap-that-thing's-effing-badass Lamborghini Reventon (click for Engadget's perspective). Named for the bull that killed toreador Felix Guzman in 1943, the Reventon is basically the ultimate Murcielago in all respects, including price. The super-limited (only twenty cars are being built) supercar costs a cool $1,000,000, and all of them are already sold. Power from its V12 is up around 20 horses over the regular Murcielago LP640, so you get a little extra juice for the added dough.

Follow the jump for more.

[Source: Lamborghini via Motor Authority, Jalopnik, Straightline]