Good news, everyone! Well, at least to Lambo fans. The company has decided to revive plans to develop their four-door menace – the Estoque.

The first plans for a four-door was first seen back in 2008 when Lambo showcased the Estoque concept at the Paris motor show. Lambo then shelved plans on making the car for the next two years even after rivals have come up with four-door cars.

The Maserati Quattroporte has long been the four-door supercar but with Porsche coming out with the Panamera and Aston Martin with the Rapide, that left only Lambo and Ferrari without their own.

Ferrari’s got no intentions coming out with one so with this plan of an Estoque launch will at least make that market segment just a bit more interesting. The concept packed a 5.2L V10 that’s speculated to dish out at least 500 horses.

McLaren’s hogging the limelight as far as the high-performance sports car market is concerned. Lamborghini’s still working on their new cars. Ferrari has already unveiled the 458 Italia. So as far as timing goes, McLaren’s got the launch of the MP4012C quite right.

Lambo, however, is trying to pip McLaren by squeezing in an announcement on its decision to pursue better power-to-weight ratios through the development of tough but lightweight materials.

You might remember that bit when Lambo announced that it’s working with the University of Washington in order to explore the full potential of carbon composite materials. The R&D lab’s dubbed the ‘Automobili Lamborghini Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory.’

Lambo claims that by trimming the weight of their vehicles, they can reduce CO2 emissions by 35 percent. Great news for more traditional hybrid-haring gearheads!

Autocar brings an exclusive peek at the new Lamborghini Murcielago that’s under development. The picture that you see is one under bits and pieces of disguised bodywork but it does offer a very good glimpse at the new Lambo supercar.

The car is reported to sport a massive 7.0L V12 engine that churns out power currently speculated at the 700 to 720 bhp range. Now that’s some wicked power figures.

The car features a carbon-composite chassis and is expected to sport carbon fiber panels for lightweightedness. We could just wonder how Lambo plans to add some outrageous downforce on this car. a 1500 kerb weight and 700 bhp can make this baby fly.

Initial performance figures peg the car to go from naught to 62 mph in just 3.0 seconds and a top speed of 220 mph.

Let’s just hope that these new babies just won’t explore in balls of flame like its predecessor.

Oh! Here’s the first WTF! Moment of the year and it comes from the land down under.

A Lamborghni was seized by the police after the car was caught speeding, plowing the car at 160 kph (100 mph) at a 90 kph zone (56 mph).

Too bad for the owner of the Lambo, he claims that he is being punsihed for a crime that he only allegedly commit? The reason?

He says he wasn’t the one driving. He handed over his Lambo to his mechanic and it was the turd who went joy speeding with the car.

The owner, a doctor, claims that his patients will also be affected due to the loss of his vehicle.

Police says it’s mandatory to impound vehicles in such acts for 28 days. What a bummer!

Source: ABC News

True to their word, Lambo is set to deliver a new model every year. For the past few years, we’ve already been treated to the Reventon Coupe and Roadster (pictured) plus a handful of updates and special editions of the Gallardo and Murcielago.

Lambo is also planning the Jota as the replacement for the Murcielago as it goes out of production. The Jota gets a 6.0L V12 that dishes out 700 horses.

Another model will also be slotted atop of the Jota to take on the Ferrari Enzo The planned competitor, dubbed as the Urus, will pack a huge V12 engine that generates 800 hp which will allow the car to zip from 0-60 mph in the low 3-point-something range.

Uhh… Isn’t this way overdue, Lambo? The Enzo has been around for about seven years now so why even gun for it? And isn’t a 700 hp car like the planned Jota already enough to deal with the Enzo.

Now this is pretty soooweeeet. The Lamborghini Reventon has been one of the coolest looking cars in recent years. That F22 Raptor-inspired design just really tickles the little boy (or girl) inside every consummate gearhead.

Lambo released this image of the Lamborghini Reventon roadster – just before its official unveiling at the upcoming Frankfurt show. The hardtop Reventon was also unveiled at Frankfurt two years ago.

The new Reventon packs a 6.5L V12 that dishes out 641 bhp and 487 lb-ft of torque. The engine’s mated to a six-speed gearbox and delivers the power to all four wheels. That powertrain configuration is expected to propel the Reventon from standstill to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 211 mph.

Much like the old Reventon, the car’s panels are still made of carbon fiber for lightweightedness. The interior is said to feature spiffy Alcantara leather interior. And like the old Reventon, the car will see a limited run.

Source: World Car Fans

This is one rumor that any fan of automotive exotica should get excited about. Rumor has it that Lamborghini will be showcasing a cabrio version of the Raptor fighter plan-based Reventon at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. How cool is that?

Like its hardtop counterpart, the Reventon Roadster will only see a limited run – only 9 or 10 cars will be made. The car will continue to pack the massive V12 engine powering the old Reventon but scuttlebutt also says that the output will be upped to 670 hp from the previous 650.

That places this in the same power league as the Murcielago LP670-4 Super Veloce. Though it’d be interesting if they can do something about the power-to-weight ratio since chopping the top off would mean that the car has to pack additional support.

That engine will be mated to Lambo’s e-gear semi-automatic transmission. Helping deliver the power will be ‘Viscous Traction’ all-wheel-drive system. This powertrain enabled the “standard” Reventon do 211 mph and 0-62 mph in just 3.4 seconds.

Can’t wait for the confirmation.

And some people just think that the baddest Lamborghni ever built isn’t enough. The Murcielago LP670-4 R Super Veloce just got a bit meaner in the hands of tuning company Reiter Engineering.

The SV version has already gone through a diet shedding 220 lbs compared to the stock LP670. Reiter still swapped out more of the body with lightweight carbon fiber to shave off 921 lbs to bring the car’s weight down to 2,530 lbs.

The car packs a 6.5L V12 engine generating 670 horsepower and a maximum torque of 660 lb-ft. The car sports a tuned FIA-ECU from Magneti Marelli for overall improved performance.

To help tame the wild bull, Reiter helped improve the suspension geometry and slapped on the brakes with carbon discs and pads to keep the car agile on the bends.

Talk about getting decent rewards for being a loyal employee. Forget “Employee of the Month” plaques or trophies, this guy’s got his name attached to a product’s brand name. Valentino Balboni is now part moniker of the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2.

Balboni started out with Lambo as a mechanic apprentice who eventually got bumped up to testing almost all new Lamborghini models – a task that was personally asked of him by the Lambo founder himself. The LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni can be considered his ultimate reward for his service.

The number designations means that this Gallardo variant ditches the all-wheel drive system. All 550 horses are sent to the back wheels. Naught to 62 is achieved in 3.9 seconds and blitzes all the way up to 199 mph – that’s just 1 shy of supercar Nirvana (meaning it might be possible for this car to go up to 200 with a little bit of tailwind).

Only 250 of these Valentino Balboni Gallardos will be made and one can be had for about $219,800.

Oh boy. Another potentially great car getting shelved due to the worldwide financial crisis. Lamborghini has decided to put all plans to develop the four-door Lamborghini Estoque on hold. The Estoque’s shell was first seen last year in the Paris Motor Show and created quite a buzz among enthusiasts for its looks and projected performance figures. Lambo explains, “The timing and market conditions are just not right for an additional model line.”

The Estoque concept was drawn up to be a four-door, four-seater supercar with a mid-ending and AWD. Its 5.2L V10 was speculated to dish out massive number of horses most probably in the 500 range as competing four-door supercars are already hitting those figures. What separates the Estoque from other four-door supercars is its exquisite styling that even outclasses the Aston Rapide (IMHO) and definitely shames the Porsche Panamera.

February saw auto sales fall by as much as 40% and the general outlook doesn’t seem to offer any silver lining for now. BMW, who is suffering from a dangerously steep losing trend, also scrapped plans for the Z4 M

So this move leaves the market with a bleak selection of exotic four-doors to choose from. Choices currently include the Maserati Quattroporte, the Aston Martin Rapide and the Porsche Panamera. And if you’re looking for a really fast four-door that doesn’t look like a mangled chunk of metal, then the Aston and the Maserati remain to be better choices.

Italian car manufacturer Lamborghini is sending out its newest high-performance creation, the new Murcielago LP650-4 Roadster variant.

The all wheel drive roadster is powered by the same engine under the hood of a Reventon, the 6.5-liter V12 that goes for 650 horsepower—hence the name. Top speed is 205 mph, and it accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.4 seconds—figures unique to this particular roadster.

That’s not the only unique thing on the LP650-4. It has a gray exterior highlighted with orange accents on the front lip, side skirts, and the lining between interior and exterior. This color scheme is complemented by dark ‘Hermera’ alloy wheels and carbon fiber for the engine frame and disc brakes. The interior has an asymmetrical dash, as well as special Alcantera Nera and leather stitching on the furnishings.

With the current industry’s troubles, one has to ask if the LP650-4—priced somewhere in the neighborhood of $380,000—will see sufficient patronage. Well, it’s a Lamborghini, after all. Most likely some rich people will be able to get their hands on this orange-and-gray steed.

Source: Motor Authority

You might not be able to get a Lamborghini Reventon out of the factory since Lambo just did a limited production run but thanks to people with cameras and YouTube, we can all still ogle videos of the Reventon in all its Raptor-esque glory. Just listen to that 12-cylinder 6.5L dishing out 640 horses.

Say hello to the most powerful production Lamborghini ever – the Lamborghini Murcielago SV. The car delivers a massive 661 bhp punch combined with more noise and less weight. A very potent combination for a supercar indeed.

Powering the car is a 6.5L V12 with a revised intake system and new valve timing. The exhaust has also been tuned to give the car more crunch when the driver puts his foot down. Torque peaks at 487 lb-ft at 6500 rpm.

The engine is mated to a six-speed sequential e-gear transmission and amazingly, a ‘proper’ manual is optional. Call it a deviance of racing pedigree since power is channeled all four wheels same as the old Murcielago. Lambo pegs the top speed at a blistering 209 mph.

Lambos have had the reputation of having more finesse than the competing prancing pony but with such power under the hood, I’m just expecting it to be more savage than the other Murcielago variants.

Source: Autocar

Lo and behold, in the midst of the worst global crisis in recent years where even industry leader Toyota took a beating, Italian supercar maker Lamborghini (though, yes, they’re owned by Audi these days) reported a growth in worldwide sales.

Lambo saw a 1% increase over 2007 figures with last year’s take selling 2430 units. That might not look like a lot but knowing how expensive Lambos are, that’s quite an achievement. However, the figures remain bleak for US figures as they saw a decline of 20%.

While the US market remains to be the largest market for cars, Lambo’s dismal US figures were offset by Middle Eastern and East Asian regions. China was responsible for 72 units while the oil-rich Middle Easterns bought 166 last year.

Lambo chief Stephan Winkelman notes, “In the light of worldwide economic insecurities and sluggish car markets, this new record year above all proves the sustainability of our business strategy. We know that there are tough times ahead now, but we have increased the value and attractiveness of our luxury brand in so many facets that we are ready to take on whatever challenges the future might bring us”.

Source: Lamborhini

The Lamborghini Reventon is exclusivity personified. With a price tag of a million euros, there shouldn’t be too many people who can afford this powerful bull. There will only ever be 20 of the cars in existence, and number 20 just got handed to a lucky (and quite rich) bloke in England.

Dominic Mulvey, sales manager for Lamborghini Birmingham, said that the new owner was “understandably delighted… Lamborghini’s President and CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, personally presented the Reventón to its new owner who then drove off in his new car.” Notably, it was the only Reventon to be dealt to the United Kingdom. The new owner will drive his new car across Europe—a road trip that will take him from Italy and back to England.

Lamborghini originally set the number of production Reventons to 20, and stuck true to their word. Of course, an extra number zero was produced for the Lamborghini Museum. At 650 horsepower and a 211mph top speed, it is easily the most powerful Lamborghini yet built. It’s nice to see that the British driver won’t just leave it in the protection of his garage, and will actually let the car run and be seen.

Source: eGMCarTech

The new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show, adding to the show’s list of year-end showstoppers.

The two-seater drop top has a 5.2-liter V10 engine, quite like the Coupe counterpart. The 8000 rpm machine reaches an amazing 552 brake horsepower, some 50 or so brake horsepower higher than the last Spyder. It takes a mere12.1 seconds to go from zero to 124 mph. Furthermore, it is an impressive 20kg lighter than its previous incarnation.

The roof of the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder is operated electrically. The car’s rear windscreen functions as a wind deflector for the cabin, and it operates apart from the roof. Even in top-down mode, the car can still achieve a good top speed of 202 mph.

Additionally, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder uses a new fuel injection system that reduces CO2 emissions by 18 percent. There are also LED daytime lights on top of a stiffer chassis and redesigned nose. Expect this beauty to hit showrooms and dealerships in early 2009.

Source: Autocar

The Lamborghini Estoque will see launch in 2012, but that’s a big ‘maybe’ as of now. The proposed saloon still has to pass the approval stage with Volkswagen AG’s executive board, and the possibilities regarding the Estoque’s specs are still being explored.

The standard configuration currently being proposed has the Estoque at 500bhp and 450lb ft of torque, drawing from a variant of the Gallardo’s 5.2-liter V10 engine. The Estoque will also draw from the Gallardo’s all-wheel drive system. These settings allow the Estoque to deliver at lower revs the kind of torque the Gallardo has, albeit with lesser power.

The Estoque could also feature several Lamborghini firsts. Its gearbox will be a seven-speed twin clutch type, compared to the usual manual and robotized transmissions using the E-gear system. The Estoque might also be the first Lamborghini vehicle to have variable options for the drivetrain and engine. The main platform could accept both petrol and diesel V8s. It could possibly feature a hybrid electric system in a low-emission configuration.

If the Estoque sees production, it will have a niche quite unlike that of other sports cars, in that it has the potential to be cheaper, greener, and more versatile. All this is a big ‘if’, of course – everything hinges on costs and figures.

And the boys are back with the fall season of Top Gear. What a season they’ve lined up for fans. First up, the preview for the new season which includes features on Vietnam, American pony cars, double-decker buses, boats, mopeds, more challenges and other bollocks.

Next, they got a Porsche GT2 inside the studio for a lead-in to a Clarkson feature. Jeremy opened the segment with a lot of screaming and a quip of “And that concludes my roadtest of the GT2. It’s terrifying.” Then he gets into the Lambo Gallardo LP560-4. Misleading? Not quite as he pits the two cars against each other. On a drag race, the Gallardo leaves the GT2 behind.

Funny sequences showing a granny, a kid, and a dog to press the point that the Gallardo is better to drive. Verdict: All out, sans the price issue, the Lambo’s better. And as expected Hammond loves the GT2 and berates Jeremy for his opinion. Then they hand both cars to The Stig. The numbers: LP560-4 – 1:19.5 and GT2 – Clarkson burned the damn time slip. We reckon the GT2 was faster.

Read the rest of this entry »

Just when you think the LP560-4 is already quite a car, Lambo dishes out a race version dubbed as the Super Trofeo. They’ve slated it to compete in 18 races until October of next year in several European circuits.

Compared to the “standard” (Heck, are there any “standard” Lambos anyway?) Gallardo, the Super Trofeo has a reworked chassis. It also features increased power-to-weight ratio. The Super Trofeo sports the same 5.2L V10 but packs 10 more hp. Combined with its trimmed down frame, the car features 570 hp to its 1,300 kg.

If you’re interested in getting one for yourself, you can buy one for 200k Euro ($252,000 in current exchange rates). With the price eliminating all peons and peasants (like me) out there, Lambo decided to make the car even more exclusive by making only 30 units.

After the deluge of teasers, we finally get to the culmination of said drum-banging -a real look at Lamborghini’s four door – the Estoque. Set to compete with the other mean four-doors like the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide, it also boasts of supercar power and styling but with two additional at the back.

Powering the Estoque is choice between a 560-hp V10 from the Gallardo LP 560-4 and a smaller V8 which, according to Lambo, might be mated to a hybrid module or will feed entirely on diesel. Now isn’t Lamborghini being more family-man oriented with this car?

Now rich families can ride in style. Kids can now give other kids that my-daddy-can-beat-your-daddy look anywhere they go. Even if daddy is a pencil-neck geek who happens to need a Lamborghini to stoke his manliness.

Source: eGMCarTech

Quite interesting how automakers known for their sports cars and thoroughbreds are now creating four-door saloons. To rival the Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera, Lamborghini is set to preview their own four-door concept, rumored to be called the ‘Estoque,’ at the Paris Motor Show.

This is quite interesting since Lambo execs have said that Lambo will never showcase a concept that they don’t intend to take into production. This four-door is also said to be released next year. The ‘Estoque’ is slated to be powered by a V10 located at the front of the car so we can expect for power to probably be in the 500-600 range. So hold on to your hats, boys and girls. It will be a four-door beast slugfest in 2009.

Quick language lesson ‘estoque’ is short blade matadors use to kill bulls in bullfighting. Makes you wonder though if this car is set to kill Lambo. (They do have a bull as their badge, don’t they?)

Source: Autocar

Sometimes you have to wonder whether psychologists just have a tad too much time on their hands. They just come up with all sorts of studies for the benefit of humankind. Even, if say, the most that they can actually do for most is to amuse us.

Just check out the results of this study they conducted correlating sound from a car’s engine to men and women responses. They took the sounds of a Maserati, a Lamborghini and a Ferrari, and a Volkswagon Polo then collected saliva specimen collected to check testosterone levels. And they found out that the sound does affect bodily responses.

The results found 100 per cent of female participants had a significant increase in testosterone secretion after listening to the Maserati, compared to only half for men.

Men fared better at the sound of a Lamborghini, with 60 per cent showing a testosterone increase.

I wonder how the Ferrari fared. The VW apparently caused a decrease in testosterone levels. Quite unfair for the VW. Even if they didn’t cite the engine displacements on the sports cars, I could only infer that the Polo only sports a 1.6L engine. Imagine what kind of “roar” that makes. That also shows that if you want to get some in-car action, better get the Maserati or better yet, plastic surgery.

Well, my conjecture still stays – the number of decibels the engine dishes out is inversely proportional to the size of a guy’s penis.

Source: The Telegraph

By Heffner, we mean Heffner Performance (the Flordia-based tuning house). Though we could all argue that Hugh Heffner might be packing enough stud power to shame the Veyron and that his performance will put the motoring world to shame.

They figured that the Lamborghini Gallardo wasn’t fast enough even with that 552 bhp V10 slapped on. So they decided to put in a couple of turbochargers that almost doubles the power to almost give anyone driving a Veyron something to think about in a drag race.

The Heffner Gallardo features new cylinders, pistons, crankshaft, and clutch. Sure it matters what they’ve done with it though we still have yet to find out what the car can do.

Source: Top Gear

If you are a smart buyer, then you shouldn’t be only looking at the product, you should also be looking at after sales and service. That’s probably why people buy at their local dealerships – so that when the car suddenly croaks under warranty, then you can readily bitch about it some place near you.

Well, that’s the case for many but not for this guy who shipped his Lamborghini Murcielago LP-640 from Qatar to London – to have his oil changed. Well, at the authorized dealership, the service would’ve just cost £3,552 but the back-and-forth freight costs a whopping £20,000! That’s a £23,552 service bill for you. Enough to buy a new Impreza WRX with a few options!

Not a problem if you’re and Arab Sheikh, though. And green revolutionists aren’t too happy either, claiming that the car didn’t just leave a carbon footprint, it left a “crater.”

Source: The Sun

Another FTW! moment. We’ve already seen Ferraris go up in smoke and Aston Martins driven into freezing lake water. While deliberate and common in many films, nothing beats the cringe you get in real life. How about this Lamborghini Gallardo that caught fire on Highway 93 in Nevada just outside Vegas. No word on how this thing went up in flames but this is just heartbreakingly tragic.

Via Top Speed