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The best cars we drove this year

Six hundred and fifty. That's roughly how many cars pass through the hands of Autoblog editors every year, from the vehicles we test here at home, to the cars we drive on new product launches, testing roundups, long-term cars, and so on. Of course, our individual numbers vary due to several reasons, but at the end of the day, our team's repertoire of automotive experience is indeed vast. But let's be honest, some cars certainly stand out more than others. So as the year's about to turn, and as we're readying brand-new daily cat calendars for our cubicles, our editors are all taking time to reflect on the machinery that made this year so special, with one simple, open-ended question as the guide – a question that we're asked quite frequently, from friends, family, colleagues, and more. "What's the best car you drove this year?" Lamborghini Huracan When I review the list of everything I drove in 2014, picking an absolute favorite becomes almost impossible. I mean, how does one delineate between the joy offered by cars as different as the Alfa Romeo 4C, Volkswagen Golf R, Mercedes-AMG GT S and even the humble-yet-wonderful Chevy Colorado? Okay fine, I'll just pick the Lamborghini. I drove the Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 on a racetrack, in the mountains, and along southern coast of Spain. It felt like the king of the car jungle in all of those places, sucking the eyeballs of observers nearly out of their heads as it drove by, and almost melting my brain with its cocktail of speed and grip and intense communication. It feels a little easy to say that the one new supercar I drove this year was also my favorite, but the fact is that the Huracan is one of the finest cars I've driven during my career, let alone 2014. Judge me if you must. – Seyth Miersma Senior Editor Rolls-Royce Wraith There are a couple of ways to look at the question, "What's the best car you drove this year?" In terms of what was so good I'd go out and buy one tomorrow, that'd be my all-time sweetheart, the Volkswagen GTI. Or if I'm just talking about sheer cool-factor, maybe something like the Galpin GTR1, BMW i8, or Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG. But instead, I'm going to write about the sheer opulence of being the best of the best. The hand-crafted, holier-than-thou, shut-your-mouth-when-I'm-talking-to-you supremacy. I'm picking the Rolls-Royce Wraith. I drove the Wraith for a week in April, and was really, really impressed. This car does everything, perfectly.

Drive like Mario Andretti: His '84 Lamborghini Countach is for sale

Mario Andretti is, arguably, the name most synonymous with “racing driver.” There are good reasons why: He has won the Indy 500 (1969) and the Daytona 500 (1967). HeÂ’s a four-time IndyCar champion and all-time IndyCar lap leader. He is also the last American to be Formula One world champion, in 1978 (Andretti emigrated from Italy to the United States when he was 15). The extraordinary length of his career is emphasized by the fact that he is the only racer to be named driver of the year in three different decades: 1967, 1978 and 1984. Perhaps it was in celebration of that third time that Andretti treated himself to a new Lamborghini, this Â’84 Countach S. Now someone else is gets the chance to own it. ItÂ’s for sale at Motorcar Gallery, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with an asking price of $499K. The livery of this Â’84 Countach 5000 S reflects AndrettiÂ’s Italian heritage in its classic red-over-tan color scheme, a contrast to the Bolivian-marching-powder white that was so emblematic of Â’80s Countachs. Subtle custom touches include pinstriping that integrates the Mario Andretti logo, and logos on the outside mirrors as well. The V12 engine pumps out 371 horsepower and is paired with a five-speed manual with a gated shifter. The selling dealer states that the car has been treated to an engine-out mechanical refurbishment, and the odometer shows just 17k miles. Despite the low miles, we imagine Andretti liked this car well enough — he ended up owning a string of Lamborghinis, reportedly including an Â’89 Countach, a Â’91 Diablo, a Murcielago and an Aventador S. The pairing of a fast driver and fast cars is a natural one, it seems. Featured Gallery Mario Andretti's Lamborghini Countach View 14 Photos Celebrities Lamborghini Crossover

New Lamborghini Urus variant shown racing up Pikes Peak

Lamborghini set an all-time sales record in 2021 thanks in part to the Urus. The super-SUV has predictably been a hit, and it's getting an update in the near future to remain competitive. Footage published on social media gives us a preview of what to expect from the model. Posted on Instagram, the short video shows a camouflaged Urus prototype racing up Pikes Peak in Colorado. "When you're going that fast anything can happen," the narrator warns, but the preview stops short of revealing exactly what we're looking at. The footage of the SUV isn't much help, either: the Urus moves fast and is rarely in focus. Earlier spy shots may provide better insight into what's coming, however. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Images of a pre-production prototype testing in the snow published in January 2022 suggest that the visual changes made to the Urus will be relatively minor. They include additional vents integrated into the front bumper and a redesigned rear bumper. We're also expecting that the interior will receive new tech features, and it's not too far-fetched to speculate that a handful of mechanical changes will be found under the sheet metal. And, unverified rumors claim that a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain will be made available in the coming years. Lamborghini will release additional details about its new Urus flavor in the not-too-distant future. That's also when we'll find out more about the Pikes Peak connection. Is the Italian firm planning to dethrone sister company Bentley and set a new SUV record? Stay tuned. For context, the current record holder is a Bentayga that raced up the 156-corner mountain in 10 minutes and 49.9 seconds in June 2018. The updated Urus isn't the only new Lamborghini model in the pipeline. The final evolution of the Huracan will make its debut before the end of 2022 and it will be worth waiting for: it will be a production-bound version of the off-road-ready Sterrato concept unveiled in June 2019. Lamborghini SUV Luxury Performance