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New Lamborghini Countach teased again with three images

Lamborghini posted three more teaser photos of the coming Countach resurrection to its Instagram page. We'll have to let the pictures do most of the talking since we don't have any more information than we did when the first tease dropped a couple of days ago. We get a shot of a nose unlike any other Lamborghini in the current stable. A narrow black grille just inches wide splits the upper and lower section of the front fascia, recalling the area where the original exotic placed its black front bumper and fog lights. The name "Countach" appears on the right side of the coupe, in all lowercase letters just like the original, but stretched and angular befitting the brand's modern design language. A second shot exposes the engine cover, this a new design based on the clear cover that can be fitted to the Aventador. Three flat hexagon panels, thickly bordered in black, step down from the roof to the tail. Beneath them is the longitudinal and posterior V12 portion of the LPI 800 powertrain. The initialism stands for Longitudinale Posteriore Ibrido, and we're still waiting for any information on that last bit, the hybrid. The V12 in the Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 received help from a supercapacitor, but that special edition didn't get official designation as a hybrid. The last car from Sant'Agata to do so was the 2014 Asterion LPI 910-4 concept from the 2014 Paris Motor Show. The Asterion hid a V10 in back for the rear wheels, and two e-motors with a combined 296 horsepower on the front axle powered by a lithium-ion battery. The Sian produces about 785 horsepower, the Countach will deliver about 789, the Aventador S makes 690. So Lamborghini isn't using electricity to chase gaudy numbers. Yet.   The last pic presents the area behind the side window. This is a slightly tighter shot of an image that a site called Lamborghini Specs posted a few days ago, snagged somehow from the automaker's customer-only site, Lamborghini Unica. This reveals a Huracan-like intake treatment, the opening descending from the roof to the rear fenders. Ahead of the intake, a row of slats harks back to Gandini's Countach prototype that arranged a flat row of vents along the fender, just behind the glasshouse. The fender is decorated with a cap that could be the fuel filler or a charging port or something else.

'SNL' car thief sketch shows saving the manuals can save your car

It's not news that the number of cars available with a manual transmission has dwindled, and a big reason for that is people just aren't learning how to drive them. Still, it's a worthwhile skill to pick up. Our number one reason would be because it's fun, but you never know when you might to need to do it in a pinch. Perhaps you'll have to drive a friend's old stick-shift car in an emergency, or maybe it's just a really cool car and they're giving you the chance to try it out. Or in the case of this Saturday Night Live sketch, maybe you're trying to steal a vintage Lamborghini. Yes, in the sketch titled "Car Heist," the stereotypical, "Gone in 60 Seconds"-style Hollywood break-in goes terribly awry when the wheelman is completely confounded by the three pedals and gated shifter of the target Lamborghini Diablo. And with two minutes to leave before the doors close again, his backer's attempts to teach him over the radio go about as well as you could expect, as he has to get his head around using both feet and having to learn what a clutch is. It's a situation that anyone that's learned to use a manual or has helped teach others to will find fun. I had an internship with Hagerty Insurance several years ago, and I helped with their program teaching young drivers how to drive stick with vintage and enthusiast cars. If I only had two minutes to teach someone to drive, and had to do it over the phone, I think things would've gone about as well. So give it a watch and have a little laugh. And then, if you haven't learned yet, find someone to teach you or at least watch the video below. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Humor TV/Movies Lamborghini manual transmissions saturday night live

VW makes $23K on every Porsche sold, more than Bentley or Lamborghini

It's a good time to be in the luxury car business. In Volkswagen Group's financial report for the 2013 fiscal year, it is revealed that that Porsche enjoyed an operating margin of 18 percent. That means the Stuttgart brand made on average about $23,200 per car sold, according to BusinessWeek. Bentley wasn't far behind, and Audi (which was combined with Lamborghini) posted a 10.1 percent margin. This compares to only around 2.9 percent for the Volkswagen brand.
"Luxury brands are on fire," said Dave Sullivan, an industry analyst at AutoPacific. He said that the average profit margin is between six and eight percent. Brands like Porsche and Bentley have the benefit of competing in rarefied markets. Buyers looking at one their vehicles have fewer models to shop against and don't care as much about price. They can also charge more for options, which further boosts income, according to BusinessWeek.
In a way, we should be more impressed by the continued success from Audi. Its models generally have direct competitors in every segment from the other premium automakers. Plus, their buyers aren't the captains of industry who are shopping for a Bentley. Still, the Four Rings is leading rivals in sales so far this year.