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Mansory unveils 1,600-hp Carbonado GT under a carbon fiber panda body

European tuners show up at the Geneva Motor Show in spades to display their very expensive wares in hopes of finding a handful of buyers. The only way to set your company apart is to make cars that are increasingly extreme. Mansory is no different, and to keep up with competitors it has brought the 1,600-horsepower Carbonado GT to Switzerland.
The GT starts life as a Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, but practically every body panel is replaced with new carbon fiber pieces. It doesn't hide it either with the entire center portion of the car finished in clear-coated carbon. The biggest changes include fenders that are 1.6-inches wider at the front and 2.0-inches wider in the rear, and even the wheels have carbon inlays.
To make sure the Carbonado GT has the power to back up its hardcore looks, Mansory has fitted the Aventador's 6.5-liter V12 with two turbochargers to produce the aforementioned 1,600 hp and torque electronically limited to 855 pound-feet. The powertrain is upgraded to take the boost with pistons, connecting rods, rod bearings, crankshaft and cylinder head being replaced with high-performance units. Mansory claims the highly modified engine gets the GT to 62 miles per hour in 2.1 seconds and to a top speed of 230 mph.

Lamborghini Accademia heading to Laguna Seca

If you want to learn how to get the most out of your Lambo, who better to teach you than Lamborghini itself. That's why the Bolognese automaker has launched the Lamborghini Accademia. Developed by the factory's Squadra Corse competition department, the Lamborghini Accademia is set up to show customers how to handle their supercars on a closed track and with the expert tutelage of factory instructors.
The trouble for American customers, though, is that the Accademia has (this year, at least) only held sessions at European tracks like Imola in Italy and Hockenheim in Germany. Not that the cost of a transatlantic flight would deter someone splurging six figures on a supercar, mind you, but we're glad to report now that the program is coming to North America for the first time.
Between September 14 and 17, the Lamborghini Accademia will be setting up shop at California's legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. That's where instructors will run groups of 24 students through the finer points of slalom, acceleration, braking, drifting and section-by-section learning of the famous track, from the Andretti Hairpin to the famous Corkscrew... all from behind the wheel of the new Huracán LP 610-4. Not a bad place to experience the Raging Bull marque's latest creation, or a bad car in which to experience one of America's finest racing circuits.

Watch this 1,000-mile Lamborghini Espada road trip

The Lamborghini Espada was four-passenger GT built by the Italian automaker from 1968-1978. While some may consider its appearance ungainly, a 60-degree, 4.0-liter V12 fed by Weber carburetors generated 350 horsepower, enough to give the 3,600-pound two-door spirited performance when compared to its peers. Making the driving experience even more engaging was its standard rear-wheel drive, a slick five-speed manual gearbox and a lack of power steering (the automaker offered an automatic and power steering on later models).
Whether or not you are a fan of this unique four-seater or its era, this Evo magazine video of editor Harry Metcalfe touring France as he makes his way along the epic Route Napoléon (today, part of a 200-mile section of Route Nationale 85) is worthy of its 19-minute run time - if not for just the sound of the wailing twelve-cylinder engine.
The mountain portions are simply spectacular, and Metcalfe does his usual excellent job narrating as he joyfully coaxes the GT's narrow tires (205/70-15) around each corner, calling the Lamborghini a "four-wheel drift machine," but actually preferring its high-speed capabilities. We particularly enjoyed his fuel stop, explaining the odd top-off procedure, as well as his early morning pre-flight when he realized that the Lamborghini had been running on only 11 cylinders during the previous day's segment. Watch the joy in the journey below.