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Lamborghini Urus ST-X will race in on- and off-road series in 2020

The Squadra Corse division at Lamborghini gave birth to fraternal twins over the weekend. First came the customer-commissioned, one-off SC18 Alston, an Aventador-based track-day coupe racier than the Aventador SVJ. Then, at the Vallelunga circuit hosting the 2019 Lamborghini World Finals, the motorsports department revealed the Urus ST-X concept. This monster of Sant'Agata will serve a different kind of customer — namely, those who want to enter an FIA-approved one-make race series in Europe and the Middle East in 2020. Lamborghini has supported various one-make series since it produced the 1996 Diablo SV-R. With changing times come changing ride heights and track surfaces: Lamborghini says the "single-brand championship combines racetrack and off-road track." We don't know yet if that means a single track will include asphalt and dirt, or if the overall series will include both kinds of tracks, but we hope for the former. To make the ST-X — which could stand for Super Trofeo X, based on the automaker's other current series' — ready for racing, Squadra Corse amputated a bunch of weight and bolted on competition bits. The matte Verde Mantis concept gets a steel roll cage, fire suppression system, and FT3 fuel tank. Quick release latches on the hood and modified rear hatch replace traditional locking mechanisms. The front end loses the production car's grille and aero aids, becoming a gaping angular void of mesh. A trim rear wing hovers above the backlight, and center-lock wheels fasten the 21-inch, 10-spoke wheels. The simple rear diffuser omits exhaust outlets, because the pipes have been moved to just in front of the rear wheels. The package weighs 25 percent less than the retail Urus, or about the same as an Aventador. Although the hood gains two intakes, the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 remains unchanged, putting out 641 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. The company will put the Urus ST-X on track at some point during the six-race, 2019 Lamborghini World Finals. The mixed-surface series will host arrive-and-drive races, providing "driver-customers maximum flexibility and support during weekend events." If you got it, this seems a fine way to flaunt it. Related Video:

VW has received several tentative bids for Ducati

Italy's Benetton family is vying with motorbike firms and buyout funds for control of Italian motorcycle brand Ducati, which is being sold by Germany's Volkswagen, sources involved in the process told Reuters. Volkswagen, whose Audi division controls Ducati, has received several tentative bids with the Benetton family's investment vehicle Edizione Holding valuing the Monster motorbike maker at $1.2 billion, one of the sources said. As well as Edizione Holding, U.S. buyout fund Bain Capital, which owns a stake in Ski-Doo snowmobiles maker BRB, and two Indian motorbike firms, Eicher Motors and Bajaj Auto, have also bid for Ducati, the sources said. Indian carmaker Eicher controls Royal Enfield, a motorcycle brand established in 1893 which ranks as one of the oldest. Strategic bidders also include U.S. automotive firm Polaris Industries, which earlier this year said it would wind down its struggling Victory Motorcycle brand. A shortlist of bidders for a second stage of the auction could be selected as soon as Saturday, two of the sources said. Volkswagen adviser Evercore has a long list of bidders including private equity funds such as Ducati's previous owner Investindustrial, CVC Capital Partners, Advent and PAI, all hoping to outbid industry players, the sources said. If it gets to the second round, Edizione Holding could seek to form a consortium with a financial investor, two of the sources said, in a bid to secure control of Ducati, whose racers have won the Superbike world championship 14 times, with Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss its most successful riders. Audi, Edizione Holding, Investindustrial, Advent and PAI declined to comment, while the other interested groups were not immediately available for comment. PRICING CHALLENGES For some buyout funds, Ducati's valuation of up to $1.4 billion – which sources said is based on a multiple of more than 10 times its core earnings of roughly 100 million euros – is a tall order as they lack the synergies that some motorbike makers could achieve. But Investindustrial founder Andrea Bonomi, who sold Ducati to Audi for about 860 million euros in 2012, is serious about a comeback, one of the sources said. China's Loncin Motor was among a group of industry players that initially showed interest in Ducati, alongside Harley-Davidson. The latter has, however, decided against making a bid due to Ducati's price tag, while it could not be established if Loncin Motor had carried on bidding.

Lamborghini Urus SUV traces roots to a feline predecessor

The recently-revealed Urus isn't Lamborghini's first SUV. The LM002 pioneered the super-4x4 segment when it made its debut at the 1986 Brussels Auto Show. Tracing its history requires traveling to the mid-1970s, when Ferruccio Lamborghini sold the automaker that he founded and retired in the countryside to hunt and make wine. The new owners had practically no experience in building cars. Instead of expanding the lineup, they sought to land engineering and production contracts. Lamborghini teamed up with an American defense contractor named Mobility Technology International (MTI) to create an off-roader for the United States Army. The partnership spawned a vehicle named Cheetah, unveiled at the 1977 Geneva Auto Show. The Cheetah looked like a Meyers Manx buggy on steroids that ate Jeep CJ-7s for breakfast. The shape of the body gave it unusually high approach and departure angles, while the flat body panels facilitated the task of installing body armor. "Like the cat for which it is named, this high-performance vehicle has explosive acceleration, high speed and sure-footed agility over virtually all terrain," a period brochure claimed. The Cheetah could certainly tame Mother Nature's worst side, but the brochure exaggerated its performance credentials. Power came from the same 5.9-liter Chrysler 360 V8 engine found in Dodge's D-Series trucks. Lamborghini mounted it in the back, and its 183-horsepower rating contributed to a woeful power-to-weight ratio. The eight-cylinder spun all four wheels via an automatic transmission also found on Chrysler's parts shelf. Lamborghini didn't secure the Army's contract. The automaker stood on the brink of collapse. An Italian court took control of the company after it filed for bankruptcy in 1978, and a Swiss entrepreneur later came to the rescue. The new management saw an immense amount of potential in the Cheetah and relaunched the project. Decision-makers spotted an opportunity to enter the burgeoning leisure vehicle segment. Notably, they identified a market for a Cheetah-like car in the Middle East, where a Countach was unpractical at best and a Nissan Patrol was far too pedestrian for oil barons. Lamborghini unveiled a prototype named LM001 at the 1981 Geneva Auto Show. It took the Cheetah concept a step further with an updated look, though it retained the rear-mounted engine. Built as a development mule, it illustrated the limits of a rear-engine off-roader.