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Lamborghini loans an Aventador S to father and son building 3D-printed replica

In October we shared the story of Sterling Backus, the physicist in Erie, Colo., who was building a Lamborghini Aventador replica with his 11-year-old son Xander. In progress for nearly two years, Backus — who designs lasers as his day job — fabricated a steel chassis, sourced an LS1 V8 from a Chevrolet Corvette for power, bought lights on eBay and 3D-printed the body panels that were then encapsulated in carbon fiber. Backus and son call the coupe the Interceptor, and Sterling said he subtly changed every exterior panel to avoid legal issues with Lamborghini. The Sant'Agata automaker was paying attention to the Interceptor, though, as an exec phoned Sterling about it before Christmas. The subject of the call: Lamborghini's marketing chief wanted to know if he and Xander would like to borrow an Aventador S for a couple of weeks and shoot a video. The Italian automaker has been known to go on hunts for deep-down Lamborghini fans. Last year Lamborghini had a surprise for one lucky kid going Christmas shopping at a store in Italy; kids that said they wanted a model Lamborghini were told the store was out, and almost all the kids accepted a different model instead. One child made it clear he didn't want a substitute if he couldn't have the Lamborghini, so he not only got a the model he wanted, he got it delivered in a Lamborghini driven by factory driver Marco Mapelli. Xander's devotion to the Aventador in "Forza Horizon 3" is what compelled him to ask his father if they could build a real-life version. For that, Xander and Sterling earned Lamborghini's #RealLover distinction this year. Katia Bassi, Lamborghini's CMO, said, "Automobili Lamborghini is against any attempt at counterfeiting. However, a true story of such authentic passion deserves to be featured, which is why we chose to tell of SterlingÂ’s and XanderÂ’s project in our 2019 Christmas video." Lamborghini Real Lover Campaign View 21 Photos The Interceptor build continues, documented on Facebook. The senior Backus aims to turn his work it into an educational tool. "Ultimately, I want kids to get interested in STEM, and this is a great platform for it because of all the disciplines involved in a project like this." But after 20 months of effort, he and Xander will probably enjoy taking a holiday break in the car that started it all. Related Video:

Lamborghini Veneno Roadster stands in for fighter jet aboard Italian carrier

How do you draw even more attention to $4.47 million hypercar? Placing it atop an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf ought to do the trick, as Lamborghini has demonstrated with the live reveal of the new Veneno Roadster on the flight deck of the Italian Navy's Cavour.
Docked in the port of Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, the 787-foot flat-top is being used as a floating showcase of Italian products, with Lamborghini chosen to represent the automotive industry. A fitting location to unveil a roadster that looks like the half-breed lovechild of a fighter jet and a Le Mans racer, particularly since Sant'Agata is bound to find in the Emirates a buyer for at least one of the nine Veneno Roadsters it will produce.
"We are honored that Lamborghini was chosen to represent the Italian car industry in the UAE, as a perfect example of iconic Italian super sports cars, and that we have the opportunity to show the Veneno Roadster for the first time in Abu Dhabi, said Lamborghini chief Stephan Winkelmann. "Lamborghini has an extremely strong following in the region for its super sports cars, with the Middle East one of our largest markets in the world." Turn up the Kenny Loggins and ride into the danger zone with photos from the event in the gallery above and the press release below.

Volkswagen decides to keep Lamborghini and Ducati, transfers Bentley to Audi

Investors in the market for a high-end Italian manufacturer that peddles performance will need to keep looking. Volkswagen announced it will hang on to Lamborghini and Ducati in the foreseeable future. Executives in Wolfsburg, Germany, are making far-reaching changes to the Volkswagen Group to reboot it with a big focus on technology. Credible rumors claimed that the people in charge of the carmaker wanted to carve out Lamborghini — which owns Ducati — and ultimately list it, or at least a chunk of it, on the stock market in order to fast-track the group's electrification strategy. Going electric is expensive, so selling Lamborghini would have helped fund the expansion, and high-octane supercars don't easily go hand-in-hand with zero-emissions cars. "Volkswagen needs to change from a collection of valuable brands and fascinating combustion-engine products that thrill customers with superb engineering to a digital company that reliably operates millions of mobility devices worldwide," summed up Herbert Diess, the group's boss, during a September 2020 meeting. His team ultimately decided not to fully divest both brands. It's too early to tell whether part of Lamborghini will be listed on the stock market, as some insiders have suggested, or if those plans are off the table, too. Changes are coming to Bentley as well. While it's not being spun off either, it will fall under the Audi umbrella starting on March 1, 2021. Volkswagen explained linking the two companies will "allow for synergies to be achieved as part of the electrification strategy of the two premium brands," a statement which suggests they will share a growing number of components during the 2020s. Unverified rumors claim that Bentley will notably get its own version of an ultra-luxurious electric SUV code-named Landjet that Audi is currently developing. We've reached out to Bentley for more details, and we'll update this story if we learn more. Bugatti's future wasn't mentioned in the release; unconfirmed reports suggest it will be traded for a stake in Croatian start-up Rimac. Volkswagen's supervisory board also reaffirmed its support for Diess, who was appointed CEO in 2018 and who has played a significant role in the company's transformation. Finally, the board approved the development of what a statement refers to a future leading electric vehicle sold by the Volkswagen brand that will be developed and manufactured in Wolfsburg.