1998 Lamborghini Diablo Sv Coupe 2-door 5.7l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lamborghini's path to the future is paved with forged composites

As far back as 1983, Lamborghini has been researching carbon fiber for automotive use. The automaker felt confident enough in its ability to work with the high-tech material in 1985 that a team led by Maurizio Reggiani, now the Lamborghini Board Member in charge of Research and Development, crafted a revolutionary Countach with a chassis made almost entirely of hand-laid carbon fiber. The result was spectacular in that the car's chassis weighed about half of its all-metal counterpart. It turned out that first foray into carbon fiber was just as spectacular when it was finally tested for crashworthiness, but in a completely different way. Catastrophic would be an appropriate word, according to Paolo Feraboli, who now leads Lambo's brand-new Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory in Seattle, Washington. Proving how far Lamborghini has come since that ill-fated carbon-fiber Countach Evoluzione, Feraboli told us during the ACSL's grand opening that today's Aventador, which boasts a high-tech carbon chassis, aced its very first crash test in 2009. Chalk that success up to high-tech computer modeling and the practical application of lessons learned over several decades of trial and error. The dull red monocoque of that crashed Aventador now hangs on the wall at the ACSL like a functional piece of art, a reminder of Lamborghini's cutting-edge milestones of the past. Lamborghini's future will be hewn from what the company calls forged composites. First seen on the stunning Sesto Elemento Concept from the 2010 Paris Motor Show, the patented carbon-forging process forgoes hand-laid sheets, injected resins, and high-heat autoclaves. Instead, wads of randomly oriented carbon fibers that sort of resemble the kind of dough you'd use to make pasta undergo a three-minute press inside a mold. The resulting parts are just as strong as other carbon-fiber bits, but can be mass-produced at a fraction of the cost. While it's true that cost is often a secondary consideration for high-end supercars, it's still relevant. By reducing the cost and increasing the scale of composite pieces, Lamborghini can then afford to spend more money on other parts of the car. It's not just body panels and chassis components that Lamborghini thinks it can build using forged composite technology. The Sesto Elemento featured forged-composite suspension control arms that haven't yet made it into production, but probably will soon.

Ken Block and friends race light in silly-beautiful Castrol commercial

How does one make fast, loud, drifting cars better? Well, you can add more fast, loud, drifting cars or you can add lasers. Either or, really. In this case, Castrol did the right thing and added both, creating a highly stylized commercial for its Edge Titanium motor oil starring South African racer Adrian Zaugg, BMW factory driver Augusto Farfus, Audi DTM and Le Mans staple Mike Rockenfeller and some bloke named Ken Block.
Their cars? No surprise, but Block is in his Ford Fiesta GRC, while Zaugg samples a Lamborghini Aventador and Farfus and Rockenfeller drive along party lines, with a BMW M4 and an Audi R8, respectively. And those cars look good, too, thanks to the creative light and laser work on display.
Take a look below for the video from Castrol.

1971 Lamborghini Miura SV is PoloStorico's first restoration

Lamborghini is fitting in at the annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, trotting out a fully restored 1971 Miura SV. This is not just any Miura, though. It's been the subject of a complete restoration courtesy of Sant'Agata's young restoration arm, PoloStorico. Wearing chassis number 4846, this Miura SV was introduced on the Bertone stand during the 1971 Geneva Motor Show – the company's new Countach was on the main Lambo stage. According to Lambo, this car is "truly a one-off," featuring parts from the Miura S alongside pioneering features that would be seen on later SVs. But who cares about its history – just look at this thing. Lamborghini has gone mad restoring this Miura, with PoloStorico inspecting each individual body panel and then finishing all of them in this beautiful Verde Metallazata – literally green metallic. The company claims that every component was restored or replaced, and that "exhaustive research" went into the process. But why Amelia Island, and why now? The head of PoloStorico has the answer. "This is the year in which the Lamborghini Miura celebrates its 50th anniversary," Enrico Maffeo said in the official statement. "This car not only illustrates the iconic appeal of the Miura, widely acknowledged as the forerunner of modern super sports models, but is also a perfect example of the expertise available in Lamborghini PoloStorico in providing the most authentic Lamborghini restorations." This Miura SV marks the first completed project for the PoloStorico team. Based on the few images we've seen, it's the start of something big for Lamborghini's vintage models. Related Video: LAMBORGHINI POLOSTORICO CELEBRATES MIURA 50 ANNIVERSARY AT AMELIA ISLAND WITH RESTORED MIURA SV 1971 GENEVA SHOW CAR Sant'Agata Bolognese, – The original Lamborghini Miura SV shown at Geneva motor show in 1971 has been the subject of more than a year's restoration by Lamborghini PoloStorico, and is presented as a finished project at the Amelia Island concours event (USA) from 10 to 13 March. The Lamborghini Miura SV (Super Veloce), chassis #4846, was the pre-production model for subsequent Miura SV production. Unveiled at the 1971 Geneva motor show on Bertone's stand (while Lamborghini showed its new Countach), the car was truly a one-off, carrying over parts from the previous Miura S and introducing new features that would be seen on later SVs. Lamborghini PoloStorico was appointed a year ago to fully restore chassis #4846 to its perfect original state.