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Lamborghini and Bentley may hold off on SUVs so VW can conserve cash

After surveying the European economic scene, Volkswagen may have decided now is not the time to launch utility vehicles with Bentley and Lamborghini badges. Bentley officials say they will continue to push for support for the EXP 9 F and Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelman has said planning for the Urus will continue until VW tells it to stop.
That decision could come on November 23, when VW's board will vote on the company's budget for equipment, factories and vehicles. With VW's sales slowing and the Euro economy slumping further, some industry watchers say the company is more likely to build its cash reserves than to introduce super-expensive luxury SUVs or crossovers.
"Such vehicles are anything but obligatory during a crisis," says Frankfurt-based Equinet AG analyst Tim Schuldt in a new Automotive News Europe story. "Delaying their launch would be no drama but help save costs."

This is the fully uncovered Lamborghini Huracan Performante

We already knew that the Lamborghini Huracan Performante is absurdly quick at the Nurburgring, where the company claims it lapped the track faster than the Porsche 918 Spyder. Now Lamborghini has released specifications and photos of the car. It seems a little more power, active aerodynamics, and other fine tuning turned the Huracan into a track monster. Immediately apparent from the outside are the new aerodynamic devices and molded carbon fiber pieces. The latter include the hood over the engine, front and rear spoilers, the rear bumper, and the rear diffuser. Together, they help the Performante lose about 88 pounds compared to the standard Huracan. The front and rear spoilers also have fancy electrically-actuated flaps to adjust aerodynamics. At the front, a pair of flaps rest on the top side of the front spoiler, and at the back, two air channels can be opened or closed to change airflow at the rear wing, optimize downforce, or reduce drag. The rear flaps can also be opened and closed separately for the left and right. According to Lamborghini, they can be used to increase downforce on one side of the car to counteract the affects of load transfer in corners. For example, if the car was turning left, and the body began rolling to the right, the flaps could be set so that downforce increases on the left, keeping the car flatter in the corner. Lamborghini has also improved almost every other mechanical part of the car. The V10 now makes 640 horsepower and about 443 lb-ft of torque. The suspension has stiffer springs and anti-roll bars combined with either the standard, conventional shocks, or optional magnetorheological shocks. Power is sent to all four wheels, all four of which are forged and available in two different designs. They're shod in the buyers choice of Pirelli P Zero Corsas, or barely street-legal Trofeo Rs. Altogether, these changes allow the Performante to reach 62 mph in 2.9 seconds and hit a top speed of about 202 mph. Finally, this Huracan Performante is appropriately wild looking. The giant wing, massive exhaust tips, and Italian colors along the door all make this Lamborghini visually outlandish. The interior also receives exposed molded carbon fiber throughout to make sure its occupants never forget this is a fast, hardcore Lambo. It should also help justify the Performante's $274,390 pricetag, if the 'Ring time isn't enough. The first cars will arrive to customers this summer. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.

Ferruccio Lamborghini's twin-twelve Riva speedboat restored [w/video]

Everyone knows that Lamborghini makes exotic sportscars, but true aficionados are also well versed in the other types of machinery that has worn the Raging Bull emblem. There are the tractors, of course, with which founder Ferruccio got his start, but the company has also marinized its high-revving twelve-cylinder engines for use on the water.
Over the years, Lamborghini engines powered many crews to offshore powerboat racing trophies, but before all of that came the vessel you see here. The 278th of 769 made between 1962 and 1996, this Riva Aquarama was commissioned by Ferruccio Lamborghini himself. It was delivered from the shipyard in 1968, complete with a pair of 4.0-liter V12 engines out of a Lamborghini 350 GT, and old man Ferruccio enjoyed using it for many years.
Following his death in 1993, the one-of-a-kind Riva Aquarama Lamborghini disappeared into obscurity, hidden away from the world under a tarp until a Dutch collector tracked it down and had it restored by Sandro Zani and his team at Riva World. The project took three years to complete, including the restoration of the wooden hull with 25 coats of lacquer applied.