2012 Lamborghini Gallardo 2dr Conv Lp550-2 Spyder on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Drive like Mario Andretti: His '84 Lamborghini Countach is for sale

Mario Andretti is, arguably, the name most synonymous with “racing driver.” There are good reasons why: He has won the Indy 500 (1969) and the Daytona 500 (1967). HeÂ’s a four-time IndyCar champion and all-time IndyCar lap leader. He is also the last American to be Formula One world champion, in 1978 (Andretti emigrated from Italy to the United States when he was 15). The extraordinary length of his career is emphasized by the fact that he is the only racer to be named driver of the year in three different decades: 1967, 1978 and 1984. Perhaps it was in celebration of that third time that Andretti treated himself to a new Lamborghini, this Â’84 Countach S. Now someone else is gets the chance to own it. ItÂ’s for sale at Motorcar Gallery, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with an asking price of $499K. The livery of this Â’84 Countach 5000 S reflects AndrettiÂ’s Italian heritage in its classic red-over-tan color scheme, a contrast to the Bolivian-marching-powder white that was so emblematic of Â’80s Countachs. Subtle custom touches include pinstriping that integrates the Mario Andretti logo, and logos on the outside mirrors as well. The V12 engine pumps out 371 horsepower and is paired with a five-speed manual with a gated shifter. The selling dealer states that the car has been treated to an engine-out mechanical refurbishment, and the odometer shows just 17k miles. Despite the low miles, we imagine Andretti liked this car well enough — he ended up owning a string of Lamborghinis, reportedly including an Â’89 Countach, a Â’91 Diablo, a Murcielago and an Aventador S. The pairing of a fast driver and fast cars is a natural one, it seems. Featured Gallery Mario Andretti's Lamborghini Countach View 14 Photos Celebrities Lamborghini Crossover

Lamborghini Sian is brand's first hybrid and also its most powerful car

The rumors surrounding Lamborghini's application of hybrid technology will finally materialize at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Italian firm introduced a limited-edition model called Sian, which stands out as its most powerful street-legal car ever and its first production-bound hybrid model. The Sian's gasoline-electric powertrain gives Lamborghini's mighty, naturally-aspirated V12 engine a new lease on life. It's completely different than the setup found in the 2014 Asterion LP910-4 concept, though, and it's considerably more advanced than a standard hybrid system. An electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the transmission receives electricity from a supercapacitor and injects 34 horsepower into the driveline. While that sounds like a rounding error in a car with the Raging Bull emblem on its nose, the 48-volt mild hybrid system helps the Sian return better gas mileage, provides a boost under hard acceleration, and powers the cars on its own at ultra-low speeds, such as when parking. The hardware tips the scale at a reasonable 75 pounds. Lightweight, composite materials like carbon fiber offset the hybrid system's mass. The mid-mounted V12 relies on titanium intake valves to generate 785 horsepower, a figure that makes it the most powerful road car engine in Lamborghini's 56-year history. The system's total output checks in at 819 horsepower. The Sian takes 2.8 seconds to reach 62 mph from a stop, and its top speed lies somewhere north of 220 mph. Visually, the Sian blends styling cues from Lamborghini's emblematic past models with features borrowed from its futuristic, forward-thinking concept cars. The wide, Y-shaped LED daytime running lights come straight from the Terzo Millennio introduced in 2017, while the six hexagonal rear lights are a nod in the direction of the Countach released in 1974. The Gandini line that characterizes every Lamborghini is accounted for; it defines the car's low-slung profile. The interior reflects Lamborghini's drive to make its cars more high-tech. The driver faces a digital, configurable instrument cluster, and the center console houses a touchscreen that displays a version of the infotainment system first seen on the Huracan Evo. Poltrona Frau leather and 3D-printed parts continue bridging the gap between Lamborghini's heritage and its future. Lamborghini will make 63 examples of the Sian by hand in its Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, factory. It chose that number because it was founded in 1963.

Coronavirus prompts VW to stop production throughout Europe

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen Group, the world's biggest carmaker, is suspending production at factories across Europe as the coronavirus pandemic hits sales and disrupts supply chains, the company said on Tuesday. The German carmaker, which owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat and Skoda brands, also said that uncertainty about the fallout from coronavirus meant it was impossible to give forecasts for its performance this year. "Given the present significant deterioration in the sales situation and the heightened uncertainty regarding parts supplies to our plants, production is to be suspended in the near future at factories operated by group brands," Chief Executive Herbert Diess said on Tuesday. Volkswagen's powerful works council concluded it was not possible for workers to maintain a safe distance from each other to prevent contagion and recommended a suspension of production at its factories from Friday. Production will be halted at VW's Spanish plants, in Setubal in Portugal, Bratislava in Slovakia and at the Lamborghini and Ducati plants in Italy before the end of this week, Diess said. Most of its other German and European factories will prepare to suspend production, probably for two to three weeks, while Audi said separately it would halt output at its plants in Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Mexico. Volkswagen's vast factories in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Puebla, Mexico, and plants in Brazil were not affected, but that would depend on how the coronavirus spreads, VW said. Volkswagen has 124 production sites worldwide of which 72 are in Europe, with 28 in Germany alone. "2020 will be a very difficult year. The coronavirus pandemic presents us with unknown operational and financial challenges. At the same time, there are concerns about sustained economic impacts," Diess said.   Production in China resumes Volkswagen Group sold 10.96 million vehicles last year, putting it ahead of Toyota based on the latest figures from the Japanese carmaker. Globally, VW employs 671,000 people and it delivered 4.86 million vehicles to European customers in 2019. Only last month the car and truck maker based in Wolfsburg, Germany, predicted that vehicle deliveries this year would match 2019 sales and forecast an operating return on sales in the range of 6.5% to 7.5%. "The spread of coronavirus is currently impacting the global economy. It is uncertain how severely or for how long this will also affect the Volkswagen Group.