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Lamborghini restores two 50-year-old classics to mark their anniversary

Front-engined Lamborghinis are a thing again, thanks to the Urus SUV. For decades, the company built nothing but mid-engined vehicles, perhaps for a good reason. But 50 years ago, Lamborghini introduced two cruisers with front-mounted V12s, and to commemorate the anniversary, the company's historical Polo Storico division has now restored examples of both. Before the era of Diablos, Murcielagos and Gallardos, the Espada was the strongest seller in the Lamborghini stable. Between 1968 and 1978, Lamborghini built 1,226 Espadas, all of them with a 4-liter V12, and some of them with an automatic transmission — a Lamborghini first. Depending on the version, the Espada's power output ranged from 325 hp to 350, and it could exceed 150 mph while seating four. Taking its cues from earlier concept cars, the Espada's Gandini design can be remembered from the near-horizontal rear deck, and the 47-inch tall cars are very low for four-seaters. What about the Islero? For Lamborghini, it was a more conventional approach to a GT, as it was a further development of the earlier 400GT — itself a continuation of Lamborghini's first production car, the 350GT. A handy way to tell the cars apart is that the Islero has hidden headlights, unlike the two earlier models. Compared to the Espada, the Islero's production run was markedly shorter: It was built for only two model years, with a total of 225 cars. The engine was the same V12 as in the Espada, but while the Islero S also had 350 hp, it was notably faster, and able to reach 161 mph. Lamborghini's Espada/Islero celebrations include a special tour of the Umbria region in early September. There's a 400-mile tour of central Italy Sept. 7-11 for Lamborghini enthusiasts, arranged by Lamborghini Polo Storico. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Lamborghini Espada/Islero 50th Anniversary Lamborghini Classics lamborghini espada

Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV retails for nearly $500k

Nobody ever said that buying a new Lamborghini would be an inexpensive proposition, but if the ~$200k sticker price on a new Huracan strikes you as high enough, you're don't even want to know how much the Raging Bull's new flagship costs. Presented this weekend for the first time in North America at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, the new Aventador LP 750-4 SV will set American customers back an eye-watering $485,900. Add to that the $3,700 gas-guzzler tax and $3,495 destination charge and you're looking at $493,095. That's just $6,905 short of half a million, and even that will disappear pretty quickly once you factor in all the gasoline and rubber you'll be burning through if you do right by the beast and actually drive it... not to mention insurance. That makes the new SuperVeloce nearly $100k more expensive than the Aventador coupe on which it's based, but hardly the costliest Lambo to date. That honor would go to the Veneno, which cost around $4 million. The half-million sticker price nets a twelve-cylinder supercar with 740 horsepower on tap, a 0-62 time quoted at 2.8 seconds and a top speed pegged at 217 miles per hour, making it one of the fastest cars money can buy – a stacking up rather well against hypercars like the Koenigsegg Agera, Pagani Huayra and Bugatti Veyron that cost many times more than the Aventador SV. Related Video:

Fourth Lamborghini model could be an all-electric 2+2 GT

It was almost a year ago that Automotive News spoke to Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali about the carmaker potentially adding a fourth model to the lineup. Asked about the potential of a new 2+2 GT model picking up where the Espada left off in 1978, Domenicali demurred on the matter of a bodystyle. Instead, the CEO said the brand is "working hard to combine high performance with interior space and driving comfort in a package that, designwise, should be striking as well as highly efficient in terms of aerodynamics." A year on, Autocar spoke to Lamborghini R&D head Maurizio Reggiani, who hinted at how ideas have coalesced since. Autocar says a 2+2 GT "is due to be given the green light to arrive by 2025," and there's a chance the model could be all-electric. Last we heard, Domenicali was explaining to AN that buyers weren't asking for a battery-electric vehicle. With a five- to seven-year horizon for the introduction of a fourth car, however, the CEO allowed that customers could be ready for one by 2027, so Lamborghini should be ready, too; nevertheless, he hedged the battery-only offering by saying it would come "together with a high-performance plug-in hybrid." According to Autocar's story, the brand's got more bullish on batteries in the interim. Reggiani said, "If you look at the timing for a fourth model line, there is the potential that this will be the right time for a full-electric vehicle" that can do at least 350 miles on a charge. Not only could such a car make sense by 2025, Lamborghini could likely find some way to fit the model into the Volkswagen Group's scheme for EV domination. There are two electric platforms floating around the high-performance divisions that could get the nod; the J1 architecture under the Porsche Taycan and coming Audi E-Tron GT that will evolve into the J1 II come 2023, or the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture that will support a range of models and is already rumored for an all-electric Bentley.    In terms of styling, Autocar repeatedly mentions cues coming from the 2008 Estoque concept (above). The four-door GT unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show has been in limbo since then, the heart of rumors ranging from an Estoque range of everyday supercars to becoming a Lamborghini twin for an Audi A9.