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Stock Miata beats bunch of high-powered cars in wet 1/4-mile drag race

When is a stock, 167-horsepower Mazda MX-5 Miata quicker than a Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Lamborghini Gallardo, Lotus Elise and a Porsche 911? When it's raining. Sort of.
Mazda Canada arranged a unique drag race to show off the fact that the Miata's optional power retractable folding hardtop can go from top-down to top-up in just 12 seconds flat. In this video, all six cars line up for a drag race, and it starts to rain (well, sort of - but you'll have to watch the video all the way to the end to see what we mean). The green flag is waved, and the timer starts as soon as the convertibles begin to put their tops up. But because the Miata's roof mechanism gets the car's roof back up a full 5.1 seconds quicker than the second-place car, the Mazda gets a serious advantage off the line for the actual drag race.
It's a fun video. And while we've spoiled the results (come on, the video was uploaded by Mazda, you knew the Miata was going to win), be sure to see how it all unfolds, below.

Lamborghini Veneno leaks ahead of Geneva

Hey, Lamborghini execs... why the long face? Is it because your double-top-secret Veneno hypercar has leaked ahead of its Geneva Motor Show debut?
This unidentified magazine scan has dribbled its way onto the internet, and the single image shows a radically designed coupe - even by Lamborghini standards - powered by the 6.5-liter V12 from the Aventador tuned to produce 740 horsepower, routed through the company's seven-speed single-clutch gearbox. The bodywork features exposed carbon fiber canards, asymmetric wheel wells, a massive rear wing, and all manner of vents and scoops, all combining for an outlandishly brutal look.
What does "Veneno" mean, exactly? It translates to "poison" in Spanish, but if the company's history is anything to go by, it must also be the name of a noteworthy bull in the history of tauromachia. What the car means to Lamborghini, however, is a celebration of the one-time tractor manufacturer's 50th anniversary.

Lamborghini reveals Aventador Nazionale in Beijing

Special editions have proven themselves a great way for high-end automakers to get a little bit more for their wares, but they appear to be gradually being taken over by personalization programs that allow customers to order their exotic new wheels just as they want them. After all, what's the point in ordering a special color scheme someone else has chosen when you can choose it yourself, with special wheels and interior upholstery to match?
Lamborghini has just such a program. It's called Ad Personam, and like the customization catalogs offered by other automakers, it allows its clients to specify any range of stylistic parameters to suit their own taste. To showcase the program, Lamborghini brought a customized Aventador to the Beijing Motor Show. Called the Nazionale edition, it's got a white paintjob with tricolore racing stripes up the hood, anthracite wheels, and a blue leather interior.
It's similar to the Gallardo Tricolore that rolled out of Sant'Agata three years ago - the kind of treatment we'd otherwise call a special edition, but despite carrying a different name, it just goes to show the possibilities Lamborghini offers it customers. For the right price, of course.