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2019 Lamborghini Urus First Drive Review: The prodigal son of Rambo Lambo

If you're fascinated by the absolutely bonkers, 1980s-era Lamborghini LM002 like we are, it's hard not to hope the new 2019 Lamborghini Urus is a proper sequel to the late, great, notorious sport 'ute. The new silhouette is far friendlier than the '80s-era jumble of trapezoidal planes and, more crucially, this time around motivation comes from a much more powerful twin-turbo V8, not a massive V12 as it was the wild, Countach-powered LM. So where does the Urus sit in the supercar-on-stilts spectrum? We traveled to Rome and tackled road, track and trail to find out. While the Cheetah that begat the LM002 was intended to serve as a legit military vehicle, the Urus's faceted sheetmetal is wrapped around the Volkswagen Group's MBL EVO platform, a modified version of the steel and aluminum chassis found in the Audi Q8, Bentley Bentayga, and Porsche Cayenne. Though you'll find some Lamborghini styling elements sprinkled throughout including the jagged nose, angular wheel arches, hexagonal cues and Y shapes, there's also a vague VW Group family resemblance that has triggered a vigorous online debate about the overall Lamborghini-ness of the effort. View 58 Photos Climbing into the cabin reveals a painlessly un-supercar-like ingress and egress, and there's a good amount of space all around, from the front seats to the rear leg and headroom. The cabin can be ordered with 2+2 style rear bucket seats, or a five-seat configuration with a folding rear bench. Also un-Lamborghini-like is the rear cargo area, a 21.8 cubic foot space that can swallow two full size golf bags. There are a few familiar elements about the cabin from Sant'Agata, like the hexagonal vents and the missile launcher-style ignition button. But other parts, such as the twin touchscreen displays, betray the Audi/Porsche roots — not necessarily a bad thing, as the haptic screens works simply and intuitively, even if they lack the tactile pleasure of pushing physical buttons. Driving modes are controlled via what Lamborghini calls the "Tamburo," two toggles on either side of the Start button. The left determines the Anima (drive mode) setting, calibrating a slew of variables like throttle response, shift patterns, four-wheel steering and damping/ride height through six modes: Strada (road), Sport, Corsa (race), Sabbia (sand), Terra (offroad) and Neve (snow). Curiously, the paddle only scrolls in one direction; to select the previous mode, you'll have to flip through the five modes ahead.

Get a load of these crazy European Nimrods

I've been attending the Geneva Motor Show for the better part of a decade, and it's become my favorite stop on the entire show circuit, in large part because of all the exotic automakers, coachbuilders and green startups. I also love the Palexpo's consistently mind-bending displays of tuners, who typically work exclusively on six-figure automobiles. Some offer subtle improvements and personalization programs, but most seem hellbent on being more outlandish and bizarre than the next, a room full of millionaire class clowns. More often than not, I spy something and think to myself "What kind of Nimrod would do that to a perfectly good ____ ?" This year, that rhetorical question is in fact a self-answering one.
The jokes, they write themselves.
But seriously, if you're wondering who would take a perfectly lovely Ferrari 458 Italia or a Lamborghini Aventador and affix a wild body kit of dubious aerodynamic and aesthetic merit at great extra cost (both to the car's MSRP and to its assuredly grenaded resale value), the answer could very well be Nimrod Elite Tuning, a newer high-end restyling house out of Slovakia. That last locational tidbit might also explain the company's unusual name, which is likely a nod to a mighty Biblical hunter (descendant of Ham and a king of Shinar, Nimrod is mentioned in Genesis and Chronicles) and not meant to be taken as a synonym for "idiot" or "moron."

1933 Duesenberg tops Mecum Auctions' Monterey results at $3,850,000

Mecum Auctions had three Duesenbergs on offer at the Monterey Car Week's auction event, and the most valuable of the three was the achingly beautiful, one-of-one Bohman and Schwartz-built Model J Disappearing-Top Roadster in white over red, for $3,850,000. Duesenberg reportedly utilized as many as 32 coachbuilders to build custom Model Js, and this one with Hollywood history is unique thanks to its bodywork. In comparison, a 1929 Murphy-bodied Model J Convertible Sedan brought in "just" $1,155,000. The second highest price in Mecum results was achieved by a practically undriven, 307-mile 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari. The Rosso Corsa example slotted in neatly compared to its $3,000,000 to $3,300,000 estimate, finishing at $3,190,000. Another LaFerrari, a yellow one with 419 miles, remained unsold at $3,200,000. Number three is also a Ferrari, an Enzo at that. The 3,150-mile 2003 Enzo, in red over red, finished at $2,860,000. After a string of street cars, the fourth highest Mecum auction price was achieved by the 1989 Daytona 24 Hours, 1989 Palm Beach Grand Prix and 1989 Porsche Cup USA winning Porsche 962. The list of drivers with stints behind the Busby Racing 962's wheel is impressive reading: Derek Bell, John Andretti, Mauro Baldi, Jochen Mass and Brian Redman just to mention a few. Chassis 962-108 had the honor of claiming the 50 th win for a 962 in international competition, at Daytona 24 Hours, and that victory was also Derek Bell's final 24-hour endurance win. As Mecum notes, Bell has called this 962 as his favorite Group C Porsche. It has been in collector hands since 1989, and the selling price reached $2,200,000. The fifth car is a very significant Lamborghini Miura: an unrestored original with its factory coat of red, it is the second Miura P400S model built, and the earliest known S survivor. It has just 28,613 miles on its odometer, and it still wears the Pirelli Cinturatos it was given at the factory. Among all Miuras, this 1969 car is certainly a unicorn, and as a result it sold for $1,155,000. The rest of the top 10 sellers from the Mecum auction follow: 1929 Duesenberg Model J Murphy Convertible Sedan, $1,155,000 2012 Dallara DW12 Honda Indy Car, $1,127,500 2017 Ferrari F12tdf Coupe, $1,045,000 1936 Auburn 852 Supercharged Speedster, $1,017,500 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe, $825,000 Related Video: Featured Gallery Mecum Auctions Monterey 2018 View 10 Photos News Source: Mecum AuctionsImage Credit: Mecum Auctions Misc.