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VW makes $23K on every Porsche sold, more than Bentley or Lamborghini

It's a good time to be in the luxury car business. In Volkswagen Group's financial report for the 2013 fiscal year, it is revealed that that Porsche enjoyed an operating margin of 18 percent. That means the Stuttgart brand made on average about $23,200 per car sold, according to BusinessWeek. Bentley wasn't far behind, and Audi (which was combined with Lamborghini) posted a 10.1 percent margin. This compares to only around 2.9 percent for the Volkswagen brand.
"Luxury brands are on fire," said Dave Sullivan, an industry analyst at AutoPacific. He said that the average profit margin is between six and eight percent. Brands like Porsche and Bentley have the benefit of competing in rarefied markets. Buyers looking at one their vehicles have fewer models to shop against and don't care as much about price. They can also charge more for options, which further boosts income, according to BusinessWeek.
In a way, we should be more impressed by the continued success from Audi. Its models generally have direct competitors in every segment from the other premium automakers. Plus, their buyers aren't the captains of industry who are shopping for a Bentley. Still, the Four Rings is leading rivals in sales so far this year.

Teen who stole Guy Fieri's Lamborghini gets life in prison [w/video]

If you're currently on a crime spree, we'd recommend against stealing the Lamborghini of a popular, bleached-blonde chef, lest you end up getting sentenced to life in prison. That's not to say 19-year-old Max Wade's life sentence was simply due to pilfering Guy Fieri's Lambo - an attempted murder charge for a drive-by shooting, among other crimes, also played a role - but we doubt it did much for his case.
You'll recall we last reported on Fieri's missing Gallardo Spyder in April of 2012, when it was reported that the Marin County Sheriff's Department and Mill Valley Police Department recovered the car from a storage container, that also housed the motorcycle Wade, then 17, used in the drive-by. Wade originally stole the V10-powered droptop from a San Francisco dealership in 2011, reportedly by rappelling onto the dealership's roof.
Wade was charged as an adult for his crimes, despite being a minor when they were committed, and could be eligible for parole at an unspecified date. That said, he's also facing a separate sentence of over 21 years, according to Boston.com. Scroll down for the news report from KPIX-5, the Bay Area's CBS affiliate.

Leno stretches Lamborghini Diablo's legs for latest Garage installment

While posters of the Lamborghini Countach decorated the walls of many boys' walls in the 1980s, the Diablo filled that spot for young men in the early 1990s thanks to its extreme styling. In its latest video, Jay Leno's Garage welcomes a beautiful, white 1991 Diablo into his garage for a look back on what is now a classic supercar.
Unlike some of the vehicles Leno shows off, this one doesn't belong to him. Instead, veteran Italian car mechanic Franco Barbuscia owns it. He has been maintaining Jay's Countach for years. A '91 Diablo is an archaic supercar by today's standards. It doesn't have power steering, anti-lock brakes or obviously anything like traction control. It's just a big V12 hanging behind the driver with a wonderfully meaty roar that emanates from the exhaust.
Franco's Diablo might actually be better than new. It has a few upgrades to aid in drivability, like re-spaced pedals, a carbon-Kevlar clutch and more. Apparently all of the tweaks help a lot because, "it rides smoother than my Carrera GT," Leno enthuses about the car. Scroll down to reminisce about this Italian classic and get an ear full of its wonderful sound.