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Wild one-off Lamborghini Sogna for sale at $3M [w/videos]

The Lamborghini Countach was the dream car for many teens and pre-teens in the 1980s, but at least one Japanese man thought there was room for improvement. As the story goes, Ryoji Yamazaki had a dream of a supercar as a 13-year-old, and at the age of 41, he used his design studio, Art & Tech, to create the Sogna in 1991.
Yamazaki unveiled the Sogna at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show as a rebodied Countach with intentions of selling it in limited production, but thankfully - or sadly, depending how you look at it - the $1.6 million (1991 price) coachbuilt supercar never made it into production. The Geneva show car was a rolling chassis, and the only other example that was produced was a fully operational version, shown above, which was unveiled at the 1994 Essen Motor Show. This car from Essen is now listed for sale on James Edition for 2.38 million euros, or around $3.25 million USD.
With its oddball styling and kiwi green paint, the Sogna was likely doomed from the start, but it still boasts the Countach's full powertrain including the 448-horsepower, 5.2-liter V12 and a claimed top speed of 186 miles per hour. Check out more images of the 1994 Sogna at James Edition and Enmann, and we also found a couple videos, which are posted below, of the car's early development.

Lamborghini struggles to cap its own production to maintain brand exclusivity

Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Bentleys, and so on demand high prices, and that's not just because you’re buying incredible performance, technology and luxury. YouÂ’re also buying exclusivity. Recently, however, Wall Street and shareholders have been pressuring supercar makers to produce more cars and yield more profits. The problem is that higher production volume compromises exclusivity and dilutes the brand. So while LamborghiniÂ’s shareholders want the company to produce more cars, executives are seeking to impose limits and cap production. "We must not go on growing forever. We now have to consolidate these results and preserve exclusivity," Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali told reporters at an event inaugurating the companyÂ’s newest paint and body shop at the SantÂ’Agata Bolognese plant in Italy. The execs are having limited success, however, as the company announced that it plans to sell more than 8,000 cars this year, which is “the right dimension of our company with our current product portfolio,” Domenicali said. A run of 8,000 cars would be an increase of 39 percent from 2018's total of 5,750 new Lambos. It has been a strong decade for Lamborghini; a mere 1,302 vehicles were sold back in 2010. However, that goal of 8,000 could swell to around 10,000 cars, depending on whether the company adds another model to its small lineup. Such a case would have to be deliberated among shareholders. Lamborghini saw considerable growth in the first quarter of this year, likely attributed to the launch of its Urus SUV. So far, analysts are forecasting an increase in revenue to around 1.7 billion euros, or $1.92 billion USD, up from 1.42 billion euros or $1.6 billion USD in 2018, said Chief Financial Officer Paolo Poma. At the same event, Lamborghini confirmed that an electric supercar is not in its future at this time as “customers are currently not interested,” Poma said. However, Lamborghini is indeed seeking to add hybrid vehicles to its lineup by 2025, as itÂ’s pressured to lower CO2 emissions and meet future mandates. The Urus is expected to be one of the cars receiving a hybrid powertrain, as it is not planned to get a V10 or V12 engine.

Lamborghini Urus pair completes 4,000-mile trip across Japan

Two Lamborghini Urus crossovers have completed a month-long journey across Japan. Conceived as a marketing stunt, the pair traveled over 4,000 miles, collecting some truly breathtaking scenery along the way. The idea of a long-distance drive to promote a new vehicle has been a long-held tradition in Japan. It was a much bigger achievement back in the 1960s, when Japan's expressway system was just getting underway. Many local roads were still rough, and it was considered uncommon for cars to drive all-out at high speeds for sustained lengths of time. Nowadays, it's not particularly difficult for any modern car to complete such treks, especially when you're talking about a 641-horsepower, 626-pound-foot luxury SUV. In fact, it must be quite the exercise in restraint in modulating the 4.0-liter V8, capable of a 190 mph top speed, since the highest speed limit in Japan is about 75 mph and speed cameras are everywhere. Still, it was a chance for Lamborghini to capture some beautiful photos along the way. The Urus almost looks out of place against ancient shrines and lush bamboo forests. They even paused to shoot at Himeji Castle in Bizen City and Shirakawa village in Gifu Prefecture, both UNESCO World Heritage sites. From snowy mountains to rocky coastlines, cherry blossom-lined avenues to massive steel bridges connecting Japan's islands, the variation in backdrops is something to behold. The two Urus vehicles used in the trip were finished in Giallo Inti (yellow) and Blu Astraeus (dark blue), both featuring a customizable Lamborghini paint option called Pearl Capsule. Created by Lamborghini’s Centro Stile design department, it basically adds a black finish to the roof, spoiler and front air dam. Cabin-wise, Pearl Capsule adds two-tone coloring, hexagon stitching on the seats with carbon fiber and black anodized aluminum details throughout the interior. The option can also be paired with Arancio Borealis (orange) and Verde Mantis (green) exterior colors. The trip started in far western Japan on the island of Kyushu, then traced the country's northern coast along the Sea of Japan up to the northernmost island of Hokkaido. Then it snaked down the Pacific coast to its final destination of Tokyo. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.