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Watch Evo pick its 2015 Car of the Year in this epic video

With just a few days left in 2015, it's the perfect time to check out Evo's annual Car of the Year test to determine the greatest performance vehicle of the last 12 months. The writers' picks for the 11 finalists spanned a breadth of engaging models and included: Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport, Lamborghini Aventador SV, Seat Leon Cupra Sub8, McLaren 675LT, Porsche 991 GT3 RS, Porsche Cayman GT4, Honda Civic Type R, Ferrari 488 GTB, Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Lotus Evora 400, and Mercedes-AMG GT S. For the venue to test the mettle of these performance machines, Evo stuck close to home this year and visited the twisting roads at the beautiful north coast of Scotland. Racing brothers Marino and Dario Franchitti also came along for the ride to provide two more voices in the competitive challenge to determine a winner. Evo's video explains why each model deserves to be among such rarified company but doesn't gloss over their faults either. There can be only one winner, though. We don't want to spoil it, so check out the clip for magnificent views of these performance machines through the Scottish countryside.

The Mansory Venatus is a widebody Lamborghini Urus that could scar your retinas

Nothing says, "I am a person of exquisite taste with an appreciation for subtlety" quite like the purchase of a Lamborghini Urus, but there are some in the world for whom that is not enough, people who need just a little bit more if they're to be properly satisfied.  From the extensive use of carbon fiber in crafting new exterior parts, to the hours spent painstakingly poring over every detail of the interior to make sure it was as blue as possible, it's clear the Mansory Venatus is nothing if not more. It's also not new, strictly speaking. With the 2020 Geneva Motor Show deteriorating into a sort of chaos, we've been perhaps a bit over-vigilant in looking for anything that may have fallen through the cracks in coverage. While researching Mansory's new Bentley Continental GT offering, we spotted this gem and quickly realized that it slipped under our scopes last year. Either that, or the sight of it alone inflicted so much trauma that we've blocked it out; it could easily have gone either way.  The Venatus is essentially a collection of wide body panels and other exterior parts from Mansory's growing Urus catalog. Everything from the individual pieces of the fender flares to the front of rear bumpers can be ordered individually, or as part of Mansory's three available Urus packages: Soft Kit, Wide Body and this one.  This is far from the first time Mansory has thrown carbon fiber at a Lamborghini. We're frankly surprised that it isn't even more extreme, either visually or in terms of performance, as the German tuner has gone down both roads before.  Related Video:      

Lamborghini Squadra Corsa previews 830-hp hypercar and racing Urus ST-X

At the conclusion of last year's Lamborghini Super Trofeo series, the Sant'Agata Bolognese carmaker's Squadra Corse division unveiled the SC18 Alstom. That was a one-off, customer-commissioned, extreme track car based on the Aventador SVJ, and the first wholesale creation from the racing department. At this year's series finale in Jerez, Spain, it teased a limited-run hypercar and an evolution of the race-bound Urus ST-X. The hypercar proves a rumor from earlier this month, when a poster at the McLaren Life forum said he was "Going to spec next week and test drive the SVR V12 track version of AV," that AV standing for Aventador. Lamborghini says the track-only car, designed by the company's Centro Stile department, will debut next year. The rumor had posited the hypercar as a ne plus ultra expression of the Aventador's 6.5-liter V12, and that seems to be the case. Engineers extracted 830 horsepower from the naturally aspirated engine, 70 hp more than found in the SVJ. In place of the road car's seven-speed, single-clutch ISR transmission, the unnamed hypercar uses a six-speed Xtrac sequential gearbox, and a mechanical limited-slip differential can be adjusted by the driver for preload. The standard Aventador chassis has been reworked around that powertrain for aerodynamic and safety reasons. The front structure's made of aluminum, a more pliant — and less expensive — material to deal with in case of incidents on the track. The engine's been wrapped in a steel cage in order to increase torsional and bending stiffness. Airflow improves thanks to dual intakes on the hood, an airscoop over the cockpit, and a stonking rear wing.  Lamborghini Urus ST-X View 3 Photos The Urus ST-X has undergone a few changes since its debut last year. The Verde Mantis SUV has been lightened by about 25 percent compared to the production version with "a lighter structure," a vented carbon fiber hood and rear wing, and a racing exhaust. The cabin's luxurious appointment are replaced by a roll cage, racing seats, and a fire suppression system. Scheduled to make its race debut at the end of October 2020 in Misano, Italy, the first pilots to get a chance behind the wheel will be winners of the four classes in the Super Trofeo series.