Roadster / Bicolor Sportivo / Qcitura / Branding Pack on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lamborghini-powered Vector M12 supercar is ultra rare, obscure, and for sale

It's an excellent week for fans of obscure American supercars that never really took off. One of the seven Falcon F7s built is currently being auctioned on Cars & Bids, and one of the 14 Vector M12s made will cross the auction block during Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale sale taking place in March 2021. Better yet, it's offered with no reserve. Finished in black with a gorgeous red leather interior, this M12 was designed and built for the Prince of Brunei, according to Barrett-Jackson boss Craig Jackson. High-end cars that end up in Brunei rarely leave the microstate. The Sultan's collection allegedly includes more than 7,000 luxurious vehicles that are almost never shown to the public, yet this M12 somehow returned to the United States and found its way into the Larry Winkler collection. Although it has traveled around the world, this M12 has evidently been driven sparingly. Its odometer shows merely 2,160 miles, and they're claimed to be original. Barrett-Jackson also points out that it received a major, engine-out service in November 2019 during which the clutch was replaced and an upgraded ceramic flywheel was installed. Interestingly, the interior was also redesigned to make it easier for taller drivers to take the wheel. Power comes from a 5.7-liter V12 engine borrowed from none other than the Lamborghini Diablo. It develops 492 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque, and it spins the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission built by ZF. Vector pegged the M12's zero-to-60-mph time at 4.5 seconds, an impressive number in the 1990s. In comparison, the standard Diablo's zero-to-60-mph time hovered around four and a half seconds, too. M12s rarely trade hands, and they're not cheap when they do. When this example crosses the auction block in March 2021, the market will decide what it's worth, because there's no reserve. The highest bidder will take it home, regardless of where bidding stops. If you want a shot at adding it to your collection, you can register to bid online. Auto News Lamborghini Coupe Performance Supercars Classics

Texas man gets prison for buying Lamborghini with Covid funds

A Texas man who spent coronavirus relief funds to feel a little less bored during lockdown is staring down a nine-year prison term after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. Lee Price III finagled more than $1.6 million in low-interest relief loans, the Associated Press reports, which he spent to pay off a mortgage and buy a couple of cars: an $85,000 Ford F-350 and and Lamborghini Urus.  According to the Houston Chronicle, Price's scheme involved funneling a little under $1 million through each of two of his businesses (Price Enterprises Holdings and 713 Construction), both of which Price claimed had large payrolls that needed to be covered using emergency funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). While these were ostensibly loans, they were structured to be forgiven if the funds were distributed within 10 calendar days and the borrower applied for forgiveness within 10 months of taking the loan. Provided those criteria were met, it was essentially free money to cover payroll. Price's employees, however, did not exist.   You'll be forgiven for thinking you've heard this story before. Coronavirus really seemed to bring out the Lamborghini fans. A California man was accused of adding one to his garage (along with a Ferrari and Bentley) and plead not guilty earlier this year to charges that he scammed more than $5 million from the PPP. Last year, a Florida man's scheme to defraud the same program was undone by a hit-and-run accident in the blue Lamborghini Huracan Evo he bought with the proceeds. 

Former Ferrari F1 chief could be new Lamborghini CEO

The word on the street in Bologna is that Lamborghini is in for a changing of the guard. Current CEO Stephan Winkelmann is tipped to step down after 14 years at the helm in Sant'Agata, likely to move to another role at Audi. And in his place, the German automaker is anticipated to appoint Stefano Domenicali. Domenicali was formerly the head of Scuderia Ferrari, rising through the ranks at Maranello to succeed Jean Todt as team principal in 2008. He resigned in 2014 to be replaced first by Ferrari US chief Marco Mattiacci and then by Marlboro man Maurizio Arrivabene as the team has struggled to find its form again. Shortly after leaving Maranello, Domenicali took up a new position at Audi, where he was rumored to be working on the company's anticipated foray into Formula One with Red Bull. But after that program was shut down in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal, Domenicali is now tipped to move back to Italy to take over the supercar business. Stefano would be the second Domenicali to head an Italian performance brand under the VW/Audi umbrella, joining Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali (they not believed to be related). The move would also be a particularly emphatic gesture to Sergio Marchionne. The Fiat Chrysler Automobiles chief has previously lost top lieutenants to Volkswagen, most notably Luca de Meo, who headed up VW brand's passenger car marketing department before taking over at Seat. While previous Ferrari chiefs Todt and Montezemolo came up through the racing department, Marchionne assumed the chairmanship in Maranello and brought in outside talent instead. Meanwhile Winkelmann has been in charge of Lamborghini since 2005, when he was appointed by Audi to run the company it had just acquired a few years prior. Under the tenure of the German-Italian executive, Lamborghini sales have risen from 1,600 units per year to over 2,500 last year. The introduction of the forthcoming Urus crossover, birthed under Winkelmann's leadership, is expected to more than double that overall figure. Given his success in transforming Lamborghini, it isn't likely that the Volkswagen Group will simply show Winkelmann the door. Word has it that he'll receive another posting at Audi, potentially taking over the growing Quattro GmbH division in Neckarsulm. The division is responsible for all of Audi's RS models as well as the R8 – the latter of which Audi sells as many units as the entire Lamborghini division does in a year.