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Jay Leno holds Lamborghini showdown, compares Gallardo LP570-4 and LP550-2

Jay Leno's Garage welcomes two of our favorite Lamborghini models over for compare-and-contrast session, the Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera and Gallardo LP550-2. Note, however, that these are the 2012 coupes, not the 2013 models with their revised front and rear fascias.
Leno likes the size of the Gallardo over the Aventador, and between the two siblings, his philosophy leans heavily toward the rear-wheel drive and superior comfort of the LP550-2. With the help of Andrew Romanowski of the Lamborghini Club of America, Leno goes through little-known details like the LEDs in the engine bay and the particulars that distinguish the two vehicles like the Alcantara, polycarbonate windows and lighter tires on the Superleggera.
Then, doing something that he would never do with human guests on his television show, he takes his favorite out for the driving segment and leaves the all-wheel-drive coupe at the garage to pout. You can learn a few things yourself and listen to Jay sing hosannas about the overall build quality and rear-focused power of the LP550-2 in the entertaining video below.

Lamborghini has built more Huracans in 5 years than it did Gallardos in 10

Production numbers can be pointless without some sort of context that validates the information. For instance, 14,022 cars built in five years sounds like nothing, but when it's added that those 14,022 units are Lamborghini Huracans, it's more impressive. That specific number is significant because it matches the number of Lamborghini Gallardos produced during its 10-year run, even though the Huracan has only existed for 5 years. Lamborghini has been doing extremely well as of late. Year-over-year sales rose for the eighth consecutive year in 2018, and the Urus SUV is bringing in gobs of new customers. Reportedly, the company might even cap its production for 2020 at 8,000 units in order to maintain a certain level of exclusivity. At the core of the company's identity is the V10-powered Huracan. In the first half of 2019, the Huracan accounted for roughly 26 percent of the 4,553 cars sold, a number that represents a 96-percent increase compared to the same time period in 2018. Since it first debuted as a coupe for 2014, the Huracan line has expanded quite a bit with numerous different styles and performance levels. There's the rear-wheel drive model, the Performante, the EVO, and Spyder variants. The 14,022nd car built is a Huracan EVO coupe wearing a Grigio Titans paint scheme, and it's headed to a customer in Korea. There's no reason to believe Lamborghini demand will slow. The Urus has quickly become a cash-cow in a crossover-hungry market, and the possibility of an electric 2+2 as a fourth model could boost the brand even more.

Top Gear names BMW i8 Car of the Year, Corvette, Ferrari, Mercedes also win big

The lads at Top Gear have released their listing of the finest cars of the past year, handing the ultimate honor to BMW's revolutionary i8 plug-in-hybrid supercar. "The i8 is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers - and then some," the British mag wrote. The i8, though, was far from the only hybridized car to take victories. James May and Richard Hammond both highlighted hybrids as their personal cars of the year, with May saluting the Ferrari LaFerrari and the Hamster, unsurprisingly, heaping praise on the Porsche 918 Spyder. Jeremy Clarkson, meanwhile, opted to shock many by selecting not only an American car as his best of 2014, but giving the honor to of all things, a Corvette. Clarkson wasn't the only person to honor the USA's iconic sports car, with the new, 650-horsepower Z06 variant being named TG's Muscle Car of the Year. Other big winners include Mercedes-Benz, which TG honored for S-Class Coupe (Luxury Car of the Year), the new AMG GT (Sports Car of the Year) and the not-for-US C-Class Estate (Family Car of the Year). The 458 Italia Speciale A snagged a second win for Ferrari. The best of the rest include the Citroen C4 Cactus, Renault Twingo, Volkswagen Golf R, Lamborghini Huracan and Audi TT. Take a look below for the celebratory press blast from BMW. The BMW i8 wins Top Gear Car of the Year The BMW i8 has been named as Top Gear magazine's global Car of the Year 2014. The plug-in hybrid performance vehicle beat off some stiff competition from a host of other premium and luxury manufacturers to win the overall award. The editorial team of Top Gear commended the BMW i8 for its breadth of abilities. Its 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine combined with an electric motor gives searing acceleration and driver enjoyment but all wrapped in a package that takes BMW's EfficientDynamics philosophy to the extreme courtesy of CO2 emissions less than 49g/km and a 135mpg combined cycle figure. Charlie Turner, Editor in Chief at Top Gear magazine, said: "The BMW is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers – and then some. It's the kind of car we should celebrate, a beautiful vision of the future, delivered now.