2012 Lamborghini Aventador 2dr Cpe on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lamborghini shows off beautifully restored 350 GT

It might not look much like Lamborghini's latest creations, such as the Aventador S, but this gorgeous grand tourer is a very important model in the company's history: its first production car. And this is an early one, one of the first 15 examples to roll off the line. It's getting some attention at the Retromobile Show in Paris thanks to its full restoration by Lamborghini's in-house restoration arm, Polo Storico. Polo Storico is a little like the Heritage divisions of Jaguar and Land Rover, and similar divisions at Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and others. The unit, based in Sant'Agata, gives customers the opportunity to have their classic Lamborghinis restored by the company's expert staff. It is, as you might imagine, expensive. Polo Storico has previously restored a Miura, an LM002, and a Countach. This particular 350 GT is chassis No. 0121, and it received 1,150 hours worth of bodywork and 780 hours of mechanical restoration – in particular, the cooling system for the 3.5-liter V12 was thoroughly checked over. The car was repainted with an original-type paint, and recreation Pirelli Cinturato tires were fitted to match what the car originally had. It'll be on display in Paris if you're in the neighborhood. Related Video:

Atelier Jalaper's new watch made from Lamborghini Miura bulkhead

Last August, French watchmaker Atelier Jalaper announced itself with an automatic timepiece whose dial was cut from the hood of an Aston Martin DB5. The next collection is ready, this one with an Italian flavor. After another lengthy search, the company located a burned-out Lamborghini Miura P400S in Avignon, France. We're told a section of the aluminum bulkhead between the engine and the trunk escaped the fire, and with this, Atelier Jalaper created the AJ-P400. Instead of the Miyota automatic movement used in the DB5's AJ-001 and AJ-002 watches, the AJ-P400 is based around a Sellita SW200-1 manual caliber. Anyone without a watch winder will need to restore the power reserve after about 45 hours. The oval-shaped 39.5-millimeter satin-finished steel case shows off the first Miura connection: An oval outer bezel surrounding a circular dial, recalling the oval "eyelash" treatment around the Miura headlights. The chapter ring around the bezel comes in four colorways close to original Miura hues of Azzuro Cielo (blue), Verde Miura (green), Arancio Miura (orange) and Nero Cangiante (black). The Miura wreck provides the aluminum dial, its face textured and anodized matte black. The lengthy hash marks and somewhat crowded numbers are inspired by the Miura's speedometer. At bottom, instead of a Lamborghini logo and unit indicator, the watch shows the power reserve meter. And the band makes a callback to Miura seats. Last year's Aston Martin watch was produced in a run of 1,200, costing from ˆ800 ($852 U.S.) to ˆ1,150 ($1,225 U.S.). The Miura timepiece will be more rare and more dear, coming in a run of 400 examples, each costing $2,000. Orders are open now, the first samples to be delivered in July. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lamborghini Centenario blows our minds with 760 horsepower

Every time we think Lamborghini couldn't go more extreme, it goes and outdoes itself again. Take this latest supercar for example. Called the Centenario, it celebrates what would have been Ferruccio Lamborghini's hundredth birthday (were he still alive today). It's essentially an Aventador underneath, but with more visually arresting bodywork and even more impressive specs. Like the Aventador, the Centenario is built around a carbon monocoque with a V12 engine bolted to the back. Only instead of the Aventador's 700 metric horsepower or the Aventador SV's 750, the Centenario packs 770 – equivalent to 760 hp by US standards. That's enough to propel it to 62 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 217 mph. To keep all that power and pace in check, Lamborghini fitted the Centenario with carbon-ceramic brakes and magnetorheological dampers. It also packs a four-wheel steering system like the one you'd find on the Porsche 911 GT3 or Ferrari F12 TdF to help keep it stable at speed and nimble under cornering. The unique Independent Shifting Rod transmission carries over from the Aventador, but as you can see, the Centenario strikes an even more aggressive profile than its (relatively) more commonplace stablemate. View 19 Photos The bodywork is all fresh, with more vents and ducts than an air conditioner factory and – dare we say – more visual aggression than anything Sant'Agata has made to date... save for maybe the Veneno. Just check out those enormous intakes aft of the doors, for crying out loud. Also, check out the DTM-size rear diffuser, or the old-school air extractors in the bonnet that somehow still leave room for a pair of helmets in the luggage compartment. The whole thing is longer than the Aventador, and sits lower to the ground. Think of its relationship to the Aventador as the Reventon was to the Murcielago and you'll be on the right track. This particular example is rendered in exposed carbon fiber, but each will be made to the customer's specifications. Now before you go picturing yourself as one of those customers, we should point out that Lamborghini will only make 40 examples – 20 coupes and 20 more roadsters – and all of them have already been sold at a price of 1.75 million euros (before taxes), which works out to about $1.9 million at current exchange rates.