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Dan Neil pokes fun at the celeb cars of 2014

Look, we try really hard not to pay any attention to the Kardashians and their vapid reality TV empire. But, as troubling as that brood may be, occasionally we're impressed and/or horrified by their four-wheeled conveyances. In fact, that curiosity extends beyond talentless reality stars with rotund glutes to celebs in general. That's why we're enjoying Dan Neil's sometimes biting take on the celebrity cars of 2014. Besides paying tribute to Kim K, husband Kanye West and the adorable Lamborghini that their spawn rides about in, Neil also takes a look at LeBron James' turn as a Kia spokesman and boxer Floyd Mayweather's trio of Bugatti Veyrons. Matthew McConaughey is a focus of Neil's as well, thanks to his oft-panned advertisements for Lincoln (and the raucous parodies they inspired), before finishing on the high, with Jerry Seinfeld and his new Porsche 918 Spyder. Take a look at Neil's recap of the celebrity cars of 2014. News Source: The Wall Street Journal Celebrities Humor Bugatti Kia Lamborghini Lincoln Porsche Videos porsche 918 spyder celebrity dan neil

Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato shows its off-road-friendly design

The all-terrain Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato is nearly ready to make its debut. The supercar's final (and most extreme) evolution will break cover on November 30 in Florida, and a batch of photos showing the coupe without camouflage reveals how designers SUV-ified a supercar. We've never seen anything quite like the Huracan Sterrato; at least not in showrooms. Lamborghini previewed the model in June 2019 by unveiling a close-to-production concept, and it's clear that the overall design hasn't changed much in the past three years. Sitting far higher than the average supercar, the Sterrato gets a pair of LED driving lights up front, wheel arch flares, specific side skirts, and roof rails. These styling cues were previewed by the concept, but the air scoop seemingly connected to the engine bay is a new addition to the look. Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato View 4 Photos It's reasonable to assume that there's much more going on than meets the eye. We're impatient to find out how Lamborghini modified the Huracan's suspension system for off-road use, for example. And, there's no word yet on what the model is powered by. Our crystal ball tells us it's a version of the standard car's naturally-aspirated, 5.2-liter V10 but it's too early to provide horsepower and torque figures. The Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato is scheduled to make full its debut at Art Basel show in Miami, Florida, on November 30, 2022. It will be the last evolution of the Huracan; its successor is due out in the coming years. Official details remain few and far between, but an unofficial report claims the upcoming new model will land with an 850-horsepower gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain built around a twin-turbocharged V8 engine. The birth of a new segment? The idea of a supercar that keeps going after the pavement ends is unconventional; for decades, supercars were bound to roads while SUVs and pickup trucks were designed to go off-road. There have been a handful of notable exceptions to this rule, the mega-obscure Mega Track built in France in the 1990s comes to mind, but the idea didn't catch on until recently. Volkswagen-owned Italdesign Giugiaro alchemized the Lamborghini Gallardo into an off-roader called Parcour at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and Audi followed-up with the Nanuk concept later that year. Fast-forward to 2022 and Porsche wants a slice of this segment, too: it's preparing a 911 on stilts called Dakar. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party.

Why Italians are no longer buying supercars

Italy is the wound that continues to drain blood from the body financial of Italian supercar and sports car makers. The wound was opened by the country's various financial police who decided to get serious about superyacht-owning and supercar-driving tax cheats a few years ago, by noting their registrations and checking their incomes. When it was found that a rather high percentage of exotic toy owners had claimed a rather low annual income - certain business owners were found to be declaring less income than their employees - the owners began dumping their cars and prospective buyers declined to buy.
Car and Driver has a piece on how the initiative is hitting the home market the hardest. Lamborghini sold 1,302 cars worldwide in 2010, 1,602 cars in 2011 and 2,083 cars in 2012 - an excellent surge in just two years. In Italy, however, it's all about the ebb: in 2010, the year that Italian police began scouring harbors, Lamborghini sold 96 cars in Italy, the next year it sold 72, last year it sold just 60. The declines for Maserati and Ferrari are even more pronounced.
Head over to CD for the full story and the numbers. What might be most incredible isn't the cause and effect, but where the blame is being placed. A year ago the chairman of Italy's Federauto accused the government of "terrorizing potential clients," this year Luca di Montezemolo says what's happening has created "a hostile environment for ­luxury goods." Life at the top, it ain't easy.