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Felicity Ace sinks with thousands of VWs, Porsches, Lamborghinis

The stricken ship Felicity Ace sank overnight after a week of salvage efforts ultimately proved unsuccessful. The ship, which was carrying up to 4,000 VW Group cars, went to the bottom unexpectedly while a salvage team was attempting to tow it to shore, Bloomberg reports.  "Initial reports from the local salvage team state that the vessel had sunk at around 9AM local time having suffered a list to starboard," Mitsui O.S.K. Lines transportation company (MOL), which owns the Felicity Ace, said in a statement released early Tuesday.    "The last vessel position was around 220nm off the Azores," MOL said. "The salvage crafts will remain around the area to monitor the situation. Further information will be provided as it becomes available." The ship sank after being battered by waves and listing 45 degrees to starboard, the ship’s operator said. “The weather was pretty rough out there,” Pat Adamson, a spokesperson for MOL Ship Management (Singapore), a unit of Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd., said by phone. “And then she sank, which was a surprise.” VW, Porsche, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini-branded models were aboard the ship, which was headed to Rhode Island from GermanyÂ’s Emden port when the fire broke out on Feb. 16.  Rough seas and ongoing fires fueled by the lithium-ion batteries of EVs onboard delayed the ship's salvage and recovery operations for the better part of a week. While the likelihood of salvaging the smoke and potentially fire- and water-damaged vehicles from Felicity Ace's hold was slim to none, some had held out hope that their special-ordered vehicles might survive the mishap.  The Panama-flagged Felicity Ace was safely evacuated of its 22 crew members by the Portuguese navy after a fire started in its hold more than a week ago. The ship can carry up to 4,000 cars. European carmakers declined to discuss how many vehicles and what models were on board, but it appears to have been transporting approximately 2,500 cars, including roughly 1,100 Porsches and an undetermined number of Volkswagens.  The cars aboard were on order. Porsche customers in the United States were being contacted by their dealers, the company said. “We are already working to replace every car affected by this incident and the first new cars will be built soon,” Angus Fitton, vice president of PR at Porsche Cars North America, Inc., told The Associated Press in an email. The ship sank in water nearly 10,000 feet deep, the Portuguese Navy said.

Lamborghini Urus has an underwhelming exhaust note

Lamborghini has been releasing a number of teaser trailers for its upcoming Urus SUV, and the latest is all about trying to make the SUV really feel like a Lamborghini. The host at one point begins talking about giving the Urus the right sound, which culminates in a shot of a prototype accelerating away with all raucous roar of ... any other premium crossover on the market right now. Yes, the Lamborghini Urus sounds generic. Despite reportedly making 650 horsepower from its twin-turbo V8, the exhaust note sounds too quiet, smooth, and clean. It doesn't sound bad, but part of what makes a Lamborghini a Lamborghini is a stunning howl that you can hear blocks away. It shrieks at the high end, barks at the low end, and crackles in-between. Just take a listen to the Huracan in the video below. The Urus does none of that. Some may say this is actually a good thing because an SUV is supposed to be more practical and refined for daily use. But that's not what a Lamborghini is, even one that can carry more than two people. Lamborghinis are big, loud, impractical, and showy. And there's no shortage of fast, subtle SUVs out there, so the Lamborghini being brash is a key selling point. Still, this likely won't deter many prospective Urus buyers. It's still absurd-looking, featuring roughly the same creased and folded body work of the concept, and an interior full of spaceship-style switch gear. And as we already mentioned, it should be really fast. If only it sounded right. Related Video:

Italdesign Giugiaro Parcour Concept

Coachbuilt Italian Finery Rides High In The Mediterranean
Apparently, the appropriate gift to give for the 45th anniversary of almost anything is a blue sapphire stone. I cannot imagine Autoblog readers craving a story about that, so I'm glad that Italdesign Giugiaro spared me that gig and instead created this truly interesting Parcour concept to mark its 45th anniversary.
Parcour is named after the generally urban activity of French origin (spelled "parkour"), of throwing one's (presumably) agile body off walls and railings in an anti-gravity freestyle momentum ballet. This sometimes ends up being broadcast on YouTube, particularly to show a parkour session gone horribly wrong, with the star taking a metal banister in the cojones or receiving a fetching bouquet of twisted fingers. Clearly design boss at Giugiaro, Fabrizio Giugiaro (son of legend Giorgetto), and his squad had more coordinated good parkour-ing in mind when they let me drive their cool creation on the island of Sardinia. (I live not far away, so it's a one-hour flight with the herds on a low-cost airline.)