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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.

VW has received several tentative bids for Ducati

Italy's Benetton family is vying with motorbike firms and buyout funds for control of Italian motorcycle brand Ducati, which is being sold by Germany's Volkswagen, sources involved in the process told Reuters. Volkswagen, whose Audi division controls Ducati, has received several tentative bids with the Benetton family's investment vehicle Edizione Holding valuing the Monster motorbike maker at $1.2 billion, one of the sources said. As well as Edizione Holding, U.S. buyout fund Bain Capital, which owns a stake in Ski-Doo snowmobiles maker BRB, and two Indian motorbike firms, Eicher Motors and Bajaj Auto, have also bid for Ducati, the sources said. Indian carmaker Eicher controls Royal Enfield, a motorcycle brand established in 1893 which ranks as one of the oldest. Strategic bidders also include U.S. automotive firm Polaris Industries, which earlier this year said it would wind down its struggling Victory Motorcycle brand. A shortlist of bidders for a second stage of the auction could be selected as soon as Saturday, two of the sources said. Volkswagen adviser Evercore has a long list of bidders including private equity funds such as Ducati's previous owner Investindustrial, CVC Capital Partners, Advent and PAI, all hoping to outbid industry players, the sources said. If it gets to the second round, Edizione Holding could seek to form a consortium with a financial investor, two of the sources said, in a bid to secure control of Ducati, whose racers have won the Superbike world championship 14 times, with Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss its most successful riders. Audi, Edizione Holding, Investindustrial, Advent and PAI declined to comment, while the other interested groups were not immediately available for comment. PRICING CHALLENGES For some buyout funds, Ducati's valuation of up to $1.4 billion – which sources said is based on a multiple of more than 10 times its core earnings of roughly 100 million euros – is a tall order as they lack the synergies that some motorbike makers could achieve. But Investindustrial founder Andrea Bonomi, who sold Ducati to Audi for about 860 million euros in 2012, is serious about a comeback, one of the sources said. China's Loncin Motor was among a group of industry players that initially showed interest in Ducati, alongside Harley-Davidson. The latter has, however, decided against making a bid due to Ducati's price tag, while it could not be established if Loncin Motor had carried on bidding.

Lamborghini applies to trademark 'Revuelto' name in Europe

Lamborghini's path to an electrified lineup begins with plug-in hybrid versions of its Huracan, Aventador and Urus by the end of 2024. It's first battery-electric vehicle is due before the end of the decade, reporting last year putting the launch in 2028. We expect there will be a few concepts and show cars presaging the first pure EV from Sant'Agata Bolognese, and a couple of trademark filings could tell us what a forerunner or the car itself will be called. CarBuzz discovered Lamborghini filings in Europe and Italy to reserve the name "Revuelto." The Spanish word has quite a few meanings, like mixed, untidy and nauseous. Then there are two meanings that could apply to a revolutionary electric product from a brand known for screaming V12s: Restless and turbulent. If we want to push the wordplay, there's a third meaning we could apply: Scrambled, as in eggs, although that could also apply to expectations. The supercar maker wants to cover every base with the name, it seems. The applications with the European Union Intellectual Property Office specify four classes, an umbrella sheltering everything from electric cars and EV components specifically to car parts and accessories in general, as well as scooters, car-related games and toys, and clothes. We have no idea what kind of battery-powered go-fast is coming from that corner of Italy, except that it will be a 2+2 GT described as having "a bit more ground clearance." Superficially, that sounds like an elevated version of the Asterion LPI 910-4 hybrid concept car (pictured), something we'd be totally OK with, but the target is "a four-seater two-door like the GT cars of the Fifties and Sixties." Designers and engineers are working on it now, still in the exploratory phases of how to deliver everything buyers want from a raging bull the minus the trademark V10 and V12 noises. Company boss Stephan Winkelmann noted two vital aspects in comments to TopGear last year, the first being, "Yes, we have opportunities to be different in terms of body styles, but the cars will always be immediately recognizable as Lamborghinis." After looks comes handling, Winkelmann adding that performance EVs have great straight-line acceleration, but not enough lateral capability to satisfy Lamborghini. "It’s about how you put all the handling capabilities inside the car, which today is missing in electric cars.