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Lamborghini weighs first factory-backed Le Mans entry

Lamborghini could expand its racing program by competing in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). The Italian company has never been able to justify funding the development of an LMP1-spec prototype from the ground up, but the hypercar category the WEC will launch in 2020 makes competing in high-profile races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans much more affordable. The new class created to pick up where LMP1 will leave off has piqued the interest of Lamborghini boss Stefano Domenicali. He told British magazine Autocar that his team is taking a careful look at the regulations, and company officials will decide whether to go racing by the end of 2019. The hypercar category will replace LMP1 during the 2020/2021 season, and its guidelines call for racers that look like production models. They'll need to weigh under 2,160 pounds, and they'll be allowed to use active aerodynamic technology, which Lamborghini already uses on production models like the Aventador SVJ, the Huracan Performante, and the Huracan Evo. Domenicali hinted a car similar to the one-off, Aventador-based SC18 (pictured) introduced in late 2018 could take Lamborghini racing. It shows the company has "a base for what could be an interesting approach," he told Autocar. Created at the request of a customer, the SC18 delivers 770 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque thanks to the Aventador's naturally-aspirated, 6.5-liter V12. If Lamborghini chooses to race, it will need to fend off competition from Aston Martin and Toyota, among others. Aston Martin confirmed it will compete in the hypercar category with an evolution of the 1,160-horsepower Valkyrie, while Toyota is busily transforming the Super Sport concept into a hypercar-spec racer. Unverified reports suggest McLaren and Ferrari could also join the fray sooner or later. While Lamborghini's history isn't rooted in racing, and it has never operated a full, factory-backed WEC program, its cars have competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and other endurance events on several occasions. Die-hard fans will remember the Murcielago R-GT that raced at Le Mans between 2006 and 2009. It was more show than go, and it finished near (or at) the bottom of the pack. Auto News Motorsports Lamborghini Le Mans lmp1

Stop everything, and appreciate the Lamborghini Miura's mechanical beauty

Everybody knows the Lamborghini Miura is one of the greatest automotive designs of all time. It's also known that the Miura's V12 heart is one of the greatest powertrains of all time. But there's more to a car than just the body and the engine. Celebrating the intricacies of manufacturing, Artist Fabian Oefner took his disintegrating cars series to new heights by using a real 1972 Miura SV to create stunning photos of the remarkable internals of the historic Lamborghini. In the past, Oefner has created fantastic museum-quality images by using scale model cars and suspending their parts to look like explosions of mechanical goodness. This Miura, however, is the real deal. A collector and friend contacted Oefner to suggest that a full restoration of the car would be a perfect opportunity to photograph the vehicle and create a life-sized version of his Disintegrating Cars series. The results are absolutely breathtaking. The original idea of the series was an exploration of time and reality. Oefner takes each part and suspends it from above to create an exposed three-dimensional examination of the car. Using a real vehicle, however, was a much different process. Creating his work in his studio was a calming and centering process for Oefner, whereas working on a real Lamborghini was much more time-sensitive and much more involved, with several mechanics working on the car. Such a complicated and involved procedure created a special bond between artist and subject. "At the end of the process, you know every single detail," Oefner said in the video above. "It's more like it's a person, if you want to say so. Every time I see the car, it's like, 'Oh, I know you!'" The art, which took two years of work and photography in the Sant`Agatha Lamborghini factory, allows enthusiasts to know the car better, too, as the final product uses 1,500 parts. See more detailed photos of the art and the work on Fabien Oefner's portfolio site. News Source: Fabien Oefner, Lamborghini Design/Style Lamborghini Coupe Performance Supercars Classics Videos lamborghini miura

Lamborghini Countach 13-inch Lego replica features scissor doors and a V12

Lego launched a replica of the Lamborghini Countach years ago as part of its Speed Champions collection, but the model is more of a toy than a collector's item. The brand has since announced a second Countach, and this time it's a huge model with scissor doors and a V12 engine. Designed for adult builders, the kit consists of 1,506 parts that come together to make a Countach that's approximately 13 inches long, 6.5 inches wide, and 3.5 inches tall. Lego included a stunning amount of detail: the scissor doors — one of the Countach's defining styling cues, which Lamborghini still uses on its modern-day flagship models — swing up to reveal a red interior with two seats, a wide instrument cluster with Lamborghini-branded gauges, and climate control buttons on the center console. Lego even remembered the matching door panels. The proportions are Countach-like and about as accurate as you can hope for when working with bricks. The NACA ducts on both sides, the air intakes located right behind the doors, and the massive rear spoiler are all present. The rear wheels are wider than the front ones, like on the real car, and the front ones turn with the steering wheel. There's a replica of the 5.0-liter V12 stuffed in the engine bay as well. Lego's replica of the Lamborghini Countach will go on sale in stores around the world on July 4. It's priced at $180 excluding tax. For context, the smaller and less detailed Countach costs around $25, while putting the real thing in your garage can easily cost over $500,000.