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Performance doesn't matter anymore, it's all about the feel

We've just had a week of supercars and high-end EVs revealed. Many of them boast outrageous performance specs. There were multiple vehicles with horsepower in the four-figure range, and not just sports cars, but SUVs with 0-60 mph times under 3.5 seconds. And it's not just a rarified set of supercar builders, comparatively small tuners are also building this stuff. Going fast is easy nowadays and getting easier. So what will distinguish the greats from the wannabes? It's all about how a car feels. This may seem obvious. "Of course it matters that a car should have good steering feel and a playful chassis!" you say. "Why are you being paid for this stuff?" But a lot of automakers have missed the memo. This past week I spent some time in a BMW M4 Competition convertible, and it's a perfect example of prioritizing performance over experience. It boggles my mind how a company can create such dead and disconnected steering; the weight never changes, there's no feel whatsoever. The chassis is inflappable, but to a fault, because it doesn't feel like anything you're doing is difficult or exciting. The car is astoundingly fast and capable, but it feels less like driving a car and more like tapping in a heading on the Enterprise-D. I also happened to drive something of comparable performance that was much more enjoyable: a Mercedes-AMG GT. It was a basic model with the Stealth Edition blackout package, and even though it had a twin-turbo V8 instead of a six-cylinder, it only made 20 more horsepower. The power wasn't the big differentiator, it was (say it with me) the feel. While not the best example, the steering builds resistance as you dial in lock, giving you a better idea of what's happening up front. Pulses and vibrations come back to you as you move over bumpy pavement in corners. The chassis isn't quite as buttoned down, either, providing a little bit of body roll that tells you you're pushing it. It's also easier to feel when the car is wanting to understeer or oversteer, and how your throttle and steering inputs are affecting it. The whole thing is much more involving, exciting and fun. 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Stealth Edition View 8 Photos That's also to say nothing of the Merc's sounds. That V8 is maybe not the best sounding engine, but its urgent churn through the opened-up exhaust gets your heart racing. It also seems like it's vibrating the whole cabin, so you feel it as much as you hear it.

Lamborghini Huracan EVO2 race car is a harbinger of future models

Lamborghini funneled the lessons learned from years of racing into the latest evolution of the track-only Huracan. Called EVO2, the coupe gains a number of aerodynamic updates and more powerful brakes for the 2022 season. You don't need to be a seasoned car spotter to tell the EVO2 apart from the outgoing EVO. Its front end has been completely redesigned with new-look headlights, air curtains on both sides of the bumper, and a reshaped splitter made with carbon fiber. It's the same story out back, where the LED lights are thinner and the diffuser is bigger. Most of the visual changes were made with racing in mind, but they'll have a lasting effect on the firm's range. "[The EVO2's design] blends the muscular styling cues that characterizes previous racing variants of the Huracan with some of the styling cues that define Lamborghini's DNA. Additionally, the Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 illustrates an futuristic approach to design that partly previews elements that will make their way to future road-going models," revealed Mitja Borkert, the head of the company's design department, in a statement. There's more carbon fiber, too. The rocker panel extensions and some of the aerodynamic elements fitted to the rear end are now made with the lightweight material rather than with plastic to shed every last ounce of weight. Lamborghini will inevitably electrify during the 2020s, but it plans to celebrate the non-electrified internal combustion engine in the coming years. Don't look for a hybrid system under the EVO2's body. It uses a naturally-aspirated, 5.2-liter V10 that's mid-mounted and tuned to send 620 horsepower to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential transmission. Bigger brake rotors and redesigned calipers capable of housing larger brake pads provide stopping power lap after lap. Lamborghini notes its Squadra Corsa division developed the new braking system in-house. Fans and drivers will get their first chance to see what the Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 is capable of on May 28, 2021, at the Paul Ricard race track in the south of France. It's scheduled to make its competition debut during the 2022 season of the Super Trofeo series. Pricing for the European market starts at 250,000 euros, which represents about $306,100 at the current conversion rate. Alternatively, teams currently racing a Super Trofeo EVO will be able to purchase an upgrade kit to bring their car to EVO2 specifications. Pricing hasn't been announced yet.

Ducati channels the Lamborghini Sian's design DNA into the 1260 Diavel

Lamborghini purchased Ducati in 2012, but the two companies waited until 2020 to release a jointly-developed motorcycle. It's a limited-edition variant of the 1260 Diavel inspired by the sold-out Sian FKP 37. Stylists from the Centro Stile Ducati and the Centro Stile Lamborghini — studios located within a stone's throw of each other — worked together to transfer some of the Sian's defining styling cues onto the 1260 Diavel. Fins, vents, and sharp lines characterize the Lamborghini, so the Ducati received redesigned air intakes on either side of the fuel tank and reshaped radiator covers. The add-ons are made with carbon fiber, like the Sian's body. Color forges the strongest visual links between the 1260 Diavel and the Sian. It rides on forged, gold-painted wheels that echo the design of the car's rims, and it's painted in the same shade of green as the Sian that was displayed at the 2019 edition of the Frankfurt Auto Show. Lamborghini pledged to make every example unique, so other colors are on the palette, but Verde Gea is the launch color that many enthusiasts associate with the car. As wild as a V12-powered motorcycle would be, Ducati wisely kept the regular Diavel's 1.3-liter two-cylinder engine. It produces 157 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 95 pound-feet of torque at 7,500 rpm, which are hugely impressive figures for a bike that weighs about 485 pounds. It's not as daunting to ride as it might sound thanks in part to electronic aids like Ducati Traction Control Evo, Cornering ABS Evo, and Ducati Wheelie Control Evo that are powered by a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) platform provided by Bosch. A total of 630 units of the Ducati 1260 Diavel Lamborghini will be available globally. Pricing starts at $31,995, so it's about $11,000 more expensive than the base model, and deliveries will begin in January 2021. Enthusiasts who want the full collection of Sian-inspired products can also order a 4,000-horsepower yacht and a 1/8-scale Lego kit. lamborghini-sian-official-6 View 18 Photos What's a Sian? Offered as a coupe and as a Roadster, and sold-out almost immediately, the Sian stands out as Lamborghini's first series-produced hybrid, and as the most powerful street-legal car the firm has ever released. Its powertrain consists of a mid-mounted, naturally-aspirated V12 engine and an electric motor integrated into the transmission.