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Lamborghini Urus SUV traces roots to a feline predecessor

The recently-revealed Urus isn't Lamborghini's first SUV. The LM002 pioneered the super-4x4 segment when it made its debut at the 1986 Brussels Auto Show. Tracing its history requires traveling to the mid-1970s, when Ferruccio Lamborghini sold the automaker that he founded and retired in the countryside to hunt and make wine. The new owners had practically no experience in building cars. Instead of expanding the lineup, they sought to land engineering and production contracts. Lamborghini teamed up with an American defense contractor named Mobility Technology International (MTI) to create an off-roader for the United States Army. The partnership spawned a vehicle named Cheetah, unveiled at the 1977 Geneva Auto Show. The Cheetah looked like a Meyers Manx buggy on steroids that ate Jeep CJ-7s for breakfast. The shape of the body gave it unusually high approach and departure angles, while the flat body panels facilitated the task of installing body armor. "Like the cat for which it is named, this high-performance vehicle has explosive acceleration, high speed and sure-footed agility over virtually all terrain," a period brochure claimed. The Cheetah could certainly tame Mother Nature's worst side, but the brochure exaggerated its performance credentials. Power came from the same 5.9-liter Chrysler 360 V8 engine found in Dodge's D-Series trucks. Lamborghini mounted it in the back, and its 183-horsepower rating contributed to a woeful power-to-weight ratio. The eight-cylinder spun all four wheels via an automatic transmission also found on Chrysler's parts shelf. Lamborghini didn't secure the Army's contract. The automaker stood on the brink of collapse. An Italian court took control of the company after it filed for bankruptcy in 1978, and a Swiss entrepreneur later came to the rescue. The new management saw an immense amount of potential in the Cheetah and relaunched the project. Decision-makers spotted an opportunity to enter the burgeoning leisure vehicle segment. Notably, they identified a market for a Cheetah-like car in the Middle East, where a Countach was unpractical at best and a Nissan Patrol was far too pedestrian for oil barons. Lamborghini unveiled a prototype named LM001 at the 1981 Geneva Auto Show. It took the Cheetah concept a step further with an updated look, though it retained the rear-mounted engine. Built as a development mule, it illustrated the limits of a rear-engine off-roader.

Lamborghini Aventador bursts into flames in London traffic

Italian supercars have a well-deserved reputation for sexy styling, fiery souls, and eye-wateringly high performance. They also have a reputation for occasionally bursting into flames with little to no provocation. The latest example of this startling habit happened in London when a bright yellow Lamborghini Aventador caught fire in the middle of rush hour traffic. According to Express, six firefighters and one engine from the London Fire Brigade were dispatched to the intersection of Southwark Street and Blackfriars Bridge in central London on the evening of June 8. When they arrived, they found a bright yellow Lamborghini Aventador burning in the middle of the street surrounded by curious onlookers. Traffic at the busy intersection ground to a halt as police moved people away from the burning car and firefighters worked quickly extinguished it. "This chap was sitting in traffic and I heard the car revving then someone shouted, 'Your car is on fire'," Dan Jenkins, a passerby who filmed the incident, told the Evening Standard. "It started off as a small flame on the side and then it escalated very quickly getting close to the engine. At the start, it looked like the exhaust was flaming like some supercars do." Amanda Compton, another witness, told the Standard, "The driver was revving up the car at traffic lights in a queue, there was a loud bang and the engine caught fire." Thankfully, the driver escaped unhurt, but the Lambo is probably a total loss. This isn't the first Aventador that has burned to the ground after the driver got a little too spirited with the accelerator. In October 2015, another yellow Aventador burned down in Dubai after the driver redlined the big V12 a few too many times in traffic. Related Video: News Source: The Evening Standard, The Mirror, The Express Auto News Weird Car News Lamborghini Coupe Supercars car fire

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.