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Lamborghini Concept S up for auction in New York

Reach back a decade into your supercar memory banks and you may recall that in 2005, Lamborghini rolled in to the Geneva Motor Show with a dramatic Gallardo speedster concept. That was the Concept S, designed by Luc Donckerwolke long before he shifted over to (and subsequently left) the Bentley design department. It packed all the cutting-edge angular design of the Gallardo coupe that had just debuted the year before, but predated the emergence of the Gallardo Spyder that followed the next. The Concept S featured more radical bodywork that bisected the open cockpit, with a pair of low-profile wind deflectors instead of a single-frame windshield. Sort of like the Aventador J concept from a few years ago, but in a more compact (and relatively more stylistically restrained) form. The original show car wasn't a runner, but it proved such a hit that Lamborghini made a second one – this time fully functional with V10 power – and brought it to Pebble Beach that summer. The static model is still on display at the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata, and we took our time ogling it while in town for the opening of the new Trigeneration plant last week, but the runner was sold to a private collector, and now it's set to cross the auction block as part of RM Sotheby's upcoming sale in Manhattan. The auction house expects that it'll fetch between $2.4 and 3 million, and given this particular model's rarity, we don't doubt it'll command every penny, if not more. After all, the Veneno went for more than that, and as scarce as that crazy hypercar was (and remains still), between the coupes and roadsters, Lambo made a baker's dozen of those. In fact, the Concept S stands to set a new record for the highest amount ever paid for a Lamborghini at auction, which according to Sports Car Market was set in 2009 when a Reventon sold online for $2.5 million. The Reventon was a more dramatically styled version of the Murcielago and precursor of the Aventador, of which 21 were made. So just imagine how much collectors might prove willing to spend on the one-of-a-kind Concept S.

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

Lamborghini Urus ST-X will race in on- and off-road series in 2020

The Squadra Corse division at Lamborghini gave birth to fraternal twins over the weekend. First came the customer-commissioned, one-off SC18 Alston, an Aventador-based track-day coupe racier than the Aventador SVJ. Then, at the Vallelunga circuit hosting the 2019 Lamborghini World Finals, the motorsports department revealed the Urus ST-X concept. This monster of Sant'Agata will serve a different kind of customer — namely, those who want to enter an FIA-approved one-make race series in Europe and the Middle East in 2020. Lamborghini has supported various one-make series since it produced the 1996 Diablo SV-R. With changing times come changing ride heights and track surfaces: Lamborghini says the "single-brand championship combines racetrack and off-road track." We don't know yet if that means a single track will include asphalt and dirt, or if the overall series will include both kinds of tracks, but we hope for the former. To make the ST-X — which could stand for Super Trofeo X, based on the automaker's other current series' — ready for racing, Squadra Corse amputated a bunch of weight and bolted on competition bits. The matte Verde Mantis concept gets a steel roll cage, fire suppression system, and FT3 fuel tank. Quick release latches on the hood and modified rear hatch replace traditional locking mechanisms. The front end loses the production car's grille and aero aids, becoming a gaping angular void of mesh. A trim rear wing hovers above the backlight, and center-lock wheels fasten the 21-inch, 10-spoke wheels. The simple rear diffuser omits exhaust outlets, because the pipes have been moved to just in front of the rear wheels. The package weighs 25 percent less than the retail Urus, or about the same as an Aventador. Although the hood gains two intakes, the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 remains unchanged, putting out 641 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. The company will put the Urus ST-X on track at some point during the six-race, 2019 Lamborghini World Finals. The mixed-surface series will host arrive-and-drive races, providing "driver-customers maximum flexibility and support during weekend events." If you got it, this seems a fine way to flaunt it. Related Video: