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Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster gets chilly shakedown

It was only days ago that Lamborghini gave the Aventador Superveloce its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show, but apparently the Italian brand has been hard at work on the next variant too. For those that want a 740-horsepower, 6.5-liter V12 singing a sweet song just behind their ears with the top down, then Lambo is testing an SV Roadster in the arctic. While the model is wearing copious camouflage and some very cool spotlights, the removable roof panel is still fairly obvious in several of these spy photos. Beyond the top, it doesn't look like Lambo is doing much to the body design, though. All of the pieces here can also be found on the SV coupe. There's no word when the SV Roadster might debut. Although with the standard model already complete, development of the convertible probably shouldn't take too long. The official unveiling might even be before the end of the year, especially with the coupe beginning sales in Europe in the spring. Featured Gallery Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster Spy Shots Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos Lamborghini Convertible Performance Supercars lamborghini aventador sv lamborghini aventador lp 750-4 superveloce lamborghini aventador sv roadster

Lamborghini's path to the future is paved with forged composites

As far back as 1983, Lamborghini has been researching carbon fiber for automotive use. The automaker felt confident enough in its ability to work with the high-tech material in 1985 that a team led by Maurizio Reggiani, now the Lamborghini Board Member in charge of Research and Development, crafted a revolutionary Countach with a chassis made almost entirely of hand-laid carbon fiber. The result was spectacular in that the car's chassis weighed about half of its all-metal counterpart. It turned out that first foray into carbon fiber was just as spectacular when it was finally tested for crashworthiness, but in a completely different way. Catastrophic would be an appropriate word, according to Paolo Feraboli, who now leads Lambo's brand-new Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory in Seattle, Washington. Proving how far Lamborghini has come since that ill-fated carbon-fiber Countach Evoluzione, Feraboli told us during the ACSL's grand opening that today's Aventador, which boasts a high-tech carbon chassis, aced its very first crash test in 2009. Chalk that success up to high-tech computer modeling and the practical application of lessons learned over several decades of trial and error. The dull red monocoque of that crashed Aventador now hangs on the wall at the ACSL like a functional piece of art, a reminder of Lamborghini's cutting-edge milestones of the past. Lamborghini's future will be hewn from what the company calls forged composites. First seen on the stunning Sesto Elemento Concept from the 2010 Paris Motor Show, the patented carbon-forging process forgoes hand-laid sheets, injected resins, and high-heat autoclaves. Instead, wads of randomly oriented carbon fibers that sort of resemble the kind of dough you'd use to make pasta undergo a three-minute press inside a mold. The resulting parts are just as strong as other carbon-fiber bits, but can be mass-produced at a fraction of the cost. While it's true that cost is often a secondary consideration for high-end supercars, it's still relevant. By reducing the cost and increasing the scale of composite pieces, Lamborghini can then afford to spend more money on other parts of the car. It's not just body panels and chassis components that Lamborghini thinks it can build using forged composite technology. The Sesto Elemento featured forged-composite suspension control arms that haven't yet made it into production, but probably will soon.

Lamborghini shows off beautifully restored 350 GT

It might not look much like Lamborghini's latest creations, such as the Aventador S, but this gorgeous grand tourer is a very important model in the company's history: its first production car. And this is an early one, one of the first 15 examples to roll off the line. It's getting some attention at the Retromobile Show in Paris thanks to its full restoration by Lamborghini's in-house restoration arm, Polo Storico. Polo Storico is a little like the Heritage divisions of Jaguar and Land Rover, and similar divisions at Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and others. The unit, based in Sant'Agata, gives customers the opportunity to have their classic Lamborghinis restored by the company's expert staff. It is, as you might imagine, expensive. Polo Storico has previously restored a Miura, an LM002, and a Countach. This particular 350 GT is chassis No. 0121, and it received 1,150 hours worth of bodywork and 780 hours of mechanical restoration – in particular, the cooling system for the 3.5-liter V12 was thoroughly checked over. The car was repainted with an original-type paint, and recreation Pirelli Cinturato tires were fitted to match what the car originally had. It'll be on display in Paris if you're in the neighborhood. Related Video: