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Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 is silent but deadly [w/video]

The weirdest thing happened last night. During the annual Volkswagen Group Night festivities, everyone waited in anticipation for the Lamborghini section of the press conference. It's usually a treat for the senses - cool to look at, backed up by a ferocious sound that bellows throughout the venue. But not this time. There was no music, there were no laser lights, and most remarkably, there was no sound. The Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 drove onto stage under fully silent electric power. Audibly, at least, it was perhaps the most anti-climactic Lambo introduction we've ever witnessed.
And that's the big story with this new Lamborghini concept: it's a plug-in hybrid. Of course, it's still a product of the storied Italian supercar maker, so that electric powertrain is mated to a 5.2-liter V10, and total system output is rated at a staggering 910 horsepower. It'll run up to 31 miles on pure electric power at speeds of up to 78 miles per hour, and its 0-62 time is estimated to be three seconds flat. Top speed? 199 mph. In other words, it may be capable of silence, but it still carries a stick, and it's still very much a Lambo.
So will the company actually build something like this? Right now, it doesn't look likely. Back in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Autoblog spoke with Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann about the then-off-the-record Asterion concept, who told us that if the automaker should choose to expand its model range, the bigger priority right now would be the Urus crossover. This is merely just a way to show how Lamborghini might present a gasoline-electric vehicle. And after scoping it out in person here at the Paris Motor Show, we have to say, it's cool. The styling is a bit softer and understated compared to the audacious Aventador or angular Huracán. But it still has quite a presence and it's still very much a Raging Bull.

Lamborghini Invencible and Autentica are brand's final NA V12 cars

A few months ago, we wrote that the final production units of the Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae represented the end of the reign of the naturally aspirated V12 in Sant'Agata Bolognese, and the last Aventador Ultimae meant the end of an NA V12 Aventador. Seems we were mistaken. Lamborghini now tells us these two one-offs are the proper and (maybe) final end of the NA V12. Created for a customer who worked with Lamborghini Centro Stile from inception, the duo are the Invencible (the Spanish spelling of "Invincible") coupe and Autentica roadster. They're not only farewells, they are greatest-hits compilations said to combine design features from the Reventon from 2008, the Sesto Elemento from 2010, the Veneno from 2013, and the 830-horsepower Essenza SCV12 track-only coupe from 2020. Lamborghini didn't mention the Sian FKP 37, but the headlights are a match, and the side vents are a mix between the Sian and the Sesto Elemento.   Both are based on the Aventador's carbon fiber tub, and both feature a 6.5-liter V12 making 769 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque. The Invencible wears carbon fiber panels in Rosso Efesto, which is Hephaestus Red, Hephaestus being the Greek god of things like fire and volcanoes. The paint's accented with carbon-look elements that glint with red flakes, brake calipers in Rosso Mars, and pure carbon. The hexagonal Tricolore on the door fits in with numerous other six-sided elements like the DRLs, three-part taillights, and exhaust. A tidy, angular swan-neck wing hovers over the rear fascia, its stanchions anchored beside the backlight.    Inside is a mix of Rosso Alala leather, Nero Cosmus Alcantara, and contrast stitching in Rosso Alala and Nero Ade. Rosso Efesto is used on the steering wheel and for the shift paddles. Designers removed the Aventador's infotainment screen, moving all readouts to the digital gauge display and leaving twin hexagonal vents to dominate the open space over a pocket trimmed in red. The Autentica roadster is painted in Grigio Titans with details in Giallo Auge (Yellow Peak) and Matte Black. Instead of the Invencible's rear wing, a pair of fins highlighted by a yellow line channel air over the rear spoiler. Inside, occupants sit on Nero Ade leather and Giallo Taurus stitching, and can ogle two-tone Nero Cosmus and Grigio Octans Alcantara. This is really it for the V12. We think.

Like an iPhone S, the 2017 Lamborghini Aventador S adds speed and features

When most automakers introduce a new generation of vehicle, it represents a dramatic change in performance or design. Don't tell Lamborghini that – while the company calls its new Aventador S a new generation, the reality is that this is Sant'Agata's facelifted flagship, complete with some modest visual tweaks and a couple of new pieces of technology. In fact, it's closer to Apple's product cadence of introducing an S model of the iPhone before an all-new model. Those aesthetic changes include a new fascia that Lamborghini claims is more aerodynamic, while the vertical ducts on the outside of the lower intake optimize airflow around the front tires and those huge front wheels, while channeling more air toward the rear radiators. In back, there's a restyled diffuser, and a neat hexagonal exhaust outlet. Above that, there's a three-position active rear wing. All told, Lamborghini claims front downforce is up 130 percent while "overall efficiency" in high-downforce mode increases 50 percent and low-downforce mode improves 400 percent. New for the Aventador is a trick four-wheel steering system, a first for a series production Lamborghini. The idea with the system is like other four-wheel-steering. At low speeds it turns the rear wheels in the opposite direction of the fronts, tightening the Lambo's giant turning radius. At high speeds, the system works in reverse by turning the rear wheels in the same direction as the fronts and providing improved stability. But none of these style and tech changes are worth a damn without that big lump of fury in the Aventador S' middle. Like previous versions, there's a 6.5-liter V12, but its output is up to an SV-matching 740 ponies – torque is unchanged from the LP700-4 we tested in 2015, at 509 pound-feet. Max engine speed is up from 8,350 rpm to a wild 8,500 rpm. The result? Zero to 62 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 217. Prices for the 2017 Aventador S start at an eye-watering $421,350 and – we're guessing – can creep up near $500,000 with a few carefully selected carbon-fiber accents and Ad Personam options. Lamborghini is planning to start deliveries in spring 2017. Related Video: