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Lamborghini Huracan Performante is getting a drop-top version

If you just released a specialized, lightweight track weapon with fancy active aerodynamics, what would you do next? If you said chop the car's top off, you must work for Lamborghini, because that's just what the company is doing to its Huracan Performante. Our spy photographer has caught roadster versions of the ultimate Huracan out during testing. The car looks pretty much as you would expect. The lower body work from the front bumper back is all effectively carry-over from the coupe. The rear wing looks to have the same shape and functionality, too. Where things really change is with the engine cover. Like the normal Huracan roadster, the Performante loses the glass engine cover in favor of an opaque cover and a hard tonneau for the top. The engine cover features larger vents at the base of the wing's pedestals, and they appear to have large scoops at the other end. In addition to the new engine cover, this Performante roadster has different wheels which seem to be taken from the standard model. However, these will likely be swapped for the coupe's mesh-style wheels. A close examination shows that the wheels are shod in Pirelli P Zero Corsas that are probably the same compound as the standard tires for the Performante coupe. While this won't be the first time Lamborghini has built a roadster out of its high-performance entry-level sports car, the decision to turn the new Performante into one seems a little strange considering the effort to lighten it and endow it with magical aero. Even more so when the result is a car that Lamborghini claims laps the Nurburgring faster than the bonkers Porsche 918 Spyder. It feels like a step backwards to add a retractable top that probably weighs more and messes with the aerodynamics. But then, Lamborghinis are known mostly for being flashy and fast, and this Performante convertible will fill both criteria with ease. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lamborghini will unveil an enigmatic hypercar at the Frankfurt auto show

Lamborghini released a dark teaser image that previews a new model scheduled to break cover during the 2019 Frankfurt Auto Show. Posted on its official Instagram channel, the teaser shot asks more questions than it answers while giving us one more reason to look forward to the event. "Just open your eyes to the future," Lamborghini instructed its fans in the caption that accompanied the photo. That's not much to go off of, but the blacked-out image looks like it depicts the front of a low-slung supercar wearing Y-shaped LED running lights. The company's logo is the only other visible detail, but we see enough to tell whatever Lamborghini is teasing shares a few key styling cues with the striking Terzo Millennio concept unveiled as a design study in 2017.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.   The resemblance fills in another piece of the puzzle. Developed jointly with MIT, the Terzio Millennio ditched the Aventador's sonorous, naturally-aspirated V12 in favor of in-wheel electric motors fed by supercapacitor energy storage technology. These components aren't ready for production yet, but earlier rumors claimed the Terzo Millennio's strikingly futuristic design and proud emphasis on clean, eco-friendly performance would influence Lamborghini's first road-going gasoline-electric hybrid. We might be looking at the yet-unnamed model. Where it will slot in the Lamborghini range is up in the air, too. It's not replacing the Huracan, and the Aventador S is expected to stick around until the early 2020s. It doesn't look related to the high-riding Urus in any way, either, which hints it's a limited-edition model. Lamborghini has a proven history of previewing new cars with limited-edition models, so the Frankfurt-bound model could give the public an early taste of the car that will replace the Aventador S. We're also not ruling out the possibility that the car is somehow related to Lamborghini's interest in the new hypercar category created for the World Endurance Championship (WEC). None of these theories are mutually exclusive; the car could draw inspiration from the Terzo Millennio, hint at the Aventador's replacement, and give the Aston Martin Valkyrie a run for its money at Le Mans in 2020. The speculation around Lamborghini's next model will end when it makes its debut in Frankfurt 10.

Bertone goes bust

The famous Italian coachbuilder and designer Bertone may be on its deathbed. The company that penned the beautiful shape of the Lamborghini Miura has been facing financial hardships for months, and Autocar is reporting that the Turin, Italy firm has just declared bankruptcy. The last we heard from Bertone, it was showing the Jet 2+2 station wagon based on an Aston Martin Rapide at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The Turin-based carrozzeria became famous for its wild designs like the BMW Spicup concept, Lancia Stratos and the initial shape of the Lamborghini Countach. In recent years, it had been limited to creating mostly one-off vehicles. The company has slowly been shrinking recently. It sold its small factory to Fiat a few years go and let go of 165 employees and 10 interns in December. Bertone has been shopping itself in hopes of finding a new owner. According to PistonHeads, even with the money problems, the business generated 20-million euros ($27.9 million) in revenue in 2013 and has been working on projects in China. A Turkish firm was rumored to be interested in buying it for just $2.7 million, and GT Spirit claims that there are also seven Italian companies potentially interested in purchasing it. Bertone has a long and proud automotive history, and it wouldn't be surprising if it were bought just for the value of the brand – perhaps we haven't seen the last of its stylized B logo. Featured Gallery Bertone Jet 2+2: Geneva 2013 View 10 Photos News Source: Autocar via Pistonheads, GTSpiritImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL Design/Style Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Plants/Manufacturing BMW Lamborghini Lancia Concept Cars Luxury Special and Limited Editions Performance Classics bertone lamborghini miura Lamborghini Countach