2009 Lamborghini Murcielago Lp640 Balloon White 2200 Miles List $448875.00 on 2040-cars

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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 finds and restores the Miura used in 'The Italian Job' movie

Today is a historic day for fans of the film "The Italian Job." Lamborghini just announced it has found and completely restored the original Lamborghini Miura P400 used in the film's opening scene. And no, this one was never ceremoniously dumped off the side of a mountain and into a ravine. That was a second, different Miura that Lamborghini provided Paramount Pictures with — it had already been crashed, so was considered a perfect donor car for the scene. Of course, even a crashed Miura is worth some serious cash these days. The orange Miura in question here is #3586, and is verified as the one driven by actor Rossano Brazzi (playing Roger Beckermann in the film) and stunt driver Enzo Moruzzi on the Great St Bernard Pass. We'll put the video right here for you, since those who haven't seen it need to, and those who have most certainly want to watch it again now. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Lamborghini's in-house restoration unit, Polo Storico, did all the work to certify and restore the Miura. It's been a long-time coming, too — this Miura has been off the map since the filming ended and Lamborghini sold the film car to someone in Italy. The car was found in The Kaiser Collection of Vaduz, which happens to be in Liechtenstein. Lamborghini is certain this is the right one after looking at the documentation, company archives and a full examination of the car itself. Testimonials from enthusiasts and former Lamborghini employees further solidified the belief that this was the movie car. The only difference you'll notice between this fully restored Miura and the movie scene is the color of the seats. Lamborghini swapped out the white seats for black ones, as they were worried the white seats wouldn't make it back to the factory in perfect condition. However, there was no time to swap the headrests (mounted to the dividing glass) for black ones to match the seats, which you'll notice in the movie scene. We know we'll have "On Days Like These" running through our heads for the rest of the day on account of this incredible find. Thankfully, Lamborghini provided a bunch of photos to look at the car post-restoration, so go check them all out above as you race to your VCRs to watch the film once more.

VW Group to split brands under four holding companies

The Volkswagen Group is planning a tremendous shift in its internal structure that will decentralize operations by splitting its 12 brands into four different holding companies. Here's the breakdown. Things will be split logically, considering the inter-sharing of parts, platforms, and engines. The Volkswagen brand, Seat, and Skoda make up a passenger vehicle division led by former BMW man Herbert Diess. Audi, which is tightly intertwined with Lamborghini and motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, will be managed by current Audi exec Rupert Stadler. Porsche and Bentley, which are already quite close, will be joined by Bugatti and run by Matthias Mueller. Finally, a commercial vehicles division will include Volkswagen Commercial, Scania, and Man. Former Daimler exec Andreas Renschler will take care of the big vehicles. The massive move, according to Automotive News Europe, is part of an internal VAG effort to move away from the structure established by ousted Chairman Ferdinand Piech, who favored a compact, but highly centralized, management structure to oversee the independent actions of the company's brands. Criticism of Piech's arrangement stemmed from the company's slow responses to changes in the market, ANE reports. The new structure should make for a more efficient, streamlined company that's better able to make crucial decisions. What are your thoughts? Should VAG decentralize, or did Piech have the right idea? Have your say in Comments.