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Lamborghini Urus SUV traces roots to a feline predecessor

The recently-revealed Urus isn't Lamborghini's first SUV. The LM002 pioneered the super-4x4 segment when it made its debut at the 1986 Brussels Auto Show. Tracing its history requires traveling to the mid-1970s, when Ferruccio Lamborghini sold the automaker that he founded and retired in the countryside to hunt and make wine. The new owners had practically no experience in building cars. Instead of expanding the lineup, they sought to land engineering and production contracts. Lamborghini teamed up with an American defense contractor named Mobility Technology International (MTI) to create an off-roader for the United States Army. The partnership spawned a vehicle named Cheetah, unveiled at the 1977 Geneva Auto Show. The Cheetah looked like a Meyers Manx buggy on steroids that ate Jeep CJ-7s for breakfast. The shape of the body gave it unusually high approach and departure angles, while the flat body panels facilitated the task of installing body armor. "Like the cat for which it is named, this high-performance vehicle has explosive acceleration, high speed and sure-footed agility over virtually all terrain," a period brochure claimed. The Cheetah could certainly tame Mother Nature's worst side, but the brochure exaggerated its performance credentials. Power came from the same 5.9-liter Chrysler 360 V8 engine found in Dodge's D-Series trucks. Lamborghini mounted it in the back, and its 183-horsepower rating contributed to a woeful power-to-weight ratio. The eight-cylinder spun all four wheels via an automatic transmission also found on Chrysler's parts shelf. Lamborghini didn't secure the Army's contract. The automaker stood on the brink of collapse. An Italian court took control of the company after it filed for bankruptcy in 1978, and a Swiss entrepreneur later came to the rescue. The new management saw an immense amount of potential in the Cheetah and relaunched the project. Decision-makers spotted an opportunity to enter the burgeoning leisure vehicle segment. Notably, they identified a market for a Cheetah-like car in the Middle East, where a Countach was unpractical at best and a Nissan Patrol was far too pedestrian for oil barons. Lamborghini unveiled a prototype named LM001 at the 1981 Geneva Auto Show. It took the Cheetah concept a step further with an updated look, though it retained the rear-mounted engine. Built as a development mule, it illustrated the limits of a rear-engine off-roader.

Lamborghini Miura from 'The Italian Job' is for sale

Just one month ago we posted on "The Ultimate Lamborghini Miura" going up for sale, a 1968 Miura that had been turned into a built-to-race Miura Jota. This one might be even better, and it is certainly more famous: the 1968 Miura P400 from the opening scene of the movie The Italian Job. Two Miuras were used in that opening scene and some aren't sure that this is one of the actual movie cars, but most sleuths believe it is – and the story of its history since filming is so wild, it could have come from the movie. Iain Tyrell, the owner of Cheshire Classic Cars in England, said he received a tip last Christmas that the Miura was in Paris. The coupe's owner led him to a secret, underground parking garage and gave him three hours to verify that it was indeed from The Italian Job, a challenging task since no one knew what happened to the car since Paramount Pictures returned it to Lamborghini at the end of filming in 1968. It seems that Lamborghini sold the Arancia-colored coupe to an Italian dealer, and it had four owners up to 2005 when Norbetto Ferretti bought it. Ferretti is not only one of the founders of the Ferretti shipbuilding group, he is the son of the dealer who bought the Miura from Paramount after the movie - and neither Ferretti nor any of the car's previous owners realized it. Octane magazine ran a 15-page feature in its March issue with all the forensic details matching this car to the movie car, however, even the magazine says it can't be sure. A different classic car broker recently put it up for sale, but that broker still doesn't believe it's the movie car. Top Gear called the film car "the coolest car in the world" in 2004, and if it is the real deal it's said to be worth more than one million pounds, or $1.5M US. Tyrell and his partner Keith Ashworth have listed the car for sale, the price "POA," which means "price on application" in UK-speak. In layman's terms that means, "Bring money." In the video below you can see the star of the show in the movie's opening scene. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lamborghini updates its logo for the first time in over 20 years

Enthusiasts meandering through the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 50 years will have an easy way to tell approximately when a Lamborghini was made. Starting later in 2024, the brand's cars will wear a logo that has been redesigned with a focus on minimalism. Lamborghini notes this is the first time it has redesigned its logo in over 20 years, and the changes made are relatively subtle. The emblem is still shield-shaped, and its overall layout remains the same; there's "LAMBORGHINI" written at the top, right above a bull that looks like it's about to charge. However, the shield's frame is smaller, with a flatter look, and the bull becomes an outline with fewer details (like the spine). Here's the old logo for reference: While the bull has appeared on the logo since the company's inception in 1963, it will soon stand on its own for the first time. Not on cars, it sounds like they'll still wear a shield, but in some of the brand's marketing and promotional material. Lamborghini also developed a brand-specific font to further strengthen its identity. You'll see it in the magazine that the company publishes, for example, and on social media. Lamborghini hasn't revealed which car(s) will inaugurate the new logo. The latest addition to its range is the Revuelto, which is powered by a 1,001-horsepower plug-in hybrid drivetrain built around a new, naturally-aspirated V12. Developed to replace the Aventador, it was unveiled in 2023 with the old logo; if it gets the new logo, early examples with the old emblem will likely be interesting from a collector's perspective. We know that the brand has at least three new models in its pipeline: There's a plug-in hybrid evolution of the Urus, which should also get a handful of visual updates inside and out, and a replacement for the Huracan, which will reportedly downsize to a twin-turbocharged V8 and go hybrid. One of these will surely be the first to wear the new logo. Looking ahead, the first electric Lamborghini will arrive in about 2028. Marketing/Advertising Lamborghini Luxury Performance