1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Downdraft on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lamborghini designers channel brand's past to keep supercars fresh

Lamborghini design boss Mitja Borkert smiles as he sums up the brand's design language with an anecdote. "I bought a 1/18-scale Countach in Frankfurt, and I put it in my carry-on suitcase. One of the guys at the security screening asked 'what's that?' His colleague looked at the screen and immediately said "it's a Lamborghini!" Borkert points out the unmistakable silhouette is a major part of what defines a Lamborghini. He gives Marcello Gandini credit for the styling cue. The talented Italian designer penned a long list of emblematic sports cars, including the Miura, the Countach, and the Lancia Stratos. For Borkert, the Gandini line is deeply-rooted and permanent. However, he doesn't feel the least bit constrained by it. "First of all, for me this line is written in stone. It will remain in the next 100 years, regardless of what technology we will have. I'm very sure of it. Of course, we always have to find an interpretation of that line for specific projects. When we created the Urus, we also wanted to use the line but we had to interpret it in a way that worked for that specific architecture. How we did that you will see in the future. "The Huracan has one interpretation of the Gandini line. The Aventador is longer so we had to stretch it. You can set a lot of tension in that line, you can give it a bit more wedge. In the Centenario the rear is a little bit lower, for example. "So, for me, this is the component we have to keep. Then, there are the design themes like doors, fenders, and what we are doing with the front and rear. That's when we apply the motto 'expect the unexpected.' We are always challenging ourselves, and always looking for something new." The first step of the design process is to get the proportions exactly right. "If the main proportions aren't right, you will never be able to catch up with the design," he notes. And while most people assume modern-day designers start sketching on advanced CAD software, a Lamborghini still comes to life the old-fashioned way: with a pencil and a sheet of paper. Once the proportions are locked in, Borkert and his team of young, spirited designers begin adding secondary styling cues like character lines, angles, and creases. The last part of the process is when designers pencil in the final details such as vents, moldings, emblems, and miscellaneous trim pieces. Heritage plays a large role there, too. The hexagon is another one of the defining features that characterize a Lamborghini.

Here are the cars Fast 8 characters will drive in Iceland

The eighth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise will feature some characteristic wheel-to-wheel adventuring, this time on Icelandic ice. As revealed by the F&F production team, here are some of the vehicles that will be seen in the film. What else could Dominic Toretto drive than a Dodge? The previous film showed a Charger fitted for off-road driving, and this time the classic shape has been formed into an ice racer. The muscle car is still recognizable, but the altered wheelbase and fender flares make this something quite different. And as the bullet holes testify, the matte black machine is definitely going to see some action. Letty drives a Local Motors Rally Fighter, which might be the best fit for the ice scenes. The off-road coupe has been modified with a brush bar and some serious roof-mounted lights. Roman will be seen behind the wheel of an orange Lamborghini Murcielago, easily standing out in the frozen wastes. To top it off, there are some tank-like machines: There's a tracked Ripsaw for Tej Parker and an "Ice Ram" for Hobbs, who is played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Both of these look like mean machines, and on the screen they'll probably prove to be the admission ticket's worth. Related Video: Featured Gallery Fast 8 Ice Cars Image Credit: Fast & Furious Facebook page Celebrities TV/Movies Dodge Lamborghini Off-Road Vehicles Special and Limited Editions Supercars local motors fast 8 ripsaw

Lamborghini Huracan STO revealed as the most extreme Huracan yet

Mercedes-AMG just snagged the Nurburgring production car lap record from Lamborghini, but the Italians might already have an answer. It’s called the Lamborghini Huracan STO, with the STO being short for Super Trofeo Omologata. And yes, this one is even more extreme than the already bonkers Huracan Performante. Lamborghini says two of its race cars inspired it to make this road-legal high-po Huracan — the Super Trofeo EVO and the GT3 EVO. As weÂ’d expect, itÂ’s still powered by the 5.2-liter V10. The good folks in SantÂ’Agata have found 10 more horses above the Performante, meaning the STO makes 640 horsepower. Torque sits at 417 pound-feet, which is actually down quite a bit from the 443 pound-feet of the Performante. ThereÂ’s no lack of acceleration, though. Lamborghini claims a 0-62 mph time of 3.0 seconds and top speed of 192.6 mph. Those numbers are great, but theyÂ’re not what the STO is about. No, this Lamborghini was designed to set fast lap times, meaning aerodynamics and weight were the two key areas that were enhanced. The STO is 95 pounds lighter than the already light Performante. We imagine the bulk of that can be attributed to Lamborghini making the STO rear-wheel drive, not all-wheel drive. Yes! A rear-drive Lamborghini — we love to see it. But thereÂ’s also a greater use of carbon fiber for exterior panels (75% are made of carbon now). Additionally, the windshield is 20% lighter than a Performante, and itÂ’s riding on magnesium wheels as opposed to aluminum alloys wheels. On the inside, Lamborghini uses carbon fiber sport seats, full carbon door panels, removes the carpeting (replaced with bare carbon fiber) and coats other surfaces with its Alcantara-like Carbonskin. All this combined results in a car with a dry weight of 2,952 pounds. Pushing it into the ground is an impressive downforce package. Lamborghini has added air ducts in the front hood for better airflow to the radiator and to generate downforce. A new front splitter better directs air to a totally new underbody meant to create greater downforce. And the front endÂ’s new design better directs air around the front wheels to reduce drag. New front brake ducts enhance cooling to the improved “CCM-R” brakes (new design drawing on racing brakes for even more thermal durability than standard carbon ceramics).