2008 Gallardo Spyder $256,250 Msrp on 2040-cars

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The mood at this year’s Paris Motor Show: Quiet

The Paris Motor Show, held every other year in the early fall, typically kicks off the annual cavalcade of automotive conclaves, one that traverses the globe between autumn and spring, introducing projective, conceptual and production-ready vehicle models to the international automotive press, automotive aficionados and a public hungry for news of our increasingly futuristic mobility enterprise. But this year, at the press preview days for the show, the grounds of the Porte de Versailles convention center felt a bit more sparsely populated than usual. This was not simply a subjective sensation, or one influenced by the center's atypically dispersed assemblage of seven discrete buildings, which tends to spread out the cars and the crowds. There were not only fewer new vehicles being premiered in Paris this year, there were fewer manufacturers there to display them. Major mainstream European OEM stalwarts such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Nissan and Volkswagen chose to sit out Paris this year, as did boutique manufacturers like Bentley, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. This is not simply based in some antipathy on the part of the German, British and Italian manufacturers toward the French market — though for a variety of historical and societal reasons that market may be more dominated by vehicles produced domestically than others. Rather, it is part of a larger trend in the industry. Last year, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would not be participating in the flagship North American International Auto Show in 2019 — and that it might not return. Other brands including Jaguar/Land Rover, Audi, Porsche, Mazda and nearly every exotic carmaker have also departed the Detroit show. Some of these brands will still appear in the city in which the show is taking place, and host an event offsite, to capitalize on the presence of a large number of reporters in attendance. And even brands that do have a presence at the show have shifted their vehicle introductions to the days before the official press opening in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. In many ways, this makes sense. With an expanding number of automakers, with diversification and niche-ification of models and with wholesale shifts that necessitate the introduction of EV or autonomous sub-brands, there is a growing sense that, with everyone shouting at the same time, no one can be heard.

Zagato Lamborghini 5-95 successfully aims to be an instant collectible [w/video]

1965 was the first time Zagato and Lamborghini hooked up, when the Milanese coachbuilder created the Lamborghini 3500 GTZ for Marquis Gerino Gerini. There have been several more collaborations since then, the one you see above being the latest: the Lamborghini 5-95, created for collector Albert Spiess and designed to be "a modern collectible" in honor of Zagato's 95th anniversary.
Underneath its Speed Racer curves is a Gallardo LP570-4, its visual mass pushed forward thanks to the striving front fascia and a wind deflector at the bottom of the windshield that lengthens the hood, and a shortened trunk that "reveals the brutality of the mechanical components" in back. Between them are Zagato trademarks like wraparound glass and the double-bubble roof, and the size of the obvious air intakes has been reduced by hiding others in the greenhouse and fixing a center intake above the roof.
The Lamborghini 5-95 is on show at this year's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este at Lake Como in Switzerland. As for being a collectible, since it's headed straight for Spiess' garage afterward, we'd say they've got that part sealed up. For you non-collectors, there's a short video where you can hear the car fire up and a press release below with a lot more info.

This is the fully uncovered Lamborghini Huracan Performante

We already knew that the Lamborghini Huracan Performante is absurdly quick at the Nurburgring, where the company claims it lapped the track faster than the Porsche 918 Spyder. Now Lamborghini has released specifications and photos of the car. It seems a little more power, active aerodynamics, and other fine tuning turned the Huracan into a track monster. Immediately apparent from the outside are the new aerodynamic devices and molded carbon fiber pieces. The latter include the hood over the engine, front and rear spoilers, the rear bumper, and the rear diffuser. Together, they help the Performante lose about 88 pounds compared to the standard Huracan. The front and rear spoilers also have fancy electrically-actuated flaps to adjust aerodynamics. At the front, a pair of flaps rest on the top side of the front spoiler, and at the back, two air channels can be opened or closed to change airflow at the rear wing, optimize downforce, or reduce drag. The rear flaps can also be opened and closed separately for the left and right. According to Lamborghini, they can be used to increase downforce on one side of the car to counteract the affects of load transfer in corners. For example, if the car was turning left, and the body began rolling to the right, the flaps could be set so that downforce increases on the left, keeping the car flatter in the corner. Lamborghini has also improved almost every other mechanical part of the car. The V10 now makes 640 horsepower and about 443 lb-ft of torque. The suspension has stiffer springs and anti-roll bars combined with either the standard, conventional shocks, or optional magnetorheological shocks. Power is sent to all four wheels, all four of which are forged and available in two different designs. They're shod in the buyers choice of Pirelli P Zero Corsas, or barely street-legal Trofeo Rs. Altogether, these changes allow the Performante to reach 62 mph in 2.9 seconds and hit a top speed of about 202 mph. Finally, this Huracan Performante is appropriately wild looking. The giant wing, massive exhaust tips, and Italian colors along the door all make this Lamborghini visually outlandish. The interior also receives exposed molded carbon fiber throughout to make sure its occupants never forget this is a fast, hardcore Lambo. It should also help justify the Performante's $274,390 pricetag, if the 'Ring time isn't enough. The first cars will arrive to customers this summer. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party.