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Why Italians are no longer buying supercars

Italy is the wound that continues to drain blood from the body financial of Italian supercar and sports car makers. The wound was opened by the country's various financial police who decided to get serious about superyacht-owning and supercar-driving tax cheats a few years ago, by noting their registrations and checking their incomes. When it was found that a rather high percentage of exotic toy owners had claimed a rather low annual income - certain business owners were found to be declaring less income than their employees - the owners began dumping their cars and prospective buyers declined to buy.
Car and Driver has a piece on how the initiative is hitting the home market the hardest. Lamborghini sold 1,302 cars worldwide in 2010, 1,602 cars in 2011 and 2,083 cars in 2012 - an excellent surge in just two years. In Italy, however, it's all about the ebb: in 2010, the year that Italian police began scouring harbors, Lamborghini sold 96 cars in Italy, the next year it sold 72, last year it sold just 60. The declines for Maserati and Ferrari are even more pronounced.
Head over to CD for the full story and the numbers. What might be most incredible isn't the cause and effect, but where the blame is being placed. A year ago the chairman of Italy's Federauto accused the government of "terrorizing potential clients," this year Luca di Montezemolo says what's happening has created "a hostile environment for ­luxury goods." Life at the top, it ain't easy.

2020 Lamborghini Huracan EVO Track Test Review | The limits of performance

ROSAMOND, Calif. — Our first drive of the Lamborghini Huracan EVO in Bahrain earlier this year revealed that its dramatically reworked new tech makes it far more than simply an evolution ­– hence the EVO name – of its LP 610-4 predecessor. If you care about lap times, it even managed to best the outgoing LP 640-4 Performante around Nardo. While our first drive left us impressed with the EVO's responsiveness, forward-thinking performance enhancements, and (finally) modernized multimedia interface, we did have some lingering questions about its at-limit dynamics on the track. With all-wheel steering altering its responsiveness at higher speeds, it begged the question: Is something getting sacrificed on the road to supercar perfection? To find out, we got more seat time in the latest iteration of Lamborghini's $261,274 entry-level supercar at Southern California's Willow Springs International Raceway. First and foremost, the mighty 631-horsepower V10 roars to life with a familiar, free-breathing bellow that triggers one hell of a distinct sense memory. It's gloriously devoid of sound-sapping forced-induction, and it still fires up via a missile launcher-style button on the center console. Once the exhaust valve opens, the engine sings in a refreshingly sonorous way that turbocharged competitors simply can't hold a candle to. Hallelujah. Gone (but certainly not missed) from the cabin is the ancient Audi-derived MMI system, replaced by an 8.4-inch capacitive touchscreen that's a quantum leap over the old system, making the EVO feel fully modern inside – at last. Outside, a subtle restyling integrates improved aerodynamics; the front bumper and rear spoiler collectively create seven times more downforce than before. It looks muscular enough to park next to the steroidal Performante, with its big, fixed rear wing, and not look like a letdown. Behind the wheel in pit row, there's little clue to the EVO's multitude of lurking electronics, which includes three accelerometers and three gyroscopes. It's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit here at Willow Springs, and unlike cobbled-together Lamborghinis of yore, the EVO stays cool after running hot laps. It's more palpable evidence of the Volkswagen Group's dramatic improvements to Lamborghini's functionality and durability. Before attacking the full track, I put the EVO through a low-speed slalom run, which showcases the all-wheel steering system quite successfully.

Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato Opera Unica special edition took 370 hours to paint

This Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato is a one-off special edition model named the Opera Unica, and it was made to further celebrate Lamborghini’s 60th anniversary year that has already spawned other special projects. WhatÂ’s unique about this particular Sterrato isnÂ’t the performance, but instead, itÂ’s the paint. LamborghiniÂ’s Ad Personam customization department devised a new “crystal effect” paint process for this vehicle, and the total paint time amounted to 370 hours. By our math, thatÂ’s a lot of hours. The goal was to create a car that gave the effect of frozen liquid, and Lamborghini combined three different blues to make that happen. Its main backdrop color is Blu Amnis, but then painters went in by hand with Blu Grifo and Blu Fedra to give it the effect you see in the photos. Lamborghini says its inspiration comes from marine landscapes and the colors of Sardinia. As contrast to the blue, matte black paint is then used on the roof, sills, front-light casings, front and rear splitters, fenders and wheel arch extensions. Of course, the interior is unique, too, with Blu Delphinus leather and blue-dyed Alcantara. The start/stop switch cover is finished in the same crystal effect paint as the exterior, and youÂ’ll also find that look applied to the “Opera Unica Porto Cervo 2023” special edition plate. In case you were wondering, Lamborghini is in fact considering this Sterrato as one of the 1,499 it will ultimately build. It hasnÂ’t named an owner or a price, but considering the craftsmanship that went into this vehicle, itÂ’s sure to be an extravagant number for whoever puts it into their garage. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.