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Lamborghini's Revuelto enjoys new high-tech build processes

Lamborghini exited the old age with a number of big bangs. The Aventador not only got an Ultimate special edition, but also a couple of one-offs with the Invencible and Autentica. The sold-out Huracan is rushing into the sunset in two directions, one on the road with the 60th Anniversary models, the other on the dirt with the sensational Sterrato. The brand with all the bull enters the new age with even more pop, attaching an electric motor to its hallmark V12, and remaking the Sant'Agata Bolognese factory that produces the hybrid V12 and the Revuelto two-door wrapped around it. In a video called "Building the Dream," various members of the Lamborghini family explain how the production process have improved so that everyone can ensure they're building a better car, better. A fair bit of the Manufattura Lamborghini story reminded us of Maserati's high-tec production overhaul at the Viale Ciro Menotti facility for the Nettuno V6 in the MC20. Computerized tools deliver repeatable build standards, the engine is built over a set of stations that include new seal testing and a final testing room, the transmission getting its own set of stations and build teams. There's also a sustainability story inside and outside, with new machines and software enabling more utilization of hides for interiors, CO2-neutral energy runs the plant, and not far away, there's a small forest with bee hives.   The most impressive bit might be the automaker saying the new setup increases the customization options. With Lamborghini building one-offs for clients, we didn't realize there was anything left to customize. The one line that stuck out to us was when Chief Manufacturing Officer Ranieri Niccoli said there's a new V12 assembly line "that in the future can accommodate different engines." That's called foreshadowing. While we wait to find out what that sentence could mean, grab some gelato and have a watch of the video above. Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Electric Lamborghini concept headed to Monterey Car Week: Think 'spaceships'

In a press release tracing the history of Lamborghini concept cars, the Sant'Agata Bolognese automaker let us know it will debut "the prototype" of its coming battery-electric car during Monterey Car Week. The word "prototype" is interesting here because Lamborghini touched on the transition from one-offs and concept cars to "few-offs" — those being "a limited run of cars for the most loyal customers that pre-empt or enhance the most advanced technical solutions that will be used on production cars in later years." We're told, "The same formula will be repeated in just a few days," suggesting that whatever goes on show could end up in a few driveways before long. We're still not sure what's coming, though. Autocar reports the EV is "expected to draw light inspiration from the Estoque saloon concept," pictured above from its reveal at the Paris Auto Show in 2008. The same report also throws "high-riding," "2+2 seating and GT proportions," the idea the car might have two doors, and a tip from head designer Mitja Borkert that future products will "look like spaceships." That's quite the combo. Most modern cars considered 2+2 have two doors and diminished rear quarters; the Estoque was a proper sedan with four proper seats. Know what was a 2+2? The hybrid Asterion LPI-910 from 2014, which could be considered a coupe-ified Estoque, design-wise.       The automaker says the EV is "due to enter production by the end of the decade." It's anticipated that by then, the EV will join the battery-electric successor to the Urus, creating an electrified lineup for four cars when counting the hybrid Revuelto and the hybrid Huracan successor. It's then we'll find out what electrification the Lamborghini way really means, the brand still coming up with those answers. CEO Stephan Winkelmann said, "There are definitions that I think no electric car in our sector has yet resolved sufficiently: not just acceleration and handling behavior but also responsiveness, braking feel and multiple acceleration protocols. These are unproven in high-performance EVs and things we must spend the next years working out." Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lamborghini drops the top on the Huracan Performante Spyder

How could Lamborghini make its Huracan Performante even more special? Simply by introducing a topless Spyder variant. The Performante is the hot Huracan, its 5.2-liter V10 producing a handsome 640 horsepower, and our 2017 review described the Performante as the character-adding boost the Huracan model line so required. Part of that is due to its ALA active aerodynamics system, or Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva. Lamborghini says the downforce-aiding system, which features active flaps on the splitter and the rear wing, is retained in the Spyder version. Like the regular version, the regular Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder has an electro-hydraulic fabric roof, which only takes 17 seconds to deploy and can be done at driving speeds of up to 30 mph. Much like the BMW i8 Roadster's setup, it also has an independently movable rear glass, which functions as a wind deflector when the roof is opened. But there's more to wind control than just the glass: there are two movable, speedster style fins that rise up from behind the seat backs, continuing the roofline from where it left off. The fins also include an integrated duct that works to reduce cabin turbulence, and two wind guards dampen "aerodynamic pulsations." Lamborghini says this is to enable conversation even at high speeds, even as one imagines there would be precious little idle chatter when the Performante really performs. The removal of the fixed roof has added 275 pounds to the dry weight of the Performante, but compared to the regular-issue Spyder, the car is 77 pounds lighter thanks to extensive, Performante-specific use of carbon fiber. Lamborghini says the top speed of 202 mph is unchanged; 0-62 mph takes 0.2 seconds more and is now reached in 3.1 seconds. The 200-kph or 124-mph benchmark takes 9.3 seconds. The first cars will be available in the summer, with a suggested retail price of $308,859. Related Video: