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Mansory unveils 1,600-hp Carbonado GT under a carbon fiber panda body

European tuners show up at the Geneva Motor Show in spades to display their very expensive wares in hopes of finding a handful of buyers. The only way to set your company apart is to make cars that are increasingly extreme. Mansory is no different, and to keep up with competitors it has brought the 1,600-horsepower Carbonado GT to Switzerland.
The GT starts life as a Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, but practically every body panel is replaced with new carbon fiber pieces. It doesn't hide it either with the entire center portion of the car finished in clear-coated carbon. The biggest changes include fenders that are 1.6-inches wider at the front and 2.0-inches wider in the rear, and even the wheels have carbon inlays.
To make sure the Carbonado GT has the power to back up its hardcore looks, Mansory has fitted the Aventador's 6.5-liter V12 with two turbochargers to produce the aforementioned 1,600 hp and torque electronically limited to 855 pound-feet. The powertrain is upgraded to take the boost with pistons, connecting rods, rod bearings, crankshaft and cylinder head being replaced with high-performance units. Mansory claims the highly modified engine gets the GT to 62 miles per hour in 2.1 seconds and to a top speed of 230 mph.

2021 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Xago is all about the hexagons

Every modern-day hypercar needs to have loads of limited-production special editions. Even the most exclusive cars such as the Bugatti Chiron aren't exclusive enough. And as a result of needing to satiate the demand for special hypercars, there are some odd limited editions. The latest is the 2021 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Xago Edition. It's special because of hexagons. Well, it's not just hexagons. It also celebrates Lamborghini's Ad Personam customization program and the fact that customers can now participate in the program virtually instead of flying out to Italy. As it so happens, this special Aventador can only be ordered through the virtual version of the program. So what's the connection between an online customization program and hexagons? We have no idea. And the connection is more tenuous when you see that Lamborghini says its hexagonal patterns for the car were inspired by the hexagonal clouds on Saturn's north pole. Yes, you read that right. Oh, and the name? We also don't know, but it might just be that they're the middle letters of Lamborghini's design theme called "hexagonita." Among the hexagon details are silver patterns that fade in and out on the paint. The interior upholstery features a hexagonal pattern all the way down, too. Outside of that, the customer gets to pick the paint colors, which will also be reflected by contrast panels on the seats. Otherwise, it's a regular Aventador SVJ, which is still pretty exciting with a blistering Nurburgring lap time and 770 horsepower. Only 10 of these hexagonal Aventadors will be built, and that leaves us a bit vexed. Shouldn't Lamborghini build a number of these cars divisible by six? A very mild hex upon the person that missed the opportunity to sextuple down on the hexagon theme. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.      

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.