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Lamborghini NA V12 swan song a track-only 830-hp Aventador SVR?

According to a poster on a McLaren Life forum and picked up by The Supercar Blog, Lamborghini is preparing a small-batch, track-only model to begin deliveries around 2021. At the end of last month, user Champagne612 wrote that he (or she) was "Going to spec next week and test drive the SVR V12 track version of AV." In the words of Champagne612, this Aventador SVR is the last hurrah for Lamborghini's naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12, a flourish before hybridization becomes necessary on the brand's iconic powerplant. Supposedly, only 40 SVRs will be made, each one producing 830 atmospheric horsepower. That would give the SVR 60 more horses than the road-legal SVJ. Lamborghini's only made two other SVR models. In 1968, there was the one-of-one Miura Jota SVR, a customer-request Lamborghini brewed with a mix of outsourced parts. More relevant to this latest car, in 1996 Lamborghini built 31 examples of the Diablo SV-R — based on the Diablo SV — to form a one-make race series. It's not clear if the coming SVR will be just a customer track-day car, a la the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS-based 935, or if Lamborghini has larger plans, a la the Ferrari FXX-K program. The Sant' Agata brand has leaned even more into the customer racing vibe of late, with a Urus one-make series planned, and the customer-request, road-legal Aventador-based SC18 Alston unveiled last year (pictured). Based on that, there's chatter that an Aventador SVR could be a feint at the so-called hypercar class opening next year in the World Endurance Championship. The connection seems more than tenuous, but it's not impossible. Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali said at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that the carmaker was perusing the hypercar regulations taking effect in 2020 until about 2025, and told Autocar that the SC18 Alston "shows that we have internal capabilities for such a [Le Mans] project." Those rules require a minimum weight of 1,100 kilograms, maximum combined output of 750 hp — an optional hybrid system can contribute no more than 270 hp — and a minimum of 20 production versions built over two years. Save for the fact that committed entries from Aston Martin and Toyota are much more slippery than any Lamborghini, the rules on paper put an Aventador-based model firmly in the mix, and unresolved regulations limiting downforce and mandating a minimum drag figure could inch an Italian competitor closer to the mark.

These were our favorite cars of 2022

Favorite cars is different than best cars. The idea of "best" can speak to value and overall competitiveness in a given vehicle segment. There's lots of objectivity involved and to do a "best" list right, one really must be very thorough and as scientific as possible. This is not that list. This is about our favorites, so objectivity be damned. If we liked a Challenger Hellcat because it made loud noises or a Honda Odyssey because it made for a particularly special family vacation, fair game. These were the cars that most spoke to our collection of editors and the ones that stayed in our minds and hung in our hearts long after they left our driveway. — Senior Editor James Riswick 2022 GMC Hummer EV Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: I didn't particularly expect to like the new Hummer. I wasn't a fan of the Hummer H2 or H3, so I wasn't automatically enthusiastic about this electric reboot. Fast EVs aren't hard to come by — and, in fact, may be too easy to come by — so its performance specs weren't enough to win me over. Despite videos to the contrary, pickups aren't my favorite vehicular format. And its excessive size and weight turned me off ... until I finally got behind the wheel.  This thing is wildly entertaining to drive. Watts to Freedom launch control is a neat party trick, sure, but the novelty wears off quickly. The novelty of Crab Walk, however, has staying power. The rear-wheel steering makes this behemoth feel much smaller than it is — the maneuverability is incredible, and useful. The air suspension provides tons of clearance, including a ridiculously high-riding Extract mode. I can't wait for lesser versions of the Hummer to make their way to market. Give me less power (for less money), but keep the off-road tricks onboard, and I'll be a happy camper. Senior Editor, Consumer, Jeremy Korzeniewski: If I could afford to put one of these in my driveway, I would. Sadly, I can't, so I won't (What's that, Janet? I got the lyric wrong?). Still, I love the dumb thing. Thankfully, I have another choice down below. 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 Associate Editor Byron Hurd: Yeah, duh, Porsches are good. But there's good, and then there's GT3. This is the feeling every performance-oriented RWD tuner is trying to replicate. This is hard, precise, surgical and immensely satisfying. To begin to explore this car on a public road is by itself an admission that you believe yourself to be above the rules as they apply to normal drivers.

Lamborghini Squadra Corsa previews 830-hp hypercar and racing Urus ST-X

At the conclusion of last year's Lamborghini Super Trofeo series, the Sant'Agata Bolognese carmaker's Squadra Corse division unveiled the SC18 Alstom. That was a one-off, customer-commissioned, extreme track car based on the Aventador SVJ, and the first wholesale creation from the racing department. At this year's series finale in Jerez, Spain, it teased a limited-run hypercar and an evolution of the race-bound Urus ST-X. The hypercar proves a rumor from earlier this month, when a poster at the McLaren Life forum said he was "Going to spec next week and test drive the SVR V12 track version of AV," that AV standing for Aventador. Lamborghini says the track-only car, designed by the company's Centro Stile department, will debut next year. The rumor had posited the hypercar as a ne plus ultra expression of the Aventador's 6.5-liter V12, and that seems to be the case. Engineers extracted 830 horsepower from the naturally aspirated engine, 70 hp more than found in the SVJ. In place of the road car's seven-speed, single-clutch ISR transmission, the unnamed hypercar uses a six-speed Xtrac sequential gearbox, and a mechanical limited-slip differential can be adjusted by the driver for preload. The standard Aventador chassis has been reworked around that powertrain for aerodynamic and safety reasons. The front structure's made of aluminum, a more pliant — and less expensive — material to deal with in case of incidents on the track. The engine's been wrapped in a steel cage in order to increase torsional and bending stiffness. Airflow improves thanks to dual intakes on the hood, an airscoop over the cockpit, and a stonking rear wing.  Lamborghini Urus ST-X View 3 Photos The Urus ST-X has undergone a few changes since its debut last year. The Verde Mantis SUV has been lightened by about 25 percent compared to the production version with "a lighter structure," a vented carbon fiber hood and rear wing, and a racing exhaust. The cabin's luxurious appointment are replaced by a roll cage, racing seats, and a fire suppression system. Scheduled to make its race debut at the end of October 2020 in Misano, Italy, the first pilots to get a chance behind the wheel will be winners of the four classes in the Super Trofeo series.