2014 Aventador Coupe on 2040-cars

Auto blog

One-off Lamborghini supercar coming to Geneva

At a reception in Monterey, CA, last night, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann confirmed something we've kinda-sorta known for a while. The Italian automaker will debut a one-off supercar – sort of like the Veneno – at the Geneva Motor Show next year. We don't know anything about the bespoke machine, but Road & Track suggests it'll be a hybrid. Even though Lamborghini is iffy on this powertrain technology, electrification is a good way to make sure this supercar is on the same level as things like the Ferrari LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder. Makes sense to us. Even though Lamborghini won't publicly show the car until March, a few folks are getting a preview this weekend in Monterey. Lamborghini invited a very small, very special group of owners and prospective customers to check out the supercar. Of course, we aren't sure if they're seeing the actual car or just some drawings or renderings. Not that it matters. We're sure this will be another case of the car already being spoken for as soon as it makes its debut. Related Video:

Ferruccio Lamborghini's life to be chronicled in new film

A new movie is in the works to chronicle the life and times of Ferruccio Lamborghini. The biopic, currently in development under the working title Lamborghini – the Legend, is being undertaken by Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino though his studio Ambi Group. Shooting for the film is said to begin in Italy this summer. According to Variety, the film will follow the career of the Lamborghini founder born a century ago, from his start building agricultural tractors, through the manufacturing of military equipment during the Second World War, the establishment of his supercar company in 1963, and on to his passing in 1993. Ferruccio sold both of his companies in 1972, with the automaker passing through several hands (including Chrysler's) before the Volkswagen Group bought it in 1999 – several years after the founder's passing – through its subsidiary Audi. Ferruccio's son Tonino Lamborghini, who runs a designer merchandise company, is reportedly consulting on the film's production. The producer Andrea Iervolino is an Italian filmmaker based in Toronto. He's undertaken a couple of projects with Al Pacino, including the 2004 movie adaptation of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and 2014's The Humbling. He also co-produced this year's Septembers of Shiraz starring Adrien Brody and Salma Hayek. He and the Ambi Group he co-founded with Lady Monika Bacardi currently have several projects in post-production, including a film adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel In Dubious Battle starring James Franco, Bryan Cranston, Ed Harris, and Robert Duval. Ferruccio's nemesis Enzo Ferrari is similarly said to be the subject of two films under development – one starring Robert De Niro, and another featuring Christian Bale. There's also a project being undertaken in New Zealand to document the life of Bruce McLaren. The bottom line is that the year ahead looks like it'll be a good one for films about the founders of racing teams and supercar manufacturers. Related Video:

Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini utilities await approval from German parents [w/poll]

A cursory look at the top of the automobile market would suggest that the world's carmakers are gunning it full steam ahead into a new stratosphere of ultra-luxury and high-performance utility vehicles. After all, companies like Bentley and Maserati are preparing to launch their very first crossovers, while established players like Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover keep producing ever more expensive sport-utes of their own. But that's not the case across the board.
Rolls-Royce, for example, has yet to receive the green light to start working on its proposed CUV project. Though the dimensions of its sedans may already eclipse those of some crossovers, this would be the first time that Goodwood would produce a utility of its own. But while the British automaker's financial performance may have earned it a degree of autonomy, the final call may still come down to parent company BMW, which just might be waiting to see how Bentley fares with its upcoming crossover - and how much money it brings in to the Volkswagen Group - before deciding on whether or not it should proceed.
However, Rolls-Royce may not be alone in waiting for its German parent company to approve its high-priced ute. It's been two and a half years since we first laid eyes on the Lamborghini Urus (pictured), but the Italian automaker reportedly has not yet received approval from its parent company Audi and the greater Volkswagen Group to proceed with development and production. Envisioned to share its platform with the next Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and the production version of the Bentley EXP 9 F concept, the high-riding Lamborghini was originally set to reach production as the marque's third model line in 2017. But while Audi drags its feet - potentially waiting to see how the Bentley version pans out - the Urus' launch keeps getting pushed back, if it's ever to be made at all.