1987 Lamborghini Countach 5000qv on 2040-cars

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Lamborghini Huracan Performante's active aero is the secret to its speed

The most revolutionary real technology at this year's Geneva Motor Show didn't look like it on the show stand. If you squint at the Lamborghini Huracan Performante, it merely looks like a Huracan with a big wing. Up close, you can see the fractal texture of the forged-composite aerodynamic add-ons, but that still doesn't tell you why this car is so special. Lamborghini calls it Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA), or active aerodynamics. This is one of the biggest keys to the Performante's claimed production-car record lap time at the Nurburgring Nordschleife of 6 minutes, 52.01 seconds. The Huracan Performante's number is not without controversy, but I personally care very little about the obsessive phallic-measuring contests that are 'Ring lap times. What's fascinating about the Performante is that, if the lap time is even close to legitimate, it shows that ALA is a major step forward in automotive performance. More than just lap times, the Huracan Performante is an example of why Lamborghini remains special in a world of democratized performance. We sat down to discuss this with Lamborghini's Research and Development Director, Maurizio Reggiani. And one last note on the lap time: Reggiani says with the same temperature and exclusive access to a dry track, "that in this average of speed we can repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat." In previous conversations, Reggiani said that the key difference in performance would come not from horsepower, but weight reduction. For Lamborghini, that means plenty of carbon fiber. But the newest Huracan is not a Superleggera, the old title for the hardcore variant. "Superleggera is too much an objective, a description. Performante is really the DNA of the car. In Italian, Performante means really the best performance," he said. Reggiani continues, "Nothing happened by chance. It's really a building-block approach where you say this can give this contribution, this can give that. Where can you improve something and what is needed to improve something?" That brought them to the active aerodynamics solution, which channels air to stall the front or rear aero elements of the car to change the downforce and drag. Reggiani says, "This can be achieved only with a system that is really light, [has] fast responsiveness. Based on this ...

Lamborghini Urus production body revealed in spy shots

After years of concepts and teasers, we finally have a our first look at the production version of the upcoming Lamborghini Urus. While these spy shots don't feature much variety, they do give us a fairly decent look at the front and side of the new model. Although there appear to be a number of changes from the concepts, it's still undeniably a Lamborghini. The Urus appears to wear the new Lamborghini face, similar to that of the updated 2017 Lamborghini Aventador S. The shape is generally the same as the concept, but it's been tamed and pulled back slightly. The intakes in the bottom corners are far smaller than the concept, and the entire front appears far more blunt and upright. The headlights look about the same, but it's hard to tell for sure through all of the camouflage. Around the side we can see that the wheel arches, though smaller, are generally the same shape as the concept. The crease in the door is still present, but far less aggressive. The mirrors are totally different than the miniscule ones fitted to the concept. The bold, sloping BMW X6-esque roofline looks nearly identical, though the production car has been fitted with roof rails. Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of the rear to tell how aggressive that roofline really is. Earlier this week, Lamborghini confirmed full production will start in April. That means we should see a final production version fairly soon. Look for a twin-turbocharged V8 and an a plug-in hybrid system in the final version. This may not be as tough as the old Rambo Lambo, the LM002, but it still doesn't look like anything else on the road. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Lamborghini Urus spy shots Related Gallery Lamborghini Urus Concept: Monterey 2012 View 10 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Design/Style Spy Photos Lamborghini SUV

Wild one-off Lamborghini Sogna for sale at $3M [w/videos]

The Lamborghini Countach was the dream car for many teens and pre-teens in the 1980s, but at least one Japanese man thought there was room for improvement. As the story goes, Ryoji Yamazaki had a dream of a supercar as a 13-year-old, and at the age of 41, he used his design studio, Art & Tech, to create the Sogna in 1991.
Yamazaki unveiled the Sogna at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show as a rebodied Countach with intentions of selling it in limited production, but thankfully - or sadly, depending how you look at it - the $1.6 million (1991 price) coachbuilt supercar never made it into production. The Geneva show car was a rolling chassis, and the only other example that was produced was a fully operational version, shown above, which was unveiled at the 1994 Essen Motor Show. This car from Essen is now listed for sale on James Edition for 2.38 million euros, or around $3.25 million USD.
With its oddball styling and kiwi green paint, the Sogna was likely doomed from the start, but it still boasts the Countach's full powertrain including the 448-horsepower, 5.2-liter V12 and a claimed top speed of 186 miles per hour. Check out more images of the 1994 Sogna at James Edition and Enmann, and we also found a couple videos, which are posted below, of the car's early development.