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Lamborghini downshifts toward record sales

Reuters reports that the Lamborghini Huracan is doing exactly what it was intended to do for the brand: increase sales. The company set yearly sales records up to and including the first full year of the global financial collapse, moving 2,430 units of the Murcielago and Gallardo in 2008. But even 1,144 combined horsepower couldn't keep that momentum going, and by 2010 that had dropped to 1,302 sales worldwide. Retail success returned with the markets and buyers who deemed it finally safe to be seen in a brand-new six-figure car. Last year, the company set a sales record of 2,530 units, a 19-percent increase over 2014. In an interview with Reuters, company CEO Stephan Winklemann said that Lamborghini should break that number this month. The momentum is coming from the US and Asia, specifically Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Sales in mainland China are "broadly flat," but that has to be considered success when other much less spendy carmakers are hurting something awful in the People's Republic, and luxury makers have returned their primary attentions to the US. Next year could be even better, with the Huracan Spyder going on sale in the spring. Two years after that, the brand plans to double its current sales with the arrival of its supersport crossover, which has a target of "about 3,000" per year. 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:

Lamborghini Huracan Spyder promises 201-mph top speed

After chopping the roof off the Aventador SuperVeloce in Monterey, Lamborghini has, unsurprisingly, decapitated its entry level Huracan and given birth to the successor to the Gallardo Spyder. The new Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder is set to debut this week at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, offering the same 5.2-liter, 610-hosrepower V10, seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and all-wheel-drive system. The top speed is a hair-raising 201 miles per hour, down just a single digit from the hardtop model, while the 0-62-mph time has fallen from 3.2 to 3.4 seconds. Blame the increase in weight for the slight drop in performance – the Spyder model adds 264 pounds to the hardtop's 3,135-pound dry weight. Of course, unlimited headroom and looks that can kill more than make up for that. According to Lamborghini, the lightweight softtop can be dropped in just 17 seconds and at speeds of up to 31 miles per hour. Impressive though that may be, it's the improvements that Lambo has made over the old Gallardo Spyder that are really newsworthy. Torsional rigidity is up 40 percent over Sant'Agata's last entry level droptop, while downforce jumps by 50 percent with the Huracan Spyder. Prices for Lamborghini's newest convertible start at 186,450 Euros ($211,341 at today's rates), with deliveries slated to begin in the spring of 2016. Read on for the official press release, and check back soon for live images from the floor of the Frankfurt Motor Show. Or, if you really want to see the debut go down, you can watch the livestream of the reveal, here. Related Video: Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder: Performance and lifestyle under the open sky • Inspiring Huracan technology and performance with open air emotion • Electrohydraulic, lightweight soft top for pure Spyder feeling • Smart aerodynamic solutions for maximum open-top driving comfort • Naturally aspirated 5.2 l V10 engine with 449 kW/610 hp, 0 - 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds, top speed 324 km/h (201 mph) • 'Cylinder on demand' technology in combination with stop-and-start system for lower CO2-emissions Sant'Agata Bolognese/Frankfurt, 14.09.2015 – Automobili Lamborghini presents the new Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder at Frankfurt International Motor Show. The open top version of the Huracan LP 610-4 combines the power and performance of the coupe with the emotion of open-air driving.