2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder Roadster 2d on 2040-cars

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Watch this 1,000-mile Lamborghini Espada road trip

The Lamborghini Espada was four-passenger GT built by the Italian automaker from 1968-1978. While some may consider its appearance ungainly, a 60-degree, 4.0-liter V12 fed by Weber carburetors generated 350 horsepower, enough to give the 3,600-pound two-door spirited performance when compared to its peers. Making the driving experience even more engaging was its standard rear-wheel drive, a slick five-speed manual gearbox and a lack of power steering (the automaker offered an automatic and power steering on later models).
Whether or not you are a fan of this unique four-seater or its era, this Evo magazine video of editor Harry Metcalfe touring France as he makes his way along the epic Route Napoléon (today, part of a 200-mile section of Route Nationale 85) is worthy of its 19-minute run time - if not for just the sound of the wailing twelve-cylinder engine.
The mountain portions are simply spectacular, and Metcalfe does his usual excellent job narrating as he joyfully coaxes the GT's narrow tires (205/70-15) around each corner, calling the Lamborghini a "four-wheel drift machine," but actually preferring its high-speed capabilities. We particularly enjoyed his fuel stop, explaining the odd top-off procedure, as well as his early morning pre-flight when he realized that the Lamborghini had been running on only 11 cylinders during the previous day's segment. Watch the joy in the journey below.

Twin-turbo Lamborghini ignites at 250 mph

Yesterday we covered a crash at the Unlimited 500+ drag race in Moscow, featuring a Nissan GT-R, but today brings better news: a Lamborghini Gallardo making 2,005 horsepower successfully went 250 miles per hour on the one-mile strip in 23.9 seconds without crashing. That's the good part. The bad part is the single-serving supercar burst into flames immediately after it crossed the finish line. Fortunately the driver was able to quickly bring the Lamborghini to a stop and get out of the car, but we have a feeling it will need some engine work before it sees any more action. That and perhaps a new paint job.
Underground Racing tuned the Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera's V10 to such an astronomical power output with the help of what sounds like twin-turbochargers (which is typical of UR builds). But despite the very impressive mile time, it's still hard not to feel sorry for the poor engine, which just couldn't take the pressure. Watch the 2,005-hp Gallardo reach 250 mph - then catch fire - in the video below.

Fastest-ever Lamborghini may debut in Geneva

Lamborghini is headed to next month's 2013 Geneva Motor Show with the brand's fastest car yet. The news comes courtesy of Filippo Perini, Lamborghini's design director, who reportedly dished that the brand will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a new low-volume hypercar. Perini made the comments while at the US launch of the automaker's recent Aventador Roadster in Miami, and he made it clear there will only be 10 production examples of the new model. If you want one, you had better get your wallet to the closest dealer (the designer admits most of the exotics are already spoken for).
Meanwhile, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann has said his company will continue to explore special edition models. As you may recall, the Italian automaker built just 20 examples of its Sesto Elemento, originally penned for the 2010 Paris Motor Show. It promptly sold each one for $2.5 million. Then there was last year's Aventador J, which flew out the door at $2.6 million, including taxes. Stay tuned for more information from the show floor.