2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder Convertible 2-door 5.0l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Eccentrica Cars unveils Lamborghini Diablo restomod

San Marino-based Eccentrica Cars is bringing the Lamborghini Diablo, one of the most emblematic supercars of the 1990s, into the 21st century. The startup unveiled a limited-edition restomodded Diablo with a more modern design inside and out and a more powerful V12. Eccentrica enlisted the help of several well-known suppliers to complete its first project. BorromeodeSilva, a design studio based in Milan, updated the Diablo's lines by taking inspiration from the GTR model. The only exterior panel left untouched is the windshield; everything else has been updated, including the bumpers, the hood and the side skirts. Designers fitted a muscular-looking body kit, new-look headlights hidden behind retractable covers, and hexagon-shaped intakes that channel air to the radiators. The engine cover was redesigned as well. What you see isn't necessarily what you'll get if you're one of the lucky customers whose name appears on the waiting list. For example, the "remove before flight"-branded engine covers are temporary. They'll be replaced by a pair of "mobile components" on the production car.  The interior gets a similar treatment: it stays true to the original car's spirit and layout while incorporating modern styling cues and materials. Eccentrica describes it as "a meeting point between the minimalism of the early 1990s and the state-of-the-art mechanics typical of luxury watchmaking." It adds that one of the project's goal was to replace many of the plastic parts found in the original Diablo. Step in through the scissor doors — getting rid of such an emblematic styling cue was out of the question — and you'll find a pair of Alcantara-upholstered seats, a reinterpretation of the regular Diablo's steering wheel and a digital instrument cluster with a throwback look. Square buttons occupy most of the space on the center stack, while the center console features toggle switches and a gated shifter. Fully street-legal, Eccentrica's Diablo is powered by an evolution of the standard car's 5.7-liter V12 that develops 550 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 442 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm thanks in part to valvetrain modifications. In comparison, the Diablo launched in 1990 with a 5.7-liter V12 rated at about 492 horsepower and 426 pound-feet of torque. The engine exhales through a Capristo exhaust system, and it spins the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. We haven't heard the V12 fire up yet, but we're betting it sounds amazing.

Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato, the Lamborghini rally car we didn't know we wanted

Usually, the answer to a question no one asked is a bad thing. But every now and then, it leads to something wonderful, like the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato concept car you see above. It's Lamborghini's take on a rally version of the 2020 Lamborghini Huracan EVO, and it's something we weren't asking for but now desperately want. The Sterrato (translation: "dirt") is mostly a stock Huracan EVO underneath, but that's not bad with a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 making 640 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. It also retains its all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering and torque vectoring, but they've all been retuned for dirt and loose surfaces. To get around on rougher surfaces, Lamborghini raised the car by 1.85 inches, which the company says improves the approach angle by 1% and the departure angle by 6.5%. The Sterrato's exterior receives huge fender flares that allow for a one-inch wider track front and rear. It wears 20-inch wheels with chunky off-road tires. Aluminum skid plates have been added to the front and rear, and the rear plate doubles as a diffuser. The rocker panels also get aluminum plates for extra protection. Mud guards are fitted, too, as are little deflectors ahead of the intakes to keep rocks from flying in and doing damage. Finally, like any good rally car, it gets huge auxiliary lights with a pair of hexagonal units on the front, and a wide bar on the roof. Inside the Sterrato are a pair of carbon fiber bucket seats plus four-point racing harnesses. But the real showpiece is a full titanium roll cage. Lamborghini didn't say anything about putting the Sterrato into production. But this concept isn't particularly out there, especially compared with some of Lamborghini's concepts, so we suspect if the car gets a good enough reaction, Lamborghini might consider production. And if it doesn't, we're sure there are some aftermarket companies that would be happy to help wealthy car enthusiasts re-create the car.

Volkswagen Group names Paefgen head of classics program

You may remember the name Franz-Josef Paefgen. Until recently, the German engineer and executive was head of both Bentley and Bugatti. Before that he was chief executive of Audi, after working for several years at Ford. He technically "retired" earlier this year, but like the cars he helped create, an executive like Paefgen could never really retire. So it should come as little surprise that the Volkswagen Group has named Dr. Paefgen head of its Classic program.
In his new capacity, Paefgen will oversee the historic automobile activities of the entire VW Group, including those of Volkswagen, Seat, Skoda, Audi, Lamborghini, and of course Bentley and Bugatti. It strikes us as a suitable semi-retirement for the man responsible in no small part for the Bugatti Veyron and Bentley Mulsanne, to name just two, and who was decorated in 2006 by the ACO as the "Spirit of Le Mans" for his contribution to endurance racing. Read the official announcement after the break.