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Lamborghini Huracan Spyder tipped for Geneva debut

If you're enamored of the Lamborghini Huracan but have been waiting (and saving) for the convertible version, you may have to wait a little longer. According to Motor Trend, the drop-top Huracan won't make its debut before the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. That's almost eight months from now. The basic parameters of what the Huracan Spyder (as it's likely to be called) aren't hard to forecast. It will in all likelihood carry the same 5.2-liter V10 as the coupe, with the same output of 602 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque driving all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Expect a slight performance penalty in return for the open-top experience as compared to the fixed-roof version, which is expected to boast a 0-62 time of 3.2 seconds and a 202-mile-per-hour top speed. Other powertrain configurations may follow, but the roadster is likely to pack that same configuration at launch. While the larger, more powerful Aventador is about to breed its fourth model variant in the form of the Superveloce Roadster, the Huracan has only been made available thus far in one version. Our sources at Lamborghini tell us that will change soon, however, with numerous variants to follow – just like they did with the prolific Gallardo that came before. And the Spyder could be the first of the many to follow. The bigger question is what kind of roof mechanism Lamborghini will go with for this latest open-top supercar. The Gallardo Spyder used a fabric roof mechanism (removable roof panels are featured on the Aventador Roadster), however the Huracan Spyder will have to contend with rivals like the McLaren 650S Spider and the new Ferrari 488 Spider – both of which incorporate folding hard tops. The latter was just released this week and is set to debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show this September, giving it a good half year before its rival from Bologna hits the scene. Related Video:

Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV retails for nearly $500k

Nobody ever said that buying a new Lamborghini would be an inexpensive proposition, but if the ~$200k sticker price on a new Huracan strikes you as high enough, you're don't even want to know how much the Raging Bull's new flagship costs. Presented this weekend for the first time in North America at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, the new Aventador LP 750-4 SV will set American customers back an eye-watering $485,900. Add to that the $3,700 gas-guzzler tax and $3,495 destination charge and you're looking at $493,095. That's just $6,905 short of half a million, and even that will disappear pretty quickly once you factor in all the gasoline and rubber you'll be burning through if you do right by the beast and actually drive it... not to mention insurance. That makes the new SuperVeloce nearly $100k more expensive than the Aventador coupe on which it's based, but hardly the costliest Lambo to date. That honor would go to the Veneno, which cost around $4 million. The half-million sticker price nets a twelve-cylinder supercar with 740 horsepower on tap, a 0-62 time quoted at 2.8 seconds and a top speed pegged at 217 miles per hour, making it one of the fastest cars money can buy – a stacking up rather well against hypercars like the Koenigsegg Agera, Pagani Huayra and Bugatti Veyron that cost many times more than the Aventador SV. Related Video:

Watch Evo pick its 2015 Car of the Year in this epic video

With just a few days left in 2015, it's the perfect time to check out Evo's annual Car of the Year test to determine the greatest performance vehicle of the last 12 months. The writers' picks for the 11 finalists spanned a breadth of engaging models and included: Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport, Lamborghini Aventador SV, Seat Leon Cupra Sub8, McLaren 675LT, Porsche 991 GT3 RS, Porsche Cayman GT4, Honda Civic Type R, Ferrari 488 GTB, Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Lotus Evora 400, and Mercedes-AMG GT S. For the venue to test the mettle of these performance machines, Evo stuck close to home this year and visited the twisting roads at the beautiful north coast of Scotland. Racing brothers Marino and Dario Franchitti also came along for the ride to provide two more voices in the competitive challenge to determine a winner. Evo's video explains why each model deserves to be among such rarified company but doesn't gloss over their faults either. There can be only one winner, though. We don't want to spoil it, so check out the clip for magnificent views of these performance machines through the Scottish countryside.