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2012 Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn offers a tutorial in cars to come

The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is a showcase for some of the world's most exquisite vintage vehicles, but if newer metal is more your speed, the Concept Car Lawn is the place to be.
This year saw models from Bugatti, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren and Bentley as well as SRT, Hennessey, Infiniti and Lexus among others. The ultimate sampler platter of exotic and concept vehicles saw the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse mingle with the Lamborghini Urus Concept and the mighty Hennessey Venom GT, though we found ourselves particularly smitten with the BMW Zagato Roadster and the Aston Martin Vanquish.
Not that we could go wrong anywhere we looked. The 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed seemed perfectly content parked on the manicured putting green, as did the McLaren MP4-12C Spider. Get cozy with the full gallery below to see the smattering of metal on the lawn.

2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder First Drive

Convertibles get a bad rap when it comes to performance cars. Once, a lack of a roof meant extra performance. Now it means added weight and loss of structural rigidity. This stigma even applies to supercars, maybe more so. In the case of Lamborghini, the Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder is the "lifestyle" version. Which is silly, but doesn't diminish the appeal. Essentially, the Spyder is a Huracan with a fabric roof. Same 602-horsepower V10 inches behind the cabin, same hybrid aluminum-and-carbon-fiber construction, and same all-wheel-drive (though updated across the line for 2016). The performance compromise is a mere one mile per hour drop in top speed, and two-tenths of a second slower claimed 0-62 mph time of 3.4 seconds. (We suspect this is generously slow, to protect the egos of coupe owners). All told, the Spyder adds about 220 pounds in curb weight versus the coupe (Italian "dry" weight numbers are notoriously optimistic, so take the 3,650-pound Spyder claim with a grain of salt). The aerodynamic management on the Spyder is so good that the 201-mph top speed is valid with both the top up and retracted. In detail, the conversion in making the Huracan convertible is extensive. The roof itself is three layers of fabric, with a middle rubberized ply to cut down on interior noise. The design brief was to maintain the Huracan's hexagons-gone-wild theme with the top up and down. Spend 17 seconds waiting for the fully automatic top to lower, and the shape retains the coupe's motif. Part of the top's electronic ballet is a pair of flaps that extend out to preserve the shape of the B-pillar. Those flaps also feature narrow slits that smooth the wind along the side of the car, reducing turbulence near the driver's and passenger's ears. Additional side deflectors keep more wind away from your head. And with the top down the rear window's maximum height is restricted to prevent it from catching air. The aerodynamic management on the Spyder is so good that the 201-mph top speed is valid with both the top up and retracted. Suck on that, coupe aficionados. The Huracan's performance is so ridiculous that few can explore the margin between the two bodystyles. In any case, we didn't get much chance to stretch the Huracan's legs on our press drive in Miami, due a torrential downpour and the fact that South Florida is a terrible place for driving. Maybe that's where the "lifestyle" portion comes in, because Miami is a fantastic town for flaunting wealth.

Lamborghini bringing exclusive supercar to Pebble Beach

The latest rumors emanating from the House of the Raging Bull say that Lamborghini is planning another million-dollar, ultra-exclusive supercar. Lambo is tipped to bring it to Pebble Beach next month, but it won't be showing it to the general public. Lamborghini has a proud recent history of turning its flagship supercars into something even more desirable. You'll remember the Reventon that was based on the Murcielago previewed the Aventador and was offered in a limited run of 20 coupes and 15 roadsters with a seven-figure price tag. The Bolognese automaker followed up with the Veneno, an even more extreme take on the Aventador. Three coupes and nine roadsters were sold, with prices exceeding $4 million. (There was the Sesto Elemento, but that was a smaller 10-cylinder model.) According to Motor Trend, this latest creation is expected to be based on the 12-cylinder Aventador, with more adventurous styling and likely a more powerful engine. You can bet it'll be produced in small numbers and command a seven-figure price tag. Production is likely to take place at the company's dedicated prototype development center that was opened three years ago. Now if you're wondering what's the point of bringing a new car to a public show if you're not going to show it to the public, consider that the public isn't the only ones that will be in attendance for the Monterey extravaganza. Some of Sant'Agata's top clients will also be on hand, and it's to those individuals that Lamborghini will be showing its latest creation. Lambo's been known to hold private previews in the past, and cameras were not allowed the last time this writer was invited to such an event. But that concept was unveiled to the public at a major auto show the following month, so here's hoping whatever Lamborghini is bringing to Pebble Beach will find its way onto the stage in Frankfurt come September as well. Related Video: Featured Gallery Lamborghini's Limited-Edition Supercars News Source: Motor TrendImage Credit: Lamborghini Misc. Auto Shows Lamborghini Supercars Pebble Beach