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Why Italians are no longer buying supercars

Italy is the wound that continues to drain blood from the body financial of Italian supercar and sports car makers. The wound was opened by the country's various financial police who decided to get serious about superyacht-owning and supercar-driving tax cheats a few years ago, by noting their registrations and checking their incomes. When it was found that a rather high percentage of exotic toy owners had claimed a rather low annual income - certain business owners were found to be declaring less income than their employees - the owners began dumping their cars and prospective buyers declined to buy.
Car and Driver has a piece on how the initiative is hitting the home market the hardest. Lamborghini sold 1,302 cars worldwide in 2010, 1,602 cars in 2011 and 2,083 cars in 2012 - an excellent surge in just two years. In Italy, however, it's all about the ebb: in 2010, the year that Italian police began scouring harbors, Lamborghini sold 96 cars in Italy, the next year it sold 72, last year it sold just 60. The declines for Maserati and Ferrari are even more pronounced.
Head over to CD for the full story and the numbers. What might be most incredible isn't the cause and effect, but where the blame is being placed. A year ago the chairman of Italy's Federauto accused the government of "terrorizing potential clients," this year Luca di Montezemolo says what's happening has created "a hostile environment for ­luxury goods." Life at the top, it ain't easy.

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.

The Lamborghini Centenario is sold out

Lamborghini is expected to unveil a new supercar at the Geneva Motor Show in a couple of months. Tipped to be called the Centenario, the limited-run special will commemorate the hundredth anniversary of company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini's birth. But before it makes its public debut, the company has reportedly sold every last one. The Centenario (or whatever it's ultimately called) will be the latest in a line of limited-production supercars rolling out of Sant'Agata, following in the footsteps of the Reventon, Sesto Elemento, and Veneno. It's expected to be based on the Aventador, but with unique bodywork and a more potent version of Lambo's 6.5-liter V12 engine. The company is expected to produce 40 examples – 20 coupes and 20 roadsters – all of which have reportedly already been spoken for despite a price tag of nearly $2.4 million. The trend of selling out such high-end machinery prior to their debut is picking up steam at the top end of the supercar market. Manufacturers like Lamborghini, Bugatti, Pagani, and Koenigsegg typically show their most dedicated customers plans for what they have in store behind closed doors and start taking deposits before the vehicle is ever shown to the public. And with such limited production numbers, they sell out rather quickly, no matter how many millions the company charges for the privilege. As Autocar points out, 2016 also marks the 50th anniversary of the Miura – one of Lamborghini's most legendary models. Ten years ago the company marked the model's 40th anniversary with a one-off concept that never saw production. While Lamborghini is more forward-looking than prone to retro throwbacks, we wouldn't be surprised to see some form of tribute resurface this year.