2016 Lamborghini Huracan Lp 610-4 Spyder on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lamborghini Concept S up for auction in New York

Reach back a decade into your supercar memory banks and you may recall that in 2005, Lamborghini rolled in to the Geneva Motor Show with a dramatic Gallardo speedster concept. That was the Concept S, designed by Luc Donckerwolke long before he shifted over to (and subsequently left) the Bentley design department. It packed all the cutting-edge angular design of the Gallardo coupe that had just debuted the year before, but predated the emergence of the Gallardo Spyder that followed the next. The Concept S featured more radical bodywork that bisected the open cockpit, with a pair of low-profile wind deflectors instead of a single-frame windshield. Sort of like the Aventador J concept from a few years ago, but in a more compact (and relatively more stylistically restrained) form. The original show car wasn't a runner, but it proved such a hit that Lamborghini made a second one – this time fully functional with V10 power – and brought it to Pebble Beach that summer. The static model is still on display at the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata, and we took our time ogling it while in town for the opening of the new Trigeneration plant last week, but the runner was sold to a private collector, and now it's set to cross the auction block as part of RM Sotheby's upcoming sale in Manhattan. The auction house expects that it'll fetch between $2.4 and 3 million, and given this particular model's rarity, we don't doubt it'll command every penny, if not more. After all, the Veneno went for more than that, and as scarce as that crazy hypercar was (and remains still), between the coupes and roadsters, Lambo made a baker's dozen of those. In fact, the Concept S stands to set a new record for the highest amount ever paid for a Lamborghini at auction, which according to Sports Car Market was set in 2009 when a Reventon sold online for $2.5 million. The Reventon was a more dramatically styled version of the Murcielago and precursor of the Aventador, of which 21 were made. So just imagine how much collectors might prove willing to spend on the one-of-a-kind Concept S.

Leno stretches Lamborghini Diablo's legs for latest Garage installment

While posters of the Lamborghini Countach decorated the walls of many boys' walls in the 1980s, the Diablo filled that spot for young men in the early 1990s thanks to its extreme styling. In its latest video, Jay Leno's Garage welcomes a beautiful, white 1991 Diablo into his garage for a look back on what is now a classic supercar.
Unlike some of the vehicles Leno shows off, this one doesn't belong to him. Instead, veteran Italian car mechanic Franco Barbuscia owns it. He has been maintaining Jay's Countach for years. A '91 Diablo is an archaic supercar by today's standards. It doesn't have power steering, anti-lock brakes or obviously anything like traction control. It's just a big V12 hanging behind the driver with a wonderfully meaty roar that emanates from the exhaust.
Franco's Diablo might actually be better than new. It has a few upgrades to aid in drivability, like re-spaced pedals, a carbon-Kevlar clutch and more. Apparently all of the tweaks help a lot because, "it rides smoother than my Carrera GT," Leno enthuses about the car. Scroll down to reminisce about this Italian classic and get an ear full of its wonderful sound.

Super-rare Lamborghini Miura SV Jota promises to break records

The prototypical mid-engined exotic, the Lamborghini Miura is fast becoming a collectors' favorite. While they were trading hands at around a quarter of a million dollars less than a decade ago, prices have been skyrocketing, with the last few examples to go up for auction trading at over a million. But this particular example is expected to fetch well over $2 million when it crosses the block later this month. That's because this is no ordinary Miura – it's an SV Jota, one of only five or so originally made by the factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese. A pet project of the company's Kiwi test driver Bob Wallace, the Jota project was meant to explore what would happen if Lamborghini went racing. Old man Ferruccio wasn't interested though, and the original Jota prototype was destroyed. Word soon got out, however, of the Jota's modifications, and a handful of customers sent their Miuras back to the factory to be upgraded to Jota specification. With so few Miuras built to Jota specification, it's rare to see one trade hands. The last one we saw actually sell at auction went for $1.15 million in October 2010, but this particular example is estimated to rake in between $2 million and $2.6 million at RM's upcoming auction in Arizona on January 15-16. In fact, the last time this particular one crossed the block, it failed to sell despite a high bid of $2 million. Chassis number 4892 was initially ordered new from the factory as a Miura SV in 1971 by a customer in Rome in white with a blue interior. Within the following three years, it returned to the factory for Jota upgrades, and was then sold to a customer in Japan where it resided until moving to the US in 2007, taking top honors at the William K. Vanderbilt Jr. Concours d'Elegance in Rhode Island. Despite its excellent condition, it underwent a comprehensive two-year restoration, and its authenticity has been certified by numerous experts, including by the late Bob Wallace himself. If it sells this time around, data from Sports Car Market tells us it will smash the record for Miuras and challenge even the $2.5 million paid for a Reventon in 2009 and the $2.16 million paid for Bertone's one-of-a-kind Lamborghini Marzal concept in 2011 to take its place among the most expensive Lamborghinis ever sold. Featured Gallery 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV Jota #4892 View 31 Photos News Source: RM Auctions, Sports Car MarketImage Credit: Sean Smith/RM Lamborghini Auctions Supercars Classics rm lamborghini miura