2022 Lamborghini Huracan on 2040-cars

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A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.

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.

Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster confirmed

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann confirmed the arrival of the Aventador LP750-4 Superveloce Roadster. The news puts a bow on a gift we already expected, having seen the superfast roadster gussied up like a Swedish rally car during testing in the Arctic. Assuming you're tall enough to ride the ride, you'll get 740-horsepower from its 6.5-liter V12 in a body that's lighter by 110 pounds versus the more mundane (we use that term loosely, of course) LP 700-4. Production will be limited to 500 units, undercutting production of the Superveloce coupe by 100 units, and the dealer order lines have officially opened. Speaking of which, all 600 coupes have already been sold, each one listing at $493,095. The roadster will surely be more dear. The press release below has the official words from the man himself. Goodwood Festival of Speed: Lamborghini confirms Roadster version of Aventador Superveloce Sant'Agata Bolognese/Goodwood, 29 June 2015 – Automobili Lamborghini has announced a roadster version of its Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce. The roadster will be limited to 500 units. The Aventador Superveloce coupe version made its UK debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend, on display and running 'up the hill', with Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann in attendance. Speaking at Goodwood, Stephan Winkelmann confirmed production of the Superveloce Roadster. "The Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce is the most pure, sports-oriented and emotional incarnation of a Lamborghini, and all 600 units have been sold, with first deliveries starting now. We will also produce a roadster version, which our dealers worldwide are now taking orders for." The Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce was shown at Geneva motor show earlier this year. The Superveloce accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 2.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of more than 325 km/h (217 mph). Compared to the Aventador LP 700-4 the power output of the Superveloce has been increased by 50 hp and the weight reduced by 50 kg. Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. Founded in 1963, Automobili Lamborghini is headquartered in Sant'Agata Bolognese, in North-eastern Italy. The Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4, which made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 2014, is the successor to the iconic Gallardo and, with its innovative technology and exceptional performance, it redefines the driving experience of luxury super sports cars.