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This 1/8-scale Lamborghini Countach cost more than a new Nissan Versa

The average price of a new car has increased significantly in recent years, but you can still find ways to call yourself the original owner for less than $20,000. Alternatively, for about the same price of a Nissan Versa you can buy a 1/8-scale model of the Lamborghini Countach. British scale-model manufacturer Amalgam teamed up with Lamborghini to release an officially-licensed replica of the Countach LP400. It's far from being the first or the only die-cast Countach, but it's one of the biggest and undoubtedly the most detailed. Available in Giallo Fly or Rosso, the wedge-shaped coupe stretches over 20 inches long and stands out with a stunning number of details. The panels open just like on the real car, the headlights pop up, and even the gated shifter for the five-speed manual transmission has been reproduced.  Out back, you'll find a replica of the longitudinally-mounted 4.0-liter V12. It doesn't make 370 horsepower like in the real car, but parts like the fuel lines, the carburetors, and the sparkplug wires are accounted for. Amagalm even added some of the smallest clamps we've ever seen to the hoses that are part of the cooling system, and it fitted a period-correct Fiamm battery with tiny terminals in the front of the car. Amalgam will make 199 units of the 1/8-scale Countach LP400. It notes that each model will be built by hand, a process which takes over 400 hours using thousands of parts. The tradeoff is that pricing starts at GBP14,835, or approximately $18,700 at the current conversion rate. For context, Nissan charges $17,530 for a 2024 Versa (including a $1,150 destination charge) with a five-speed stick. If you're more interested in Lamborghini's current cars, Amalgam also plans to release a similarly-detailed 1/8-scale replica of the Revuelto. The model will be offered in two configurations: a standard car priced at GBP12,185 (around $15,300) and a tailor-made model that starts at GBP17,425 (roughly $21,900). The more expensive options allows enthusiasts to commission an exact replica of their life-sized Revuelto, down to the color of the stitching on the seats. Amalgam notes that working directly with Lamborghini gives it access to the brand's paint colors.

Supercar parade entering highway is mesmerizing

In what must have looked and sounded to motorists on the M6 like an invasion of The Swarm, a parade of 50 enthusiast gems leaving a charity event were caught shooting down the on-ramp and merging into traffic. There were plenty of Porsches joining the 959 and Ducktail above, Aston Martins going back to the badboy V8 of the last millennium, a Ferrari Testarossa, a TVR and numerous other Easter eggs.
There were not, however, plenty of turn signals, with someone counting just five among the fifty engaging in proper use of the blinker. One reason put forth for that is the same reason we're posting this video, which is from last Summer, below: "because supercar." Enjoy.

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.