2014 Aventador Coupe on 2040-cars

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Lamborghini Urraco ownership is traumatic but awesome

Gene Ondrusek and his 1975 Lamborghini Urraco have a relationship forged in heartache. He bought the car on a whim in 1987 and had barely driven it when the timing belt snapped thanks to a bad previous engine rebuild. With the interior already a wreck, Ondrusek set off on a restoration that would take years to get the Lamborghini back together.
All of that time arm-deep in the car's mechanicals has turned Ondrusek into a pretty persnickety owner. Passengers have to remove their shoes before getting in, and he has a mat to protect the carpet on the driver's side. However, despite his fastidious temperament, this Urraco isn't a garage queen and gets driven often.
Ondrusek doesn't exactly make the Urraco sound like an unmitigated joy behind the wheel, either. The seating position forces the driver to sit at an angle, and with no power brakes or power steering, the wedge-shaped coupe is not exactly easy to handle at low speeds. Still, all that time fixing the car has clearly created a strong bond behind man and machine, and we think the wedgy, underappreciated mid-Seventies Marcello Gandini design has held up well. Get a feel for both the car and the owner's connection by watching this latest video from Petrolicious.

Lamborghini's next limited-edition experimental supercar coming soon

Lamborghini plans to release a very limited-edition supercar, which is at the time of writing still unnamed. As the company's R&D director Maurizio Reggiani said to CarAdvice in an interview, "Soon we will present to our most important customers a new version of what we call a one-off." By "one-off," Reggiani says the company means a short run of experimental cars created to showcase a new design direction and to introduce new technology, like the Lamborghini Centenario did. Call the resulting supercar a sellable concept car, if you will. In the Centenario, Lamborghini brought out rear-wheel steering. The new car would show the design direction of the Aventador's eventual replacement. What's more, Reggiani expects the upcoming car to be sold out by the time it is announced, just as the Reventon and its roadster version, the Veneno and the Sesto Elemento did. " We will announce it with our loyal customers that wait for this, we don't need to do more, we arrive at the motor show and the production is already sold out." CarAdvice deduces that the new car will be announced at the Geneva Motor Show next March, where Lamborghini will also show the new Urus – which will break cover in December. It will be a plug-in hybrid with a twin-turbo V8 engine. When Reggiani discussed the Urus with Autocar in December, he said that Lamborghini will keep turbocharging out of its supercars; the Urus needs the grunt that turbos provide, but the supercars will need the responsiveness of a naturally aspirated engine. Whether the "one-off" series car will still be naturally aspirated remains to be seen.Related Video:

Lamborghini Huracan GT3 racer unveiled [w/video]

While Lamborghini doesn't quite have the motorsports history of Italian marques like Ferrari or Alfa Romeo, the bullish brand is no stranger to the track. The company's latest challenger for racing supremacy is the Huracan GT3, which is competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series in Europe this year. Where previous Lamborghini racers saw development from outside companies – like Reiter Engineering for the Gallardo GT3 – the company brought much of that work in-house for the Huracan. Although, the motorsports experts at Dallara did help craft the aerodynamics here. Unlike the production version, the GT3 is purely rear-wheel drive, and the engine remains a 5.2-liter V10. However, it's hooked to a six-speed sequential gearbox. All of the adjustments to go racing, allow the GT3 to tip the scales at 2,732 pounds, a healthy reduction over the already light, 3,135-pound dry weight of the regular Huracan and even around 80 pounds less than the Super Trofeo one-make racer. That said, due to the balance of performance in motorsports, the FIA might still adjust the final number for competition. Lamborghini's Squadra Corse team will be racing in these vibrant lime green Huracans in Blancpain, but if you want to compete against them, the price for the GT3 is set at 369,000 euros ($427,400) before taxes. The company's official press release only mentions European motorsports, but earlier rumors suggest the brand might also offer the car to squads in the United SportsCar Championship. So, we might see them on track here in the future. The clip below gives a glimpse of what Lambo's latest racer can do in race trim. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. WORLD PREMIERE OF LAMBORGHINI HURACAN GT3 BY AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI Sant'Agata Bolognese, 21 January 2015. Automobili Lamborghini has presented the new Lamborghini Huracan GT3, in a world premiere at its headquarters in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The unveiling ceremony was carried out in the presence of media, customers and partners from around the world. The GT3 competitor makes its debut following that of the new Huracan LP 620-2 Super Trofeo, which will be the protagonist of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo in Europe, Asia and North America from this year. Starting in 2015, the Huracan GT3 will line up in the Blancpain Endurance Series that runs over five venues in Europe, among which is included the famous Spa-Francorchamps 24-hours race.