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Ferdinand Piech (1937-2019): The man who made VW global

Towering among his peers, a giant of the auto industry died Sunday night in Rosenheim/Upper Bavaria, Germany. Ferdinand Piech, a grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who conceived the original Volkswagen in the 1930s, was the most polarizing automotive executive of our times. And one who brought automotive technology further than anyone else. Ferdinand Porsche had a son, Ferdinand (called "Ferry"), and a daughter, Louise, who married the Viennese lawyer Anton Piech. They gave birth to Ferdinand Piech, and his proximity to two Alfa Romeo sports cars — Porsche had done some work for the Italians — and the "Berlin-Rome-Berlin" race car, developed by Porsche himself, gave birth to Piech's interest in cars. After his teachers in Salzburg told his mother he was "too stupid" to attend school there, Piech, who was open about his dyslexia, was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland. He subsequently moved on to Porsche, where he fixed issues with the 904 race car and did major work on the 911. But his greatest project was the Le Mans-winning 917 race car, developed at breathtaking financial cost. It annihilated the competition, but the family had had enough: Amid growing tension among the four cousins working at Porsche and Piech's uncle Ferry, the family decided to pull every family member, except for Ferry, out of their management positions. Piech started his own consultancy business, where he designed the famous five-cylinder diesel for Mercedes-Benz, but quickly moved on to Audi, first as an engineer and then as CEO, where he set out to transform the dull brand into a technology leader. Piech killed the Wankel engine and hammered out a number of ambitious and sophisticated technologies. Among them: The five-cylinder gasoline engine; Quattro all-wheel drive and Audi's fantastic rally successes; and turbocharging, developed with Fritz Indra, whom Piech recruited from Alpina. The Audi 100/200/5000 became the world's fastest production sedan, thanks to their superior aerodynamics. Piech also launched zinc-coated bodies for longevity — and gave diesel technology a decisive boost with the advent of the fast and ultra-efficient TDI engines. Less known: Piech also decided to put larger gas tanks into cars. Customers loved it. Piech's first-generation Audi V8 was met with derision by competitors; it was too obviously based on the 200/5000.

Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV Roadster drops its top at the Quail

The highly anticipated droptop version of the Lamborghini Aventador LP 570-4 SuperVeloce is here, debuting Friday at the Quail Motorsports Gathering as part of Monterey Car Week. The story here is pretty simple – take one Aventador SV and remove the roof – but the end result is a highly exclusive, truly outstanding supercar. "The Roadster version represents our commitment to satisfying our passionate clients with immensely emotional driving dynamics combined with an extraordinary open air experience," says Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann. For the SuperVeloce, output is 6.5-liter V12 is increased to 750 horsepower, and dry weight is reduced 110 pounds, to 3,472, compared to the standard Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster. Hitting 60 miles per hour takes less than three seconds, and the roadster will top out at over 217 mph. Removing the roof is the same as the non-SV Roadster. There are two roof panels, each weighing 13 pounds, that stow nicely inside the luggage compartment. The power rear window goes down, as well, to let in all that awesome V12 Lambo growl. Only 500 examples of the Aventador SV Roadster will be made. The first cars will be delivered early next year, retailing for $530,075 in the United States. Of course, if you have the means, then by all means. Related Video: Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce Roadster makes global debut in California, USA Sant'Agata Bolognese/Carmel, Calif. 14th August 2015 -- Automobili Lamborghini unveils the new Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce Roadster in occasion of the Monterey Car week in California. The Roadster, presented at the famous event 'The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering', is available in a limited series of 500 units worldwide and is the first series- produced, open-top Lamborghini to bear the name Superveloce. ''The Superveloce is the purest, most sports-oriented and fastest series production Lamborghini ever. The Roadster version represents our commitment to satisfying our passionate clients with immensely emotional driving dynamics combined with an extraordinary open air experience,'' Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini said during the press conference at The Quail. As a member of Lamborghini's storied Superveloce family, the car offers greater performance with a power increase of 50 hp to 750 hp and a dry weight of 1,575 kg (3,472 lb), that is 50 kg (110 lbs) lighter compared to the Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster.

Reiter Extenso R-EX shows Gallardo's still got it

Lamborghini is moving on from the Gallardo to the new Huracan, and with it, is taking its racing program in house. But the Bolognese marque's longtime racing partner Reiter Engineering has a thing or two to say about that, and is showing what it can still do with an old platform by introducing the new Gallardo Extenso R-EX. Designed to comply with GT3 regulations, you can tell just from looking at it that Reiter's new competition-spec Lambo is meaner and more aggressive than any version it's done before. Reiter widened the rear track by five inches to make it over 80 inches broad (the widest allowed under FIA GT3 regulations), cloaked it in carbon-fiber bodywork (to make it look more like the Murcielago R-SV the company built for GT1), fitted new camshafts (for a fatter torque curve) and Mahle pistons (for improved efficiency and reliability), and retuned the exhaust to give the fans something to cheer for. The result is an even more extreme take on the Gallardo than anything we've seen to date, and promises to give even the upcoming Huracan GT3 a run for its money in series like the Pirelli World Challenge, Blancpain GT Series and SRO GT Sports Club. Privateer racing teams will be able to get their hands on one for ˆ248,000 (a little over $300k) with the full confidence that Reiter's experience has to offer: To date the company has built over 100 racing cars that have gone on to win over 200 races and score some 400 podiums. The Bavarian company further claims that every one of those built since 2012 is still on its original engine. THE NEW REITER GALLARDO EXTENSO R-EX Wider, lighter, more powerful – the new REITER Gallardo EXTENSO Reiter Engineering develops a far-reaching evolution of the proven GT3 car as Lamborghini's official Gallardo GT3 partner and plans to enter the new racecar in the Blancpain GT Series, the US Pirelli World Challenge and the SRO GT Sports Club. The name reflects the aim: the Reiter Gallardo FL2 GT3 receives a far-reaching and comprehensive facelift, 'Extenso', just like the Spaniards would say. The innovations do not only include looks and sound, but also handling and engine: The rear of the Reiter Gallardo EXTENSO is significantly wider. The rear aluminium side panels are replaced by new carbon fibre rear quarter panels. At the same time, the rear axle track width is increased by a whopping 13 cm using new wishbones. As a result, the maximum...