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Lamborghini exploring more elegant designs

Ferrari's front-engined V12s and mid-engined V8s have taken turns monopolizing the brand's perception; the 550 Maranello was probably the last front-engined V12 to be first-to-mind, now the 458 Italia leads the family. Not so at Lamborghini, where a mid-engined V12 has been the go-to and centerpiece since the extraterrestrial Countach landed, and it still is no matter how much the Huracan outsells the Aventador. That shape, those doors, that engine – they're the franchise. That doesn't mean Lamborghini isn't trying new things. The Asterion LPI 910-4 concept from last year's Paris Motor Show was more than the marque's first draft of a hybrid, it was an exploration of a different avenue in design. According to design chief Filippo Perini, "We need to understand if we can open another window in our future to be not so extreme but also a little bit more politically correct and elegant." The Asterion points at elegance and "a daily use of the car" with more room inside, a slimmer rocker panel and sill for easier entry, and a raised hip point in the seats for a higher driving position. Perini said that from the driver's seat, "You can see the color of the car. That is something unknown in our very extreme designs." Extreme Lamborghinis aren't going away, however – note that Perini spoke of opening "another window" of design. The goal, he said, "is to understand if [its] design language will be appreciated by a different kind of customer." We can't imagine why not, and we hope we get more news about the "hyper cruiser" GT outside of magazine articles and auto show grandstanding. If it were up to us, Lamborghini would open that window all the way.

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...

This is Lamborghini's evil-looking new racecar

As a part of the festivities to launch its Aventador Roadster model, Lamborghini has announced that is returning to racing with the new Gallardo GT3 FL2 and its in-house race team, Lamborghini Squadra Corse. The new race-spec Gallardo, co-developed with Reiter Engineering, will initially compete in motorsports series such as the Italian GT3 Championship, Asia Le Mans Series and the single-make Blancpain Super Trofeo Championship. Additional series will be announced later including races in the US next year - possibly as a part of the new Grand-Am/American Le Mans Series series.
Reiter Engineering has been building racing Lamborghinis since 2000, but this will be the first time it has worked in cooperation with the automaker to create a car.Other than the obvious aero changes such as the front splitter, rear diffuser and massive rear wing, the 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL2 also received some weight reduction, better brakes and engine cooling and, surprisingly, improved fuel consumption. The car dropped about 55 pounds compared to a standard Gallardo, and since it was designed to compete in endurance races, it was given "24-hour" brakes, although we don't actually know what changes were made.
Deliveries of the Gallardo GT3 FL2 will begin in March with a starting price of 320,000 euros, or around $430,000. Scroll down for more details about Lambo's newest racer.