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The mood at this year’s Paris Motor Show: Quiet

The Paris Motor Show, held every other year in the early fall, typically kicks off the annual cavalcade of automotive conclaves, one that traverses the globe between autumn and spring, introducing projective, conceptual and production-ready vehicle models to the international automotive press, automotive aficionados and a public hungry for news of our increasingly futuristic mobility enterprise. But this year, at the press preview days for the show, the grounds of the Porte de Versailles convention center felt a bit more sparsely populated than usual. This was not simply a subjective sensation, or one influenced by the center's atypically dispersed assemblage of seven discrete buildings, which tends to spread out the cars and the crowds. There were not only fewer new vehicles being premiered in Paris this year, there were fewer manufacturers there to display them. Major mainstream European OEM stalwarts such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Nissan and Volkswagen chose to sit out Paris this year, as did boutique manufacturers like Bentley, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. This is not simply based in some antipathy on the part of the German, British and Italian manufacturers toward the French market — though for a variety of historical and societal reasons that market may be more dominated by vehicles produced domestically than others. Rather, it is part of a larger trend in the industry. Last year, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would not be participating in the flagship North American International Auto Show in 2019 — and that it might not return. Other brands including Jaguar/Land Rover, Audi, Porsche, Mazda and nearly every exotic carmaker have also departed the Detroit show. Some of these brands will still appear in the city in which the show is taking place, and host an event offsite, to capitalize on the presence of a large number of reporters in attendance. And even brands that do have a presence at the show have shifted their vehicle introductions to the days before the official press opening in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. In many ways, this makes sense. With an expanding number of automakers, with diversification and niche-ification of models and with wholesale shifts that necessitate the introduction of EV or autonomous sub-brands, there is a growing sense that, with everyone shouting at the same time, no one can be heard.

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.

Mansory loads up the Lamborghini Huracan with more power, carbon fiber

Mansory drenched the Lamborghini Huracan in carbon fiber and cranked the engine to more than 1,000 hp. The result? Something called the Torofeo, which was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show. The name refers to toro, which is Spanish for bull, and the Super Trofeo Motorsports line. Mansory added new air intakes up front to improve cooling, widened the body, made the wheel arches more prominent and gave the supercar new mirrors. There's also a new rear spoiler and diffuser that enhance air flow. The tuner says the carbon-fiber pieces are even lighter than Lamborghini's stock parts. There are also enhanced daytime running lights as a passive safety feature. Under the hood, the 5.2-liter V10 gets two turbochargers and is rebuilt with new pistons, camshafts, connecting rods, a new fuel system and a water-cooled intercooler. There's also an upgraded exhaust system. The enhancements lift the Huracan to a claimed-1,000 hp, up considerably from the usual 600-plus hp. The cabin is upgraded with more leather, Alcantara-covered seats and a new steering wheel. It all rolls on forged alloy wheels that measure 20 inches in front and 21 in the rear. Sound good? Mansory also brought plenty of other cars, including a slightly less powerful Lamborghini, to Geneva, as well. Related Video: MANSORY TOROFEO –Lamborghini Huracan in an exclusive MANSORY-carbon fibre suit. March 2015 A radical, new interpretation of the Lamborghini Huracan is the latest development from the premium manufacturer MANSORY. Referring back to the Spanish "Toro" meaning bull and the Super Trofeo Motorsports Range, MANSORY have christened the sports car TOROFEO. Radical changes have been made to the body, engine and interior, making the "little" Lambo a real MANSORY car. And as you would expect from MANSORY, they didn't hold back in their use of carbon fibre. Where Lamborghini thought they had maximised the use of carbon fibre, MANSORY have added an extra touch based on their core competency. No other company in the market is as closely linked to the use of carbon fibre as MANSORY. These specialists manufacture and process this ultra-light, extremely strong material taken from the world of motorsport in their own in-house autoclaves, which means they don't have to rely on suppliers. This gives them complete freedom in the scope, fit and design of components. The best proof of this can be seen in the completely newly designed carbon fibre body.