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Lamborghini to reveal Aventador SVJ with new Nurburgring lap record?

We'll soon be seeing the Lamborghini Aventador Superveloce J, and rumor has it that we'll be seeing a new production car lap record at the Nurburgring to go with it. Remember, last year the Huracan Performante lapped The Green Hell in 6:52.01, then in September the Porsche 911 GT2 RS bettered that with a time of 6:47.25. Lamborghini supposedly wants its record back, and has used the track-biased Aventador SV J to set a lap about two seconds quicker than the Porsche. Both vehicles take liberties with the phrase "production car." Porsche built just 1,000 of the 911 GT2 RS, and the Aventador SV J is expected to come in numbers well below that. The Italian carmaker only built 600 of the Aventador SV. The J, in a circular bit of word logic, stands for the Spanish word "Jota," and is how to pronounce the letter "J" in Spanish. Lamborghini has used the appellation three times before on extra-special special editions: a one-of-one Miura, on 30 Diablo SE30s, which were track versions of the 30th Anniversary Diablo SE, and a one-of-one Aventador. Odds are the newest Jota will maintain respect for such limited numbers. The Aventador SV J's been captured on all kinds of video running hard at the 'Ring. Last week, Instagram user 43lambo posted on the new lap record. When Autocar asked Lamborghini about it, the carmaker didn't respond to queries. In 2015, the 630-horsepower Aventador SV set a time 12.5 seconds behind the Porsche. The SV J should up the 6.5-liter's V12 output to between 780 and 800 horsepower, lose a substantial amount of weight, and benefit from a suite of serious aerodynamic aids like a larger front splitter, that sculptured rear wing, and a high-mounted dual-exhaust blown diffuser. A rumor from a few months ago said the SV J had already set a time of 6:54 while navigating traffic and a coned-off section of track. If that's true, it seems entirely within the realm of possibility that, without interruptions, the new V12 Lamborghini could establish a record. We should find out soon. Tangential rumors also say the Lamborghini Urus nailed a 7:47 lap at the 'Ring, which would make it the swiftest SUV around the 'track, eclipsing the 7:51.7 time set by the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. Related Video:

Lamborghini expands Huracan range with rear-wheel-drive convertible

The Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2 Spyder completes the game of fill-in-the-blanks in the Italian's automaker's V10-powered lineup. With the brand already having proved its customary formula of "Remove the roof, retain the awesome," we expect this to be another uncommonly pleasing convertible from Sant' Agata Bolognese. The three-layer roof and mechanism migrate from the all-wheel-drive spyder. Taking 17 seconds to lower, the bodywork springs various tricks to maintain the appropriate cabin atmosphere. Two fins emerge from the B-pillar to preserve the car's profile, with narrow ducts in those fins managing wind flow through the engine compartment. Keeping the rear window up also calms the cockpit, lowering it invites the breeze and the wail of the engine. Additional zephyr management measures come in the form of removable mesh windguards that can be fitted next to the headrests. View 26 Photos Minor adjustments to the front and rear are the only visible differences between the RWD coupe and Spyder. The 5.2-liter V10 rocks the same 572 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque and top speed holds steady at 198 mph, but the 0-60 mile-per-hour time creeps up by two tenths of a second to 3.6 seconds. Dry weight clocks in at 3,320 pounds, a 258-pound jump over the coupe, but 330 pounds less than the all-wheel-drive Huracan Spyder we sampled - and loved - earlier this year. Lamborghini says the Huracan rear-wheel-drive spyder price will slot in between the MSRP of the two- and four-wheel drive coupes when the car goes on sale in January 2017. Before then, you can view it for the much more reasonable price of "free" when it's unveiled at the LA Auto Show. Related Video: Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog LA Auto Show Lamborghini Convertible Luxury Performance Supercars Videos Original Video

What Lamborghini Urus' unapologetic unveiling tells us about the super SUV

BOLOGNA, Italy — "Like a storm at a wedding," was Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni's diplomatically lyrical description of the 'problemo tecnico' that plunged the Lamborghini Urus production line into an awkward silence just as the build-up to the car's unveiling was reaching a crescendo. Given the scale of the event, the hundreds of media, customers and VIPs flown in, the preparation of the new production line for a gala dinner and all the rest of the glitz and glamour, this must have been an excruciatingly embarrassing moment for Lamborghini boss Stefano Domenicali. If it was, he didn't show it, gamely jumping into the middle of the unlit arena with the microphone and stalling for time as two examples of the Urus were whisked around from the adjacent production line, brought hurriedly before the waiting crowd and then thrown into the spotlight for R&D boss Maurizio Reggiani to do his thing. All of this proves that flying all the way to Bologna to attend an unveiling event in person is the last place you want to be if you want the scoop on a new Lamborghini, the vital information on the car already live and online while we folks in the factory were — literally — in the dark. You'll have already read the headlines, gasped at the horror of a turbocharged Lamborghini and then again in amazement at the performance stats the 641-bhp 4.0-liter V8 delivers. 0-62 mph in just 3.6 seconds is but a few tenths off what a Huracan achieves, 0-124 mph in 12.8 seconds putting the Urus into the seriously fast league for any type of car, let alone an SUV. The shock value of the looks has been tempered somewhat by the fact that concepts, test mules and drawings have been in the public domain for a long, long time. We've gotten used to the idea of a Lamborghini SUV, and the design theme of an Aventador on stilts was long-previewed. But what's it like in the metal? Unapologetic would be one word that springs to mind. But then that's the Lamborghini way, right? This is not — never has been — a brand for wallflowers. Even with that in mind, the Urus is a middle finger raised to anyone concerned about brand values being cheapened by the fact it shares platform, engine and electrical architecture with similar products from Audi, Bentley and Porsche. You'll have your own views there. You'll also realize why Lamborghini had to do it and, perhaps, wonder why it took so long.