2007 Lamborghini Gallardo on 2040-cars

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Performance doesn't matter anymore, it's all about the feel

We've just had a week of supercars and high-end EVs revealed. Many of them boast outrageous performance specs. There were multiple vehicles with horsepower in the four-figure range, and not just sports cars, but SUVs with 0-60 mph times under 3.5 seconds. And it's not just a rarified set of supercar builders, comparatively small tuners are also building this stuff. Going fast is easy nowadays and getting easier. So what will distinguish the greats from the wannabes? It's all about how a car feels. This may seem obvious. "Of course it matters that a car should have good steering feel and a playful chassis!" you say. "Why are you being paid for this stuff?" But a lot of automakers have missed the memo. This past week I spent some time in a BMW M4 Competition convertible, and it's a perfect example of prioritizing performance over experience. It boggles my mind how a company can create such dead and disconnected steering; the weight never changes, there's no feel whatsoever. The chassis is inflappable, but to a fault, because it doesn't feel like anything you're doing is difficult or exciting. The car is astoundingly fast and capable, but it feels less like driving a car and more like tapping in a heading on the Enterprise-D. I also happened to drive something of comparable performance that was much more enjoyable: a Mercedes-AMG GT. It was a basic model with the Stealth Edition blackout package, and even though it had a twin-turbo V8 instead of a six-cylinder, it only made 20 more horsepower. The power wasn't the big differentiator, it was (say it with me) the feel. While not the best example, the steering builds resistance as you dial in lock, giving you a better idea of what's happening up front. Pulses and vibrations come back to you as you move over bumpy pavement in corners. The chassis isn't quite as buttoned down, either, providing a little bit of body roll that tells you you're pushing it. It's also easier to feel when the car is wanting to understeer or oversteer, and how your throttle and steering inputs are affecting it. The whole thing is much more involving, exciting and fun. 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Stealth Edition View 8 Photos That's also to say nothing of the Merc's sounds. That V8 is maybe not the best sounding engine, but its urgent churn through the opened-up exhaust gets your heart racing. It also seems like it's vibrating the whole cabin, so you feel it as much as you hear it.

Egoista concept comes home to Lamborghini Museum

Unless you happen to live in one of the great supercar capitals of the world, seeing a Lamborghini up close is a rare treat. But even in such rarified company, some Lambos stand out more than others. We're talking here about elusive examples like the Reventón (of which only 20 were made), the $3.4-million Veneno (only four made) or this, the one-of-a-kind Egoista.
The Egoista concept was revealed a year and a week ago during Lamborghini's 50th anniversary celebrations. Unless you are a Lamborghini owner who traveled to Italy for the event, chances are you didn't get a chance to see it. But if you're heading to the Bologna region any time in the near future, you'll be able to check it out at the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata.
There the one-of-a-kind single-seater concept with the aircraft-style canopy greenhouse will surely occupy a place of honor, alongside the many classic, racing and otherwise significant models - including the Sesto Elemento, Estoque and Miura concepts. Unfortunately, since Google's crew was there before the Egoista (or before us, for that matter), you won't be able to see it on Street View, so you're going to have to trek to northern Italy to see it for yourself.

Police find lion cub in Lamborghini on Champ-Elysses

Paris police found a lion cub inside a green Lamborghini last night. The Lamborghini and the cubs' reported owner were sitting near the Champs-Elysses when bystanders alerted the police of what they thought was a lion cub in a car. These people were right, because the police officers found the 33-year-old man in the Lamborghini taking selfies with the lion cub. According to reports, authorities took the driver into custody and gave the lion to the 30 Million Friends Foundation (animal rescue foundation). The Lamborghini didn't even belong to the lion owner — it was a rental, possibly explaining the lack of concern for the Lamborghini's leather-extensive interior (with the claws, and all). We still don't know which Lambo the lion was charioted (trafficked?) around in, but the Aventador would be our best guess. Nobody that owns a lion is going to drive around in the cheaper Lamborghini, especially if it's a rental. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. To thicken the plot, police say the man named his lion Putin, but it has since been renamed Dadou. Although, one has to expect things like this from people who keep exotic animals as play things. France seems to have an ongoing problem with lions being kept as pets. This past month, a man was sentenced to six months in prison for attempting to sell a lion cub. The government is also currently investigating the presence of three other lion cubs in Paris suburbs. Needless to say, we here at Autoblog urge everyone to refrain from toting lion cubs around in cars, exotic supercars or otherwise. We also dissuade the transport of jaguars, pumas, tigers, ocelots and those tiny jungle cats in South America shown on Planet Earth that really just look like house cats. Actually, just letting a house cat roam around your car seems like a terrible idea. Related video: