2009 Lamborghini Gallardo Lp560-4 Coupe 2-door 5.2l on 2040-cars

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Weekly Recap: Lamborghini fires on all cylinders

Lamborghini added 192 technicians and specialists in 2014 as the Italian automaker expands under the ambitious growth strategy of parent company Volkswagen AG. The additional workers helped Lamborghini increase its sales 19 percent last year to 2,530 supercars, and further expansion is planned for this year. Lambo has added more than 500 people in the last four years, bringing its headcount to 1,175. "Lamborghini is undergoing a strong phase of growth in both sales and in terms of recruitment," CEO Stephan Winkelmann said in a statement. "We invest significantly in our people ... in 2015 we plan to hire further." The supercar maker's solid performance last year came during a time of transition. Lambo sold off the final 265 Gallardos, which were the brand's best-selling models ever. Its 10-cylinder successor, the Huracan, immediately filled the void. It garnered 3,300 orders, and 1,137 of them were delivered in 2014. The other Lamborghini, the 12-cylinder Aventador, saw its sales increase 13 percent to 1,128 copies. The sales leap comes as Volkswagen drives sales expansion across its portfolio of brands. The German carmaker sold 10 million vehicles around the world for the first time last year. Though Lambo will never make supercars in great numbers, it is expected to contribute to VW's bottom line through its image and profitable sales. Look for further growth this year, and a Super Veloce version (shown above) of the Aventador has already been spotted during testing. Lamborghini has been working on a sport utility vehicle for years, though the company has never publicly approved the project. It also showed a hybrid, the Asterion, at last year's Paris Motor show, suggesting the automaker is considering an electric future. Other News and Notes GMC ponders Jeep Wrangler fighter GMC is considering adding a competitor to the Jeep Wrangler and has discussed the idea with its dealers, according to the Wall Street Journal. Details of the vehicle are unclear, but the report suggested the vehicle could have cues from General Motors' old Hummer brand. The move would broaden GMC's lineup of trucks and SUVs and attract new customers. GMC sold 501,853 vehicles in 2014, making it GM's second-best selling brand. GMC had more volume than Cadillac and Buick combined, though it's still well behind Chevrolet's tally of more than two million vehicles. The notion of a "Wrangler fighter" could be a moving target.

Do you want a cheap amphibious Lamborghini Countach?

James Bond famously dove under the waves in a Lotus Esprit submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me. Elon Musk now has the car in his collection, but you can have the next best thing by buying this amphibious Lamborghini Countach. It needs a lot of work to be seaworthy or even roadworthy again, but the floating Italian supercar is currently on eBay Motors in the UK for the equivalent of $26,790. While the vehicle looks like a Countach, don't expect to listen to a sonorous Italian V12 on the open seas because power now comes from a Rover V8. In the water, a twin-prop drive runs from a power takeoff on the engine, and twin rudders allow for navigation. Hydraulics lift wheels when it's time to get wet. For wannabe Bonds, there's even a button inside to activate a smoke screen. Some digging online shows that Mike Ryan of SeaRoader originally built the water-going Countach. Both the eBay ad and Ryan's page assert the supercar briefly went to Hollywood for various roles, but the Internet Movie Car Database only shows the Lambo appearing briefly in Top Gear's Season 8 amphibious cars episode. Ryan also helped the guys build their own floating vehicles. Get ready for some hard work before setting sail. According to the listing, the carpets and seats are gone. The engine still turns, but the fuel pipe that goes to the tank needs replaced. It also requires new tires and brake work. If you're up to the challenge, this could be an amazing project. Related Video: News Source: eBay Motors, SeaRoader, Internet Movie Car Database via The DriveImage Credit: Top Gear via YouTube Aftermarket Design/Style Weird Car News Lamborghini Auctions Coupe Special and Limited Editions Performance Supercars Lamborghini Countach amphibious car

Watch an Aventador, Viper and LFA play the songs of their people

Our friends at Road & Track recently stopped by Cars and Coffee in Irvine, California, with the 2013 SRT Viper and found themselves a place to park between a Lamborghini Aventador and a Lexus LFA. Those machines might as well be the three musketeers of ludicrous exhaust notes, and rather than keep those 24 raging cylinders muffled, R&T set about conducting an orchestra of internal combustion. On seeing these three lined up, we were more than prepared to call the Viper victorious when it came to tickling our ear drums, but the latest domestic V10 sounds down right civilized in this company.
If we're picking favorites, we have to say the LFA takes the cake. There's something about the noise of a street-legal V10 that can wrap it's tachometer all the way to 9,000 rpm that turns our knees to quivering dollops of jelly. Check out the clip below for a listen. We shouldn't need to tell you to get frisky with the volume.