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Why Italians are no longer buying supercars

Italy is the wound that continues to drain blood from the body financial of Italian supercar and sports car makers. The wound was opened by the country's various financial police who decided to get serious about superyacht-owning and supercar-driving tax cheats a few years ago, by noting their registrations and checking their incomes. When it was found that a rather high percentage of exotic toy owners had claimed a rather low annual income - certain business owners were found to be declaring less income than their employees - the owners began dumping their cars and prospective buyers declined to buy.
Car and Driver has a piece on how the initiative is hitting the home market the hardest. Lamborghini sold 1,302 cars worldwide in 2010, 1,602 cars in 2011 and 2,083 cars in 2012 - an excellent surge in just two years. In Italy, however, it's all about the ebb: in 2010, the year that Italian police began scouring harbors, Lamborghini sold 96 cars in Italy, the next year it sold 72, last year it sold just 60. The declines for Maserati and Ferrari are even more pronounced.
Head over to CD for the full story and the numbers. What might be most incredible isn't the cause and effect, but where the blame is being placed. A year ago the chairman of Italy's Federauto accused the government of "terrorizing potential clients," this year Luca di Montezemolo says what's happening has created "a hostile environment for ­luxury goods." Life at the top, it ain't easy.

Instructor's death at Disney racetrack 3rd in past year [w/video]

For his 24th birthday, TaVon Watson wanted a thrill ride, so he headed to the Exotic Driving Experience track at Walt Disney World. With instructor Gary Terry by his side, Watson raced a Lamborghini around the one-mile course until he lost control of the sports car and slammed into a guardrail. Terry, 36, was killed. "It's not the kid's fault. It's a freak thing that happened," said Timothy Horvath, a Terry family friend. As for Terry, "if he thought he was in any danger, he wouldn't have done it." It was at least the third death in the past year at speedways in the US that allow customers to get behind the wheel of a fast car. Last September, an Indiana man was killed in a crash at the Rusty Wallace Driving Experience at Kentucky Speedway, and a New Jersey woman died at the Wall Stadium Speedway in New Jersey. Watson had paid under $400 for the chance to drive the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, which sells for around $240,000. He failed to maneuver the high-powered vehicle through the course while driving about 100 miles per hour, and the passenger side struck the guardrail, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Terry died at the scene. Watson was treated at a hospital and released. Both Watson and Terry were wearing helmets and lap and shoulder belts, said Sgt. Kim Montes, a spokeswoman for the Florida Highway Patrol. Watson doesn't face any traffic charges since the accident took place on a closed track, and there are no indications he was doing anything criminal, authorities said. Investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration are looking into what happened. OSHA spokesman Lindsay Williams said the agency hadn't previously investigated Petty Holdings, the company that operates the track. Terry was a former racecar driver and was also senior operations manager at the tourist attraction. Working there was his "dream job," Horvath said. Watson, a hotel bellhop, didn't respond to emails or an inquiry via Facebook. He didn't have a phone listing. On his LinkedIn profile, he described himself as self-motivated, professionally mannered, humble and "a very quick learner." He told authorities he had been at the Exotic Driving Experience before. A spokeswoman for Petty Holdings wouldn't comment on whether the Lamborghini had any special safety devices like those provided in a driver's ed car, and Montes said investigators had yet to examine the Lamborghini.

The Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder is a roofless mouthful of awesome

We were not expecting the Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder to be much different than its fixed-roof counterpart, and as the camouflage comes off this theory looks to be vindicated. That's good news all around, except for perhaps your hairdo. As a quick refresher, we saw much more covered-up spy shots a while back. It revealed that the Performante coupe's transparent engine cover would be replaced by an opaque one and a cowl to hide the roof when it's down. That's borne out here, and since the top's down in these new photos, you get a great look at the clean lines of the cowl. Like the coupe, it'll pack a 630 horsepower V10 and Lamborghini's incredible Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva system. That's Lambo-speak for active aero, and it's what let the coupe lap the 'Ring in under 7 minutes. The Spyder should be packing that system too, although it's likely to be heavier and slightly less slippery than its tin-top cousin. Related Video: Image Credit: SpiedBilde Spy Photos Lamborghini Convertible Performance