2002 Lamborghini Murcielago Twin Turbo Reventon Kit on 2040-cars

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Lamborghini Miura Retro Review: What it's like to drive the original supercar

“Glon, youÂ’re in the Miura.” Hang on, IÂ’m in what now? About a minute later, I have the keys to a 1973 Lamborghini Miura SV finished in Oro Metallizzato. Five minutes later, IÂ’m annoyed by the frosty winter air whooshing onto my face but too enthralled by the V12Â’s noise to close the window. The person who coined the phrase “never meet your heroes” clearly hasnÂ’t been let loose in the original supercar, a model of paramount importance in the pantheon of automotive history. Unveiled in 1966, and positioned above the 400 GT as LamborghiniÂ’s range-topping model, the Miura may as well have landed from a far, unexplored corner of the galaxy. It stretched about 172 inches long, 69 inches wide, and merely 41.5 inches tall, dimensions that gave it proportions more closely aligned with todayÂ’s definition of a supercar than with the crop of GTs whizzing by in the left lane of the Italian autostrada in the 1960s. I canÂ’t say that the Miura broke with tradition, Lamborghini didnÂ’t have much in the way of tradition three short years after its gutsy inception, but it looked nothing like the 400 GT. Highly respected Italian designer Marcello Gandini penned the Miura while working for Bertone. Its Fiat 850 Spider-sourced headlights were mounted nearly flat, its door handles were integrated into a column of fins, and its roof line peaked above the seats before flowing into a Kammback-like rear end. Mamma mia! It may look humble parked next to an Aventador, but its design was revolutionary in the 1960s. Equally revolutionary was the technical layout. While the 400 GT — and most high-end GTs sold during this era — were fitted with a front-mounted engine, the MiuraÂ’s 3.9-liter V12 was positioned directly behind the passenger compartment. Odder still, it was mounted transversally. Some historians claim that the inspiration for this arrangement was the original Mini, which stretched just 120 inches long thanks in part to a transverse-mounted engine. The MiniÂ’s role in shaping the Miura has never been proven, but whatÂ’s certain is moving the engine back and turning it 90 degrees changed LamborghiniÂ’s history. More than simply a new model for what was then a small, obscure company, the Miura became nearly a deity in the automotive stratosphere. It blazed the course that dozens of supercars have followed since. Rejigging the proportions required rearranging the interior.

Watch a Lamborghini get torn apart by the Taiwanese government

We've all heard tales of the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R that somehow made it to American roads with questionable registration, only to be confiscated and crushed by officials for being illegally imported. The United States isn't alone in strictly punishing regulation-skirting importers. Just ask the Taiwanese owner of this matte-black Lamborghini Murcielago, or what remains of this Murcielago after it was mauled by a industrial-strength claw. The description on the video gives no clues as to what specific import infraction this Murcielago violated. What's clear is that the government wanted to make an example of its owner, so rather than simply confiscating and crushing the car, they set up shop in the middle of a street, gathered a crowd, and set about tearing the car to bits. The video shows every bit of the destruction, which is at once both rushed and meticulous. The non-stop onslaught reaches every panel, leaving an open, matte-black and Italian tricolore husk. Hopefully the point was made and we won't have to watch anymore beautiful and innocent cars suffer the same fate. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Eccentrica Cars unveils Lamborghini Diablo restomod

San Marino-based Eccentrica Cars is bringing the Lamborghini Diablo, one of the most emblematic supercars of the 1990s, into the 21st century. The startup unveiled a limited-edition restomodded Diablo with a more modern design inside and out and a more powerful V12. Eccentrica enlisted the help of several well-known suppliers to complete its first project. BorromeodeSilva, a design studio based in Milan, updated the Diablo's lines by taking inspiration from the GTR model. The only exterior panel left untouched is the windshield; everything else has been updated, including the bumpers, the hood and the side skirts. Designers fitted a muscular-looking body kit, new-look headlights hidden behind retractable covers, and hexagon-shaped intakes that channel air to the radiators. The engine cover was redesigned as well. What you see isn't necessarily what you'll get if you're one of the lucky customers whose name appears on the waiting list. For example, the "remove before flight"-branded engine covers are temporary. They'll be replaced by a pair of "mobile components" on the production car.  The interior gets a similar treatment: it stays true to the original car's spirit and layout while incorporating modern styling cues and materials. Eccentrica describes it as "a meeting point between the minimalism of the early 1990s and the state-of-the-art mechanics typical of luxury watchmaking." It adds that one of the project's goal was to replace many of the plastic parts found in the original Diablo. Step in through the scissor doors — getting rid of such an emblematic styling cue was out of the question — and you'll find a pair of Alcantara-upholstered seats, a reinterpretation of the regular Diablo's steering wheel and a digital instrument cluster with a throwback look. Square buttons occupy most of the space on the center stack, while the center console features toggle switches and a gated shifter. Fully street-legal, Eccentrica's Diablo is powered by an evolution of the standard car's 5.7-liter V12 that develops 550 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 442 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm thanks in part to valvetrain modifications. In comparison, the Diablo launched in 1990 with a 5.7-liter V12 rated at about 492 horsepower and 426 pound-feet of torque. The engine exhales through a Capristo exhaust system, and it spins the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. We haven't heard the V12 fire up yet, but we're betting it sounds amazing.