2009 Lamborghini Murcielago Lp640 Coupe 2-door 6.5l V12 on 2040-cars

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Lamborghini Aventador SVJ teased at Nurburgring

We've been seeing prototypes and hearing reports about a hopped-up version of the Lamborghini Aventador, but only now have we seen something official from the company. It's officially called the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, and the company teased it in the above trailer of the car at the Nurburgring. It gives us our best look yet, and some tidbits about what we'll hear next about the car. Let's first address the looks. The front fascia has been revised with a much deeper chin and a big wing splitting the main air intakes in the front. The side skirts are wider with end caps at the forward sections behind the front wheels. Those wheels have motorsport-style single center nuts. In one of the trailer's clips, we can see they're wrapped in Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires. It also has the outrageous rear wing we've seen in spy shots, and the exhaust also sits high up like on the Huracan Performante. Finally, while not necessarily part of the looks, we get a look at the instrument cluster that reveals this Aventador has a redline of roughly 9,000 rpm. The other part of the trailer to address is the location. The whole trailer takes place at the Nurburgring, and there's usually only one reason to make a big deal about that: lap times. Lamborghini already proved it can make some wickedly fast track cars with the Huracan Performante, a car that laps the infamous track faster than any other Lamborghini (so far) and faster than even the Porsche 918 Spyder. We expect the Performante's left-right split active aerodynamic system will appear on this car. Add to it much more power from the V12, and we have a potential 'Ring monster. Rumors even suggest the Aventador SVJ will have a lap time of around 6 minutes, 45 seconds, faster than the 911 GT2 RS. The SVJ will probably be much lighter than other Aventadors, too. The Twitter post that features the trailer says something slightly ambiguous about having "the best weight to power ratio." We assume that means the best of any Lamborghini. Since this is a teaser, we're expecting to see a more full-fledged video in the near future, hopefully with at least lap time, if no other specifications. Also, the fact that Lamborghini is showing this much of the car now is a sign that a full reveal can't be far away. The Paris Auto Show would be a natural location since it's early this fall. Stay tuned for more in the near future. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.

Maurizio Reggiani talks racing, forced induction, and Lamborghini V12s

Maurizio Reggiani deserves his own chapter in Lamborghini's history. He joined the Italian company in 1995 and rose to the position of chief technical officer in 2006; he notably led the development of some of Lamborghini's greatest modern-day engines, including the 6.5-liter V12 that powers the Aventador. His time as the head of Lamborghini's research and development department ended earlier in 2022 and he now serves as vice president of motorsport. His successor, Rouven Mohr, is tasked with implementing an ambitious and far-reaching electrification strategy called Direzione Cor Tauri and outlined in 2021. As Lamborghini prepares to enter a new era, I sat down with Reggiani for a behind-the-scenes look at nearly 30 years of V12 development. [The following has been edited for clarity.] RG: Lamborghini has made other engines and other companies have made V12s. Why is the V12 so often associated with Lamborghini? MR: In a time when everybody started talking about downsizing and reducing cylinder count, we continued to say that the V12 is the flagship of the super-sports car. We were born with this: Lamborghini has made a V12 during every year of its history. We also did V8s in the time of the Jalpa, for example, but the V12 was every time the main pillar of this company. If you want to be considered the pinnacle of super-sports cars, no other engine can really speak to purists like a naturally-aspirated V12 can. In terms of power, in terms of sound, in terms of emotion, and in terms of, let me say, the coolest engine that's possible in terms of engineering definition. RG: What projects have stood out to you during your time at the head of Lamborghini's R&D department? MR: When I started my career, 40 years ago at Maserati, I worked in engine development. At Bugatti, I was responsible for powertrain, which of course includes the engine. For me, an engine is kind of like a first love, and you remain in love for all of your life. To look at an engine, to look inside, to discuss the components, to have an opinion, and to give a suggestion was my way of working every time. One of the projects that excited me the most was the Diablo GT. For the first time, we decided to put a single throttle per cylinder, and it was a level of sophistication that was more or less never used before by Lamborghini. You take experience from the past and try to apply it to [the present]. This improved a lot the performance, and it was really super exciting.

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.