1987 Replica/kit Makes Lamborghini on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lamborghini Accademia heading to Laguna Seca

If you want to learn how to get the most out of your Lambo, who better to teach you than Lamborghini itself. That's why the Bolognese automaker has launched the Lamborghini Accademia. Developed by the factory's Squadra Corse competition department, the Lamborghini Accademia is set up to show customers how to handle their supercars on a closed track and with the expert tutelage of factory instructors.
The trouble for American customers, though, is that the Accademia has (this year, at least) only held sessions at European tracks like Imola in Italy and Hockenheim in Germany. Not that the cost of a transatlantic flight would deter someone splurging six figures on a supercar, mind you, but we're glad to report now that the program is coming to North America for the first time.
Between September 14 and 17, the Lamborghini Accademia will be setting up shop at California's legendary Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. That's where instructors will run groups of 24 students through the finer points of slalom, acceleration, braking, drifting and section-by-section learning of the famous track, from the Andretti Hairpin to the famous Corkscrew... all from behind the wheel of the new Huracán LP 610-4. Not a bad place to experience the Raging Bull marque's latest creation, or a bad car in which to experience one of America's finest racing circuits.

Volkswagen posts quarterly profit despite drop in sales

Volkswagen returned to profit in the third quarter as surging Chinese demand for luxury cars helped offset a 1.1% drop in vehicle deliveries due to the pandemic, sending its shares as much as 3% higher on Thursday. The German automaker's return to the black comes amid spiking coronavirus cases in Europe that led governments in France and Germany to order their countries back into strict national lockdowns on Wednesday. "The coronavirus remains a central problem," Volkswagen Chief Financial Officer Frank Witter said in a conference call with reporters. "This situation now is anything but relaxed." But Witter said the group expected the economic recovery to continue and did "not anticipate any nationwide lockdowns in larger markets." Witter said the takeover of U.S. truck maker Navistar International by Volkswagen's trucking unit Traton was an important acquisition, but the "current economic climate will not make this easy." Volkswagen reiterated it expects to post a profit for the full year, saying its business "recovered noticeably" in the third quarter as sales in China of premium vehicles, including Audi and Porsche sports cars, rose 3%. The quarterly performance was also aided by a series of cost-cutting measures launched earlier this year. Volkswagen said its net liquidity rose to 24.8 billion euros from 18.7 billion at the end of the second quarter. Excluding one-time items, third-quarter operating profit was 3.2 billion euros ($3.8 billion), down from 4.8 billion euros a year earlier, but up from a second quarter loss of 1.7 billion. In a note to clients, Jefferies analyst Philippe Houchois described the results as a "solid performance with strong cash, but relatively muted in the context of the (auto) sector recovery." Last week, German rival Daimler reported a record 24% jump in Chinese demand for its Mercedes-Benz cars, boosting its margins in the third quarter. Italian-American Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot manufacturer PSA Group both also posted solid results this week. Witter said Volkswagen could not say for sure whether it would meet EU CO2 emissions targets this year, adding "it will be a tough race." At 1030 GMT, Volkswagen shares were up 2.9% at 129.20 euros. Related Video: Earnings/Financials Audi Bentley Bugatti Lamborghini Porsche Volkswagen

Atelier Jalaper's new watch made from Lamborghini Miura bulkhead

Last August, French watchmaker Atelier Jalaper announced itself with an automatic timepiece whose dial was cut from the hood of an Aston Martin DB5. The next collection is ready, this one with an Italian flavor. After another lengthy search, the company located a burned-out Lamborghini Miura P400S in Avignon, France. We're told a section of the aluminum bulkhead between the engine and the trunk escaped the fire, and with this, Atelier Jalaper created the AJ-P400. Instead of the Miyota automatic movement used in the DB5's AJ-001 and AJ-002 watches, the AJ-P400 is based around a Sellita SW200-1 manual caliber. Anyone without a watch winder will need to restore the power reserve after about 45 hours. The oval-shaped 39.5-millimeter satin-finished steel case shows off the first Miura connection: An oval outer bezel surrounding a circular dial, recalling the oval "eyelash" treatment around the Miura headlights. The chapter ring around the bezel comes in four colorways close to original Miura hues of Azzuro Cielo (blue), Verde Miura (green), Arancio Miura (orange) and Nero Cangiante (black). The Miura wreck provides the aluminum dial, its face textured and anodized matte black. The lengthy hash marks and somewhat crowded numbers are inspired by the Miura's speedometer. At bottom, instead of a Lamborghini logo and unit indicator, the watch shows the power reserve meter. And the band makes a callback to Miura seats. Last year's Aston Martin watch was produced in a run of 1,200, costing from ˆ800 ($852 U.S.) to ˆ1,150 ($1,225 U.S.). The Miura timepiece will be more rare and more dear, coming in a run of 400 examples, each costing $2,000. Orders are open now, the first samples to be delivered in July. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.