1987 Replica/kit Makes Lamborghini on 2040-cars

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The Lamborghini Urus finally starts production in April

It's been years since Lamborghini pulled back the cover on the Urus, the automaker's first SUV since the bold and boxy LM002. Since then we've gotten a few details on the twin-turbo V8 and the plug-in hybrid system, but no one outside of Lamborghini has had a chance to get behind the wheel. According to company CEO Stefano Domenicali, the wait won't be much longer as Lamborghini's newest model is slated to start production this spring. In an interview with Digital Trends, Domenicali stated that pre-production models will start rolling off the line in April. That means it will still be a few months before the first batch reaches customer hands. According to The Drive, Lamborghini has significantly expanded its facility in Sant'Agata, Italy, in order to meet production demands. Annual output for the Huracan and Aventador will be capped at 3,500 cars each. Look for similar output for the Urus. We know that the Urus will get a plug-in hybrid system, but don't look for a battery-powered Aventador anytime soon. The Urus will be the only model that gets the system. There are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to the Urus, so look for final numbers on power, performance, and price closer to final production. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Digital Trends via The Drive Plants/Manufacturing Lamborghini Crossover Future Vehicles Hybrid Luxury Off-Road Vehicles Performance stefano domenicali

Lamborghini NA V12 swan song a track-only 830-hp Aventador SVR?

According to a poster on a McLaren Life forum and picked up by The Supercar Blog, Lamborghini is preparing a small-batch, track-only model to begin deliveries around 2021. At the end of last month, user Champagne612 wrote that he (or she) was "Going to spec next week and test drive the SVR V12 track version of AV." In the words of Champagne612, this Aventador SVR is the last hurrah for Lamborghini's naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12, a flourish before hybridization becomes necessary on the brand's iconic powerplant. Supposedly, only 40 SVRs will be made, each one producing 830 atmospheric horsepower. That would give the SVR 60 more horses than the road-legal SVJ. Lamborghini's only made two other SVR models. In 1968, there was the one-of-one Miura Jota SVR, a customer-request Lamborghini brewed with a mix of outsourced parts. More relevant to this latest car, in 1996 Lamborghini built 31 examples of the Diablo SV-R — based on the Diablo SV — to form a one-make race series. It's not clear if the coming SVR will be just a customer track-day car, a la the new Porsche 911 GT2 RS-based 935, or if Lamborghini has larger plans, a la the Ferrari FXX-K program. The Sant' Agata brand has leaned even more into the customer racing vibe of late, with a Urus one-make series planned, and the customer-request, road-legal Aventador-based SC18 Alston unveiled last year (pictured). Based on that, there's chatter that an Aventador SVR could be a feint at the so-called hypercar class opening next year in the World Endurance Championship. The connection seems more than tenuous, but it's not impossible. Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali said at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that the carmaker was perusing the hypercar regulations taking effect in 2020 until about 2025, and told Autocar that the SC18 Alston "shows that we have internal capabilities for such a [Le Mans] project." Those rules require a minimum weight of 1,100 kilograms, maximum combined output of 750 hp — an optional hybrid system can contribute no more than 270 hp — and a minimum of 20 production versions built over two years. Save for the fact that committed entries from Aston Martin and Toyota are much more slippery than any Lamborghini, the rules on paper put an Aventador-based model firmly in the mix, and unresolved regulations limiting downforce and mandating a minimum drag figure could inch an Italian competitor closer to the mark.

Actor Eric Bana returning to Bathurst 12 enduro race

Eric Bana joins the field of the 2014 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour race next month, driving for the Australian FXD Workwear team. Bana's done the race twice before, coming in tenth overall in 2009 in his Love the Beast Mitsubishi Lancer RS Evo X, posting a DNF in the same car in 2010.
This year he'll be in Class B behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 prepared by Racing Incident, joined by teammates Peter Hill and Simon Middleton. The race happens during the weekend of February 7-9, you can find a press release with the announcement below. You'll want to take the time to get to know it this year, because it's been widely reported that Eric Bana will return next year to share a Porsche 911 GT3 with Mark Webber.