2004 Lamborghini Gallardo Base Coupe 2-door 5.0l on 2040-cars

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Lamborghini SC18 Alston is a ferocious first from Squadra Corse

Lamborghini has worked up a number of limited-editions and one-offs over the past decade, from the run-of-20 Veneno to the one-of-one Egoista and Aventador J. The standard production-car division worked up those previous efforts. Now, Lamborghini's racing division, Squadra Corse, has dreamed up a one-off for the first time as a commission for a client. Called the SC18 Alston, the Aventador-based coupe starts at the marker laid down by the SVJ and takes a few barbarous steps beyond. The point, apparently, was a road-going car with maximum track performance. Squadra Corse designers, working with the customer and Lamborghini Centro Stile, penned an aero package that borrows elements from Huracan race cars. The front hood air intakes were derived from the Huracan GT3 EVO, while the side and rear fenders, the fins and the scoops take inspiration from the Huracan Super Trofeo EVO. The three-stanchion wing hearkens to the Veneno, the rear taillight pattern and valance curve reference the Centenario, and the way the rear wing endplates rise from the fenders suggests the Bugatti Vision GT. The power unit comes untouched from the Aventador SVJ, meaning a 6.5-liter V12 with 759 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque, shifting through the seven-speed ISR gearbox. An engine cover with 12 vents, also derived from the racing programs, keeps the fury cool, and a new exhaust design produces a new sound. Lighter carbon fiber bodywork drenched in Grigio Daytona hides the internals and reduces weight. Screenprinted red accents on the body panels coordinate with accents on the center-lock wheels — 20 inches in front, 20 in back — and specially developed Pirelli P Zero tires. The cabin's been dressed in Nero Ade Alcantara with red cross-stitching, and a pair of carbon fiber buckets. There's nothing not to like here, and we suspect this won't be the last unique effort we see from the Squadra Corse brand. Related Video:

2015 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 Review

For seven years, Lamborghini sold the Gallardo alongside the Audi R8. And despite sharing more with the Audi than most Italians would like to admit, the Gallardo was a true Lamborghini. Meanwhile the Audi R8 was every bit the stoic German. How did the Gallardo do it? Emotional distance. As cliche as it sounds, the Lamborghini felt more temperamental, although not always in a good way. That fiery disposition made it salacious at mere idle and a baying brute at the limit. The Gallardo's successor, the Huracan, incredibly is even closer to the R8 under the skin, but is galaxies apart from the Audi in terms of impression and intent. The R8 already has a reputation as an everyday supercar, faster than a speeding bullet, able to carry small groceries in a single trunk. With the Huracan, we wanted to find out if it offers the same benefits without dampening that scalding Italian attitude. That difference from old to new starts with subtlety: the Huracan's "dynamic wedge" shape doesn't boast; there isn't a single clingy component demanding your attention. The package fits together so well that you can't just look at one thing, you have to look at everything. There are details atop details, from the Y-shaped LED daytime lamps to the side glass that tucks into the body like an alien canopy. The designers worked to build in enough downforce that the Huracan wouldn't need active or moving aerodynamic devices. So whereas the Gallardo Superleggera looked good with a wing, putting such spoilage on a non-competition Huracan should incur one of those NHTSA-sized, $14,000-a-day fines. There are some hitches to just getting in and driving. There's no reflexive ease to the start and transmission procedures. We always need to remind ourselves of the steps to the dance and "Oh, that's right, pull this for Reverse." Lamborghini changed the shape of the Audi buttons lining the waterfall console, but it looks too close to the A4. The Italians also carried over that funky two-step process of pushing a button and turning a knob to control fan speed. The Huracan ditches Audi's stalks on the steering column by placing buttons on the wheel. The result is fiddly, but okay. It's a fine office, though. The cabin trim feels like eight different shades of Black Hole, and you sit so close to the ground that Lamborghini should offer a bucket-and-pulley system on the options list. The seats are firm and supportive where they need to be, and comfortable everywhere.

BMW Z8, Lambo LM002 sell for $192,500 apiece in Detroit [w/poll]

Think a car are a bad investment? That all depends on what kind of car you're talking about. Because while most cars depreciate in value as soon as you drive them off the lot, others can do even better than hold their value. The cars that appreciate tend to be pretty high-end exotics, but they don't have to be multi-million-dollar classics to command a premium at auction. Just look at the results from RM Sotheby's Motor City sale in Detroit this past weekend. The auction house moved a solid $7.4 million worth of metal, which is pretty impressive when you consider that – unlike events at Lake Como or Pebble Beach – not one of the lots dipped into seven figures. 1930s-era American classics performed the strongest, with Duesenbergs, Packards, Auburns and the like all fetching hundreds of thousands. But what intrigued us most were the European exotics that rounded the top ten results. Amidst the Depression-era American steel were a BMW Z8 from 2001 and a 1988 Lamborghini LM002, each of which sold for an equal $192,500. Hardly the highest figures paid for European exotics this year, but considering how much they were worth just a few years ago, they've proven solid investments. BMW only made 5,703 examples of the Henrik Fisker-designed retro Z8, of which only 2,543 were brought to the United States, where they originally sold for $128,000. The most anyone had ever paid for one at auction, according to Sports Car Market, was $184,082, just this past March at Silverstone. That makes the price achieved this weekend a new record for one of the slinkiest vehicles the Bavarian automaker has ever made, representing an impressive 50-percent increase in value over the course of fourteen years. This particular example – chassis WBAEJ13481AH60437 for those keeping track – is decked out in silver over black, with less than 15,500 miles on the odometer. This Rambo Lambo was produced early in the 301-unit production run, with the sought-after carbureted engine and 32,000 miles on the clock. It didn't set any records at the same price, other examples of the LM002 having traded over the past few years for over $200k. But considering that Sant'Agata originally charged around $120-130k for the SUV when it was new, its selling price still represents about 50-percent appreciation (leaving inflation aside).