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Ferdinand Piech (1937-2019): The man who made VW global

Towering among his peers, a giant of the auto industry died Sunday night in Rosenheim/Upper Bavaria, Germany. Ferdinand Piech, a grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who conceived the original Volkswagen in the 1930s, was the most polarizing automotive executive of our times. And one who brought automotive technology further than anyone else. Ferdinand Porsche had a son, Ferdinand (called "Ferry"), and a daughter, Louise, who married the Viennese lawyer Anton Piech. They gave birth to Ferdinand Piech, and his proximity to two Alfa Romeo sports cars — Porsche had done some work for the Italians — and the "Berlin-Rome-Berlin" race car, developed by Porsche himself, gave birth to Piech's interest in cars. After his teachers in Salzburg told his mother he was "too stupid" to attend school there, Piech, who was open about his dyslexia, was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland. He subsequently moved on to Porsche, where he fixed issues with the 904 race car and did major work on the 911. But his greatest project was the Le Mans-winning 917 race car, developed at breathtaking financial cost. It annihilated the competition, but the family had had enough: Amid growing tension among the four cousins working at Porsche and Piech's uncle Ferry, the family decided to pull every family member, except for Ferry, out of their management positions. Piech started his own consultancy business, where he designed the famous five-cylinder diesel for Mercedes-Benz, but quickly moved on to Audi, first as an engineer and then as CEO, where he set out to transform the dull brand into a technology leader. Piech killed the Wankel engine and hammered out a number of ambitious and sophisticated technologies. Among them: The five-cylinder gasoline engine; Quattro all-wheel drive and Audi's fantastic rally successes; and turbocharging, developed with Fritz Indra, whom Piech recruited from Alpina. The Audi 100/200/5000 became the world's fastest production sedan, thanks to their superior aerodynamics. Piech also launched zinc-coated bodies for longevity — and gave diesel technology a decisive boost with the advent of the fast and ultra-efficient TDI engines. Less known: Piech also decided to put larger gas tanks into cars. Customers loved it. Piech's first-generation Audi V8 was met with derision by competitors; it was too obviously based on the 200/5000.

Gumball team creates Lamborghini-powered Batmobile

Look, whatever you think of the Gumball 3000 Rally, it does attract some spectacular machinery. High-end supercars and modded monsters are the norm, but occasionally, something really special pops up. Like the Batmobile. Okay, so this isn't exactly the Batmobile, but the Dark Knight's wheels clearly served as the inspiration for this brute. It comes from Team Galag, one of the many groups that contest the globe-trotting Gumball. This car has had very real, very talented hands on it during development. According to the video, the lead engineer spent 15 years at Sweden's Koenigsegg, which might explain the lovely detail on the carbon-fiber body. The fixed wheel covers are impressive but disorienting, making it look like the car just hovers over the road. Underneath all that carbon fiber sits a thumping 5.2-liter V10, borrowed from a Lamborghini Gallardo. This might be the only application where this engine is underwhelming – look at that body, and then listen to the engine. It just feels a little mismatched for such a wild looking car. Still, the work here is impressive. Now, if only it can get through this year's Gumball without crashing... Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Mr JWW via YouTube Aftermarket Lamborghini Videos gumball 3000

Lamborghini unveils 50th anniversary Aventador Roadster and Gallardo

Though hardly moving into Porsche levels of 50th Anniversary celebrations, Lamborghini is taking its own golden jubilee pretty seriously. The Italian company treated the world to a 50 Anniversario version of the Aventador LP720-4 earlier this year in Shanghai. At this year's swanky show at The Quail during Pebble Beach weekend, Lamborghini is showing off the convertible version of the car, the very sultry Aventador LP 720-4 Roadster 50 Anniversario.
What's more, the company has brought along the anniversary-treated Gallardo LP560-2 50 Anniversario as well, which we officially saw for the first time in China. Hey, a stage full of Lambos is no bad thing in our book.
As the coupe version before it, the 50th Anniversary Aventador has been massaged to make a full-bodied 720 horsepower from its stunning 6.5-liter V12, as well as done up with special edition paint and badging. A subtlety redesigned front splitter will call out the limited run Aventador Roadster to those in the know, too. Enough reading; check out both the Aventador Roadster and the celebratory Gallardo, live from the show stand at The Quail, in our attached galleries of images.