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Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 is silent but deadly [w/video]

The weirdest thing happened last night. During the annual Volkswagen Group Night festivities, everyone waited in anticipation for the Lamborghini section of the press conference. It's usually a treat for the senses - cool to look at, backed up by a ferocious sound that bellows throughout the venue. But not this time. There was no music, there were no laser lights, and most remarkably, there was no sound. The Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 drove onto stage under fully silent electric power. Audibly, at least, it was perhaps the most anti-climactic Lambo introduction we've ever witnessed.
And that's the big story with this new Lamborghini concept: it's a plug-in hybrid. Of course, it's still a product of the storied Italian supercar maker, so that electric powertrain is mated to a 5.2-liter V10, and total system output is rated at a staggering 910 horsepower. It'll run up to 31 miles on pure electric power at speeds of up to 78 miles per hour, and its 0-62 time is estimated to be three seconds flat. Top speed? 199 mph. In other words, it may be capable of silence, but it still carries a stick, and it's still very much a Lambo.
So will the company actually build something like this? Right now, it doesn't look likely. Back in August at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Autoblog spoke with Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann about the then-off-the-record Asterion concept, who told us that if the automaker should choose to expand its model range, the bigger priority right now would be the Urus crossover. This is merely just a way to show how Lamborghini might present a gasoline-electric vehicle. And after scoping it out in person here at the Paris Motor Show, we have to say, it's cool. The styling is a bit softer and understated compared to the audacious Aventador or angular Huracán. But it still has quite a presence and it's still very much a Raging Bull.

Lamborghini: We did not cheat on Nurburgring record

"Why would we [cheat]? We have all the data, all the GPS data. It's verified. It's already verified." – Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali Lamborghini is doubling-down on the legitimacy of the Huracan Performante's production-car record at the Nurburgring. The Italian supercar maker should have been on a high when it launched its Huracan Performante at the Geneva Motor Show, but it was instead forced to defend the 6:52.01 lap time on the Nurburgring's Nordschleife circuit in the wake of criticism. Skeptics suggested the footage had been sped up from a rate of 24 frames per second to 25, arguing the 'authentic' lap time would have been closer to 7:08. James Glickenhaus, the owner of ultra-low volume supercar maker Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, even called for the circuit to hold a special day to verify production car lap times. View 12 Photos "Why would we [cheat]?" Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali asked incredulously. "We have all the data, all the GPS data. It's verified. It's already verified. "The simulation we did before we did the lap was already better than the previous time [set by Porsche's hybrid supercar, the 918 Spyder]. "What we saw was the great potential of active aerodynamics. The Nurburgring is a lot of partial throttle and long corners. The SV [Aventador] was for sure faster on the straight, but the lap [by the Performante] was all recorded." A Lamborghini spokesman suggested the entire controversy was rooted in "one blogger's business model [of] paying for clicks." Audi Sport development head, Stephan Reil, also weighed in during last week's Audi RS3 launch, insisting Lamborghini would have had no reason to cheat at anything and that its active aerodynamics would have more than made up for any power shortfalls. Audi is a sister brand of Lamborghini under the ownership of Volkswagen Group. "We also know that architecture well [the Huracan shares its architecture with Reil's R8]. We know what it's capable of," Reil said. "The Performante 'Ring time is absolutely credible. Active aero makes a huge difference. "We did a TT production racer for the 'Ring with about 380 horsepower and gave it maximum wing. It was so slow down the straight that everybody passed it, but the overall lap time was very, very fast. Much faster than without the aero downforce.

Creative minds build lightweight Lambos and Bugattis with cardboard and pedals

As manufacturers continue their quests to reduce the weight of their vehicles, they switch out heavy steel for lighter materials such as aluminum, carbon fiber, titanium, and sometimes even magnesium. But they've been ignoring a cheap alternative that is widely available: cardboard. Leave it to two visionaries from Vietnam to crack the code and build supercars and superbikes out of the versatile paper product. Vietnamese YouTube channel NHET TV, via CarScoops, might only have a year under its belt, but in that short amount of time, it has amassed more than 350,000 subscribers. What initially started out as a random collection of harmless pranks, trolls, and makeshift time-killers has blossomed into an entertaining channel of ultra-low-budget car and motorcycle builds.  The first video posted is a paper plane competition, but the second video shows the first appearance of a vehicle, a Ducati Panigale made out of cardboard and a bicycle. This isn't like Paper Mario with a two-dimensional silhouette, it's a close-enough three-dimensional replica. That project was admittedly pretty rough, but the work has only improved as the channel has matured.  Throughout the past year, NHET TV has stuck with high-performance transportation for inspiration. They've built projects that mimic a Lamborghini Sian, a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, a Ferrari LaFerrari FXX K, a Bugatti Chiron, a BMW S 1000 RR, and a Yamaha YZF-R6, among others. Some of the builds, such as the Bugatti, go beyond the typical cardboard-body-on-bicycle-frame. As seen in the video below, the NHET TV built a tubular frame for the car using spare bike parts that they welded together. The Bug even has a custom steering column and steering wheel, though the high-quality model continues to use bike chains and pedals for power. The SVJ might be the most advanced vehicle, as it has a real engine for power and has custom reverse gearing. These guys are creating fun out of the limited resources they do have, and that's what right now is all about. Enjoy the videos below and watch more on the full NHET TV channel.