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Lamborghini gets barbecued at St. Louis gas station

Life is good when you're behind the wheel of a bright blue Lamborghini Huracan. Or at least it is up until the moment a forgetful minivan driver drives off with the fuel filler nozzle still attached. The result, at a gas station in St. Louis, was a spray of fuel, spilled directly onto the Lamborghini's engine bay, which instantly ignited and turned the supercar into a fireball. As reported by the Riverfront Times, the blue Huracan was actually one of two Lamborghinis, the other being an orange Gallardo, that had stopped to refuel. This video shows the exact moment when the minivan driver pulls away and the fuel hose separates from the pump. Careful if you're watching this at work, or have kiddies present, because some of the language is, well, also incendiary. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Then again, if you're in the middle of seeing gallons of fuel being sprayed directly onto a supercar's hot-running V10 engine, we doubt you'd wax poetic about the experience. And due credit to the Riverfront Times for its headline proclaiming "Incredible Dumbass Turns Lamborghini into Fireball at St. Louis Gas Station." It might not earn a Pulitzer, but kudos for nailing the story in one line, folks. Apparently and, somewhat amazingly, no one was reported hurt in the ensuing fire. The Lamborghini is definitely a total writeoff, but amazingly, the accompanying red Performante was just covered in ash. And according to this same Facebook post, the minivan driver was quickly found and admitted to being the culprit. Update: A previous version of this post incorrectly identified the blue Lamborghini Huracan as a Gallardo. The text has been corrected. Additional photos and video have also been embedded. Related Video: Weird Car News Lamborghini Minivan/Van supercar wreck gallardo

Volkswagen Group's Vision 2030 strategy could bring revolution to the brands

One would expect a corporate plan called "Vision 2030," looking 11 years ahead through wildly tumultuous times, to involve great change and numerous forks in numerous roads. According to Automobile's breakdown of Volkswagen's path forward, though, the plans contain some lurid potential surprises. The ultimate aim is return on investment, and that means ruthless reorganization of a conglomerate with eight primary car brands, two car sub-brands, and Ducati motorcycles. The first two Vision 2030 cornerstones Automobile mentions are near boilerplate: Production network restructuring, and "streamlining of key technologies." The latter two are the ones that could upend what we know as the Volkswagen Group: focusing on the Group's core brands — meaning Audi, Porsche, and VW — and transitioning to EVs, autonomy, and other mobility solutions. Based on the report, a quote from Audi's CTO referring to the Audi brand could cover how the Group plans to handle all of its brands: "We need to find a sustainable solution for the indefinite transition period until EVs eventually take over." The boutique divisions adjacent to carmaking, Ducati and Italdesign, look likely to be spun off. For the halo car brands — Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini — apparently shareholders want double-digit returns on investment, and the trio doesn't have long to hit the target. One eyebrow raiser is when the report states, "Bugatti is tipped to be gifted to [ex-VW Group Chairman] Ferdinand Piech." Piech fathered the Veyron during his tenure at VW, and it was thought he commissioned the La Voiture Noire, but he's lately stepped so far back from VW that he sold all his shares in the Group. Automobile quoted a senior strategist as saying of money-losing Bentley, "Why invest on a backward-looking enterprise when you can support a trendsetter? A proud history and excellent craftmanship alone don't cut it anymore." We guess no one at Ferrari, McLaren, or even Porsche got that memo. Bentley is reportedly close to being put in time out, and if brand CEO Adrian Hallmark can't right the Crewe ship, the hush-hush Plan B is to prop the Flying B up enough to lure a buyer. As for Lamborghini, caught between two masters at Audi and Porsche, even record-breaking numbers at the Italian supercar maker barely staved off sacrilege. It's said that VW brand CEO Herbert Diess considered putting a 5.0-liter Porsche V8 into the Aventador successor.

Hamann Nervudo is an angrier Aventador

Hamann Motorsport made a big splash at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show with a modified Lamborghini Aventador. The metallic orange monster has been rechristened the Hamann Nervudo, and packs an extra 60 horsepower and 34 pound-feet of torque, thanks to a few tweaks to the ECU. The other big mechanical change is an optional exhaust, which we're told exists solely to spit fire. Doesn't the Aventador do that already?
The big changes that transform the Aventador to the Nervudo, though, are on the surface. Hamann has made some significant aerodynamic adaptations, starting with a massive rear wing and a reformatted diffuser, with the latter made of unpainted carbon fiber.
Up front a two-piece, carbon-fiber spoiler creates a more aggressive fascia, although the overall effect is somewhat lessened, as Hamann has fitted what can only be described as flared nostrils to the Nervudo's front end. While we aren't crazy about the nose, the new side skirt and engine vents are both nice touches, particularly the scoop on the roof. Not surprisingly, the body enhancements are all available in carbon fiber. A set of multi-spoke whees from the Hamann Professional collection has been chosen to replace the stock Lamborghini items, with 21-inch hoops out back and 20-inchers in front shod in the requisite, ultra-sticky Pirelli tires.