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Italdesign will build five of its Zerouno supercar, a carbon-bodied Lamborghini Huracan

There's a lot going on here. Italdesign is launching its new limited-production brand, Italdesign Automobili Speciali, with the crazy mid-engined supercar you see here. The Zerouno looks more like a place to keep every aerodynamic flourish the company has ever created than a car you will actually be able to buy, but they're going to sell five of them. It also reminds us of a Nissan GT-R in some ways, such as the shape of the roof, but you can be assured this is a Lamborghini underneath. Italdesign says the car is powered by a 5.2-liter V10 that will send it to 62 mph in 3.2 seconds and on to a top speed in excess of 205 mph; the engine makes 602 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, just as it does in the standard Huracan. The Zerouno uses the Lambo's seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel-drive system as well. Given the fact that Italdesign is controlled by Lamborghini and the two companies often work closely with each other, we're pretty confident this is the world's most exclusive Lamborghini Huracan. Those few buyers will be able to outfit their car to their taste with help from the Italdesign staff. And just look at all of the aero bits! We count three pairs of dive plane blades, two sets of louvered fender vents, some aggressive splitters, and what might be the world's most complex rear diffuser. The bit at the front that sort of resembles a hand vac intake is part of what Italdesign calls the Y-duct, which pulls in air at the leading edge and routes it out of two ports at the rear of the hood to produce downforce. Air flows around and through just about every part of the car, including the floating light units. The silver car is done up with tricolori accents running down the middle and lots of red trim on the exposed carbon fiber. The whole body is made of the lightweight material, in fact, meaning it should be lighter than a run-of-the-mill Huracan. Even the tires are customizable; it features new Pirelli P-Zero rubber available in a choice of white, red, yellow or metallic gray. The car is designed to be registered for street use, but an optional Corsa package turns it into a track-only vehicle and includes such additional aerodynamic aids as a dorsal spoiler. It will be interesting to see how the Zerouno stacks up against the new top-dog Huracan Performante, which is being shown for the first time at this year's Geneva Motor Show, just like the Italdesign car.

Maserati and Lamborghini pull out of Iran

Daimler is out, Toyota is out, Porsche is out, Hyundai, PSA Peugeot-Citroën are out and when it comes to selling cars in Iran, now Maserati and Lamborghini are out, too. The definitive pullouts of those last two automakers are said to be reactions to a press conference held by a group called United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). The group highlights businesses that sell in both the US market and Iran, and works to get those businesses to choose one market or the other.
UANI said it had sent letters to Maserati and Lamborghini about their dealings in Iran, but that the letters went unanswered. Mark Wallace, head of UANI and a former US ambassador to the United Nations, held a press conference in October of last year that referenced the two companies. Apparently Lamborghini contacted Wallace just after the press conference and told him "they were out, they weren't doing any business in Iran anymore."
Discussions with Maserati then took place, and the Italian automaker said it had been out of Iran ever since Fiat announced it was leaving the country in May 2011. UANI said Maserati had been in talks with an Iranian distributor, however, and that distributor was continuing to use the Maserati name. The carmaker has since cut all ties with Iranian interests and has prevented its name from being used, adding that its new models will not be able to be sold there because they won't pass regulations the country's regulations.

Living Life Large: Driving $2 million worth of cars in one week

Monterey Car Week has quickly become one of my favorite events of the year. There's something for everyone – classic car shows, modern concepts and new vehicle debuts, auctions, racing, and so much more. From a media perspective, there's also a chance to drive a ton of cars. Many automakers bring their latest wares out to Monterey for us to test during our limited free time, and it's a great opportunity to experience fantastic metal against a gorgeous backdrop. That's exactly what I did this year. Instead of flying into Monterey and being driven around, my journey started in Los Angeles and ended in Napa, and I managed to get behind the wheel of some $2 million worth of new cars. Some were old favorites, and many were new experiences. But looking back, this was one of the best weeks of driving I've had in years. Rather than try to come up with some common arc to tie these cars together, here are my notes on all the cars I tested in California earlier this month, presented in the order in which they were driven. 2016 Mazda CX-3 The CX-3 pictured here isn't the exact one I drove in California, but it's close. The only difference was color – my delivered-to-LAX tester wore Mazda's awesome new Ceramic hue (pictured below on the MX-5 Miata). I used the CX-3 to slum through crummy Los Angeles traffic for two hours on the way out to Santa Barbara, with a quick stop at In-N-Out Burger on the way for good measure. A lot nicer inside than I remember. Everyone praises Mazda for its excellence in engineering and design, but there's a lot to be said for the improvements in overall interior refinement. Quiet, comfortable, and well-equipped; the CX-3 made sitting on the 405 freeway a lot more pleasant. Not all that functional. I had a hard time fitting a week's worth of luggage for two people inside. The cargo area and rear passenger compartment were filled, with only enough room on top to see out the back window. A Honda HR-V would've swallowed all that luggage with plenty of room for more. So good to drive. Not surprising, since this wasn't my first time in the CX-3. I knew this CUV would be good on twisty roads, but on the highway it's really exceptional. Road and wind noise are minimal and the overall ride quality is a comfortable sort of sporty. This is definitely something I could drive every day – it's enjoyable during commuting and entertaining on more interesting roads.