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Lamborghini Aventador SVJ sets Nurburgring lap record

It seems everyone is out to claim a lap record at the Nurburgring. Having a car sit at the top of the Green Hell's lap board is huge point of pride for people. Just scroll through past Autoblog posts about the track. You'll find Porsche, Lamborghini and Nio all claiming lap records in different categories. The Dodge Viper used to hold the crown before falling to faster and more modern cars. There's speculation as to what might break the record in the future. Today, Lamborghini announced that the new Aventador SVJ has broken the production car record with a lap time of 6:44.97 minutes. That's a hair faster than the Nio EP9 lap time from last year. The Nio knocked off the then-new Lamborghini Huracan Performante, so we're sure Nio is eager to get back out and have another go. While the times from Lamborghini and Nio might be impressive, they're way off the actual lap record. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Just a couple of weeks ago, Porsche announced that its 919 Hybrid Evo — an unrestricted version of its Le Mans prototype race car — set a record of 5:19.546. That's nearly a minute and a half faster than road-legal cars. The Aventador SVJ was piloted by Marco Mapelli, a factory-backed race car driver. The car was fitted with cameras and VBOX telemetry equipment to measure and verify the lap time. The Aventador SVJ's record was teased earlier this month with a new video, though a video of the full record-setting lap has yet to be released. Expect something soon, as well as outside verification so we don't get the whole "Lamborghini cheated" back and forth that went on after the Hurcan set its record. Related Video:

VW Group plan puts Porsche in charge of a 'super-premium' division

An Automobile report looks into what's happening on the organizational and technical sides of the Volkswagen Group, and what those changes could mean for the premium brands. The wide-angle view is that Porsche appears to have been anointed to "coordinate the future activities" at Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini. Audi would cede Lamborghini guardianship to Stuttgart, and Ducati — via a new concern called Ducati Enterprises — would become the shepherd for VW's other Italian investments. Executives target Jan. 1, 2019, to complete the reshuffle. VW wants to save a boodle by tying up four of its five top-tier brands, and putting the one with the highest ROI in charge. Porsche, within its own house, wants to reduce expenditures by $2.3 billion per year over for four years, the savings already earmarked for improving internal processes like R&D and production. Having Porsche share those gains as well as lead development of platforms, components and future-tech strategies for the sister sports car brands could benefit everyone. In the near-term, the brands have their own plans: Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann is said to want a Chiron Superleggera, a roofless and "completely reskinned" Chiron Aperta, and a track-only Chiron SS. The Superleggera could take the Chiron Sport's and Divo's Jenny Craig routines even further. The Aperta seems a natural successor to the Veyron Grand Sport, a natural evolution of the recently introduced Sky View roof, and a reskin might include numerous Divo cues. It's also said Bugatti's considering "an all-electric high-end model" in conjunction with Porsche, Rimac, and Dallara, but name one supercar or hypercar manufacturer that isn't considering a lightning-fast EV. Lamborghini, deep into work on follow-ups for the Huracan and Aventador, might get a bit of a bump with the new plan. The carbon "monofuselage" for the next V12 flagship is said to be too far developed and too complex to scrap. It puts two electric motors on the front axle, batteries in the middle, and a naturally aspirated V12 with around 770 horsepower plus another e-motor with 402 horsepower in back. The Huracan is said to get a version of the same carbon architecture at the moment, but the corporate reorganization might press pause on it. Automobile says options include continuing the Huracan/ Audi R8 twinning, but that depends on Audi saying "Ja" to a third-gen R8 with Lamborghini bones.

Lamborghini makes wise investment, sponsors Italian State Police Sports Association

Boot-shaped shaped Italy has been molded as much by it's Hollywood-fueled history of organized crime, as it has by its footwear-aping borders. One of the more peaceful methods used by that famous mafia is, of course, bribery. While we doubt the Cosa Nostra has planted "made men" in Sant'Agata Bolognese, based on the recent actions of Lamborghini, we do think the company might be bucking for leniency on Italian speeding tickets.
The supercar manufacturer has announced that it will sponsor the Fiamme Oro, the Italian State Police's sports association. Lambo will supply the Italian fuzz's athletes with winter and summer tracksuits, polos, jackets, hats and bags. Collezione Automobili Lamborghini, the company's lifestyle arm, designed the kit, which will feature both the iconic raging bull logo as well as the State Police's logo.
Of course, we jest about Lambo's involvement with the Italian State Police, but this has been a long-running arrangement dating back to the first Gallardo police car, back in 2004. With this new arrangement, and the donation of a new Huracán police car, we feel confident that Lamborghini owners should enjoy free reign on the country's auto stradas.