Performante: Lamborghini Unveils Lightweight Gallardo Spyder

Exotic-car maker Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. has a history of designing super sports cars and then updating them every so often with bigger engines and other modifications. The practice has led to numerous versions of each model with successions of labels like S, SV, Superleggera and even anniversary editions.

Now the Italian unit of German auto giant Volkswagen AG is continuing the tradition with the Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante. It unveiled the new car at a private event in West Hollywood, Calif., just as this week’s Los Angeles auto show began to wind down. Car Makers often hold such premiers away from the auto-show crowds so they can entertain established and potential customers.

The latest Gallardo is essentially a rag-top version of the Superleggera coupe that trumped the standard model’s performance with light carbon-fiber body parts and more power. Lamborghini has been using lots of carbon lately not only to save weight, but to make its cars stiff — a trait that leads to sharper handling. Since a roadster’s lack of a roof compromises stiffness, the use of carbon has the potential to give open-top cars rigidity similar to that of hardtop models.

“The LP 570-4 Spyder Performante represents the next evolution in the Gallardo model range and is the most extreme open-top vehicle in its class,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s president and CEO.

The company says carbon fiber parts helped cut the Spyder Performante’s weight by 143 pounds compared with its predecessor, the Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder. The new model’s 5.2-liter V10 engine generates 570 horsepower — 10 more than the previous roadster — and helps the Performante sprint from 0-62 mph (100 kilometers per hour) in 3.9 seconds. Its top speed is 201 mph, Lamborghini says.

Video: Porsche 911 GT3 vs Lamborghini Gallardo

What better way to start the day than with a supercar race around Paris?

The team from stuntattitude.fr certainly picked two fine cars to show off in – the professional pilots are behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3 and a Lamborghini Gallardo.

The footage owes as much to the benefits of shaky camera work and quick editing as it does to fast driving, but the day we turn down the opportunity to watch someone get a GT3 sideways in a city centre is the day we hand in our press cards and take that estate agency job.

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 540 Green Goblin Is a Virtual Madness

The world of tuning offers a dynamic environment where many things can happen while you blink. We can only be thrilled that the aftermarket developers use such an active approach, aiming to cater for every modification need customers could have.



And when we’re talking about tuning kits for vehicles like the Lamborghini Gallardo, things can only become more interesting with every new story. While Lambo is busy creating one special edition of the Gallardo after another, tuners from around the world are also keen to make the most out of the supercar.

Today, we are presenting you the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 540 Green Goblin. This is a 3D tuning proposal that was created by the Canadian company AMV Designs and is based on the work of Alexei Mikhailov, as L4P.com reports.



Before we start the actual description of the modification program, we must tell you that the company has released no explanation for the name of the project. We are referring to the “540” part, which is pretty strange, as Lambo’s current offer includes a model with a 560 hp output, so this would be a downgrade in terms of power.



Moving on, we must tell you that the vehicle uses a carbon fiber aerodynamic kit that includes a revised front fascia (a lot of aggression can be seen here), side cooling elements, redesigned side skirts. At the rear of the car, we can find a carbon fiber party, together with new generously-sized twin exhaust tips. The project also includes a set of five-spoke alloy rims.

Video: Pagani And Lamborghini Duel In Need For Speed Hot Pursuit Trailer

For the driving simulator fan, the Need for Speed series holds a certain nostalgia as one of the first really fun and engaging car games. For the past 16 years the franchise has expanded on that theme, evolving to a level of realistic graphics and fun-focused gameplay that everyone can get on board with.

The latest series in the title sees the return of the Hot Pursuit game mode
, where the mission is to outrun the law. Unfortunately, your task isn’t made it easy because despite having an assortment of supercars to select from, you will be up against everything from police using Lamborghini Murcielagos to helicopters.

As this latest trailer shows, even with a car like the Pagani Zonda, outrunning the cops is no small feat. As for the game itself, all we can say is wow. And, unlike Gran Turismo 5, this one’s in stores now.

Lambo registers Aventador name

Lamborghini's replacement for the Murciélago hypercar will be named Aventador, according to reports.

The firm has registered the Aventador name with the US trademark office, raising speculation that the car, set for a Geneva motor show 2011 launch, will take that name for production.

Lamborghini has a tradition of naming its cars after Spanish bulls; Aventador would fit that brief. There has also been previous speculation that the car may take the Jota name for production, but no patent application has been filed for that name.

The US trademark office's website explains coverage will include the use of the Aventador name on vehicles, clothing, footwear, games and playthings among other applications.

Whatever the car ends up being called, it will be powered by an all-new 6.5-litre V12 engine mated to a new single-clutch automated manual gearbox. The V12 has 59bhp more than the outgoing unit, at 691bhp. There’s more torque, too - a peak of 509lb ft - and it’s available 500rpm further down the rev range, at 5500rpm.

Lamborghini to introduce limited edition vehicle

The limited edition Lamborghini Sesto Elemento has been given the green light to enter production next year.



There will be no more than 10 copies produced and if you want to own the vehicle you’ll need a cool £2.5million at your disposal.

The Sesto Elemento was first introduced at the Paris Motor Show where it was considered one of the stars of the show earning rave reviews from the motoring press and the public alike, prompting Lamborghini into action.

The vehicle is under the hood of the LP 570-4 Superleggera model and features an aspirated 5.2litre V10 engine that develops 562hp. Its engineers have reached the performance levels while keeping car weight at just 999kg thanks to the use of carbon fibre and the carbon inclusive structure.

It features all-wheel drive, has a ratio of 1.75lbs per horsepower, can race from 0-100km/h in 2.5seconds and has a top speed of 350km/h.

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Polizia Stradale runs around Monza

Let me tell you, when you foolishly decide to drive your cars way past the speed limit in Italy, this is one police car that you don’t want to be chasing you. Trust us, unless you have a rocket of a supercar in your hands, you’re not going to be able to last in a car chase.

It’s not often that we get to see a Lamborghini police car, although there are a number of them in police departments all over the world. This particular one, though, is a Gallardo LP560-4, one of two Lamborghinis that were donated to the Italian police by the supercar maker. Moreover, this is the only one left of the two as the other one suffered a pretty serious car crash about a year ago.

So as you can see, the mere sight of the car draws either pained expressions of fear if it’s chasing you down the highway or wide-eyed glee if you get a chance to see it stretch its legs in a racetrack like Monza.

Fortunately, the ever reliable Marchettino was able to capture the Lambo super police car in action at the track doing what comes naturally to it: rocketing around the pit lane and the track while being joined by its supercar brethren.

50 Cent Stacks $2,000,000 in Cash into his Lamborghini

After tweeting photos of himself ,”Holy shit bat, I think I’m rich” -- 50 Cent kicks it up a notch, and triples the amount of the first photo which was seen on Twitter ($500,000 in cash). 50 just released a new video of himself packing up his Lamborghini with $2 million in cash. Crazy! We don’t like people like that! Be humble, new money!

Lamborghini opens two new dealerships in China

Shanghai November 8 (Gasgoo.com) Automobili Lamborghini SpA opened two new dealerships in Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province and central Shanghai on November 1-2, increasing its total dealerships to nine in the country, Guangzhou Daily reported Monday.

Besides the two new dealerships, the Italian carmaker also operates seven dealerships in Guangzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Lamborghini's expansion of its sales network manifests a significant success the luxury brand has achieved in the world's biggest auto market.

Since opening its first China dealership in Beijing in 2004, Lamborghini, maker of the $450,000 Murcielago SuperVeloce sports car, has witnessed a steady growth in sales. In the first three quarters of this year, the car maker sold 178 super-sports cars in the Chinese market, up more than 200% from a year earlier, its president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann said recently.

Moreover, Lamborghini's market share in the super-sports car segment in China has climbed to 23% from 17% in 2009, according to China Daily. China has already become Lamborghin's second largest market in the world, Guangzhou Daily said.

Lamborghini Marks The End Of Its Murcielago Supercar

Lamborghini marked the end of the line today for its Murciélago, a big, brutal, 12-cylinder sports car that nearly a decade ago began a successful run for the Italian exotic-car maker under Volkswagen ownership.



Perhaps most striking about the car is that most of the superlatives it represented when new seem almost quaint today. The original car’s 571 horsepower was outrageous in 2002 and put the Murcielago on a high-performance pedestal. Today Chevy Corvettes, Cadillacs and Nissans are all in the same neighborhood. Its roughly three-and-a-half second zero-to-60 run is still pretty quick, but the Lambo has a lot more company in that bracket now.

Sure, the company has been tweaking the car almost continuously over the years and the last model, an LP 670-4 Superveloce, is a bit faster and more refined than the first. But still, supercars don’t seem as super, when compared with everyday models, as they used to. Seriously –if that grandmother in the turbocharged Subaru gets the jump on you at the next traffic light, you may as well give up.

Despite all that, the Murcielago still ranks as my favorite test drive — ever. It was March , 2002, I had a metallic yellow test car for the weekend and a route mapped out to the Berkshires — a round trip just over 300 miles.

The out-and-back drive was a blast, whether on the highway or twisting back roads. Listening to the V-12 engine’s bellowing exhaust sound and watching other drivers reactions was as much fun as the driving itself. Our test car had a six-speed manual transmission with a heavily sprung clutch and a metal gate that helped guide the lever into the right gear. The result of the latter was a mechanical “clank” with shifts. It contributed to an overall feeling – a rewarding one — of working inside a machine.

Supercars nowadays usually have “paddle”-style hand-controls for shifting gears and no clutch pedal at all. They are similar to shifters found in many racing cars, but I still find them wimpy. For me the original Murcielago was the last of the alpha-male exotic cars.

Even though the last Murcielago, number 4099, rolled out of the factory on May 11, the company celebrated the occasion today with an exhibition of the most important 12-cylinder cars of Lamborghini’s history and a parade in its hometown of Sant’Agata Bolognese. Look for a successor next year.

Details emerge on Lamborghini’s 700 hp Murcielago successor

Lamborghini has reportedly shown a select group of customers its forthcoming Murcielago successor. The automaker is said to have hosted an event in Singapore, the first in a series of exclusive customer previews around the world.

The news comes from a longtime member of the FerrariChat online community. The information is believed to be genuine, but we’re unable to independently verify any of the details.

CEO Stephen Winkelmann was on hand for the presentation, according to the source. The car was described simply as the LP700-4, following the naming structure of the Gallardo and Murcielago lines. The car is rumored to be called Jota, but that name wasn’t used during the presentation. “Jota LP700-4″ seems like a distinct possibility.

As the name implies, the car is said to have 700 horsepower and all-wheel-drive. The source also indicated the LP-700 will have a 6.5-liter V12 and a seven-speed single-clutch automated manual capable of delivering 50-ms shifts.

0-62 mph is said to take just 2.9 seconds, and top speed is estimated at 219 mph.

The entire car is said to be made of carbon fiber, making it 70 percent stiffer and 500 lbs lighter than the Murcielago. But carbon fiber isn’t the only F1-inspired goodness — the car also has F1-based suspension at the rear, according to the source.

A debut is expected at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.