Lamborghini auto news

Reiter Engineering unveils Lamborghini Murcielago LP670 R-SV at Spa

Reiter Engineering used last weekend's 24 Hours of Spa race to reveal its Murcielago LP670 R-SV, a GT1 race-ready version of the already hardened LP 670-4 SV. The box-stock Lambo already shed 220 pounds compared to its non SV brethren, weighing in at 3,451 pounds. The Reiter racer, stripped of any non-essentials and with a body rendered entirely in carbon fiber, drops further 921 pounds to weigh in at just 2,530 pounds (1,150 kg).

Reiter is hoping the car will be one of the six allowable brands chosen for next year's FIA GT World Championship. You can read the press release on the taurean missile after the jump, and check out the gallery of high-res photos below.

Gallery: Reiter Engineering LP670 R-SV

Continue reading Reiter Engineering unveils Lamborghini Murcielago LP670 R-SV at Spa

Reiter debuts new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3

Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3 - Click above for an image gallery

To some casual observers, Ferrari and Lamborghini may seem like peas in a pod: exotic Italian supercars with aggressive styling and superlative performance capabilities. But how they arrive at that point is far from similar. While Ferraris are bred from racing technology, Lamborghini, for the most part, doesn't compete in motor sports. For that, they've got Reiter Engineering. The German motorsport garage has decades of experience turning Lamborghini's road cars into racing cars, and not with an immodest level of success. Especially in the GT3 racing class, where Reiter-prepped Lambos have taken titles and continue to lead championships around the world. The latest Reiter GT3 car is now emerging from the development phase and the order books are open.

Based on the Gallardo LP560-4, the Reiter LP560 GT3 is a lightweight road-course rocket. The 5.2-liter V10 has been revised to GT3 specifications, while lightweight aluminum chassis components draped in carbon fiber bodywork keeps weight down to just 2,624 pounds. Downforce has been optimized, shift times have been halved and weight distribution has been balanced. But one of the most intriguing elements of the LP560's design is that it can be easily upgraded to compete in the higher level GT2 class, giving privateer teams a wider variety of titles to contest. Reiter will sell your team a turn-key GT3-spec model for 265,000 euros (about $375k), and upgrade it to GT2 spec for another 30,000 euros ($43k). Details in the press release after the jump.

Gallery: Reiter Lamborgini Gallardo LP560 GT3

Continue reading Reiter debuts new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT3

Pie in the Sky Perspective: Charting out Lamborghini production by model

Lamborghini production pie chart - Click above for key

No news may be good news for most people, but it makes for some tiresome boredom and excess spare time to news jockeys like us. Fortunately, while the rest of us were playing xBox or configuring our fantasy cars online, our compatriots over at Inside Line were putting their slow news days to good use with the pie chart you see above. Yes, a pie chart.

Using official numbers furnished by the manufacturer, the staff at IL's Straightline blog charted Lamborghini's entire sales by model. That huge orange wedge you see there? That's the Gallardo, in all its iterations (the original coupe and roadster, Superleggera, special editions, LP560-4, etc.). Total production of the Gallardo range to date tops 9,900, and is well on course to shatter the 10,000 mark for the first time in Sant'Agata history. What's even more interesting, though, is that if you take out the gray wedge that represents the Gallardo's big brother, the Murcielago, you can see that Lamborghini has sold more Gallardos than it has all other models combined, which totaled 9,500 before the current pair was introduced. Talk about grabbing a bull by the horns.

Pics Aplenty: Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni gets its launch on

Autoblog friend David Kaiser, the same man who brought us images of the Tramontana F1 in full jet fighter camouflage regalia, has struck again with stunning pictures from Lamborghini's launch of the Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni in Zürich, Switzerland. According to Kaiser, this was the third stop of the car's initial European tour following appearances in Paris and Lyon in France. Next, the Italian crew will pack up and take their show on to various locations in the United Kingdom.

In case you your memory needs refreshed, the new Lambo was named in honor of the automaker's longtime test driver. Featuring a 550-horsepower version of the Gallardo's familiar V10 engine and a comparatively low 3,042-pound curb weight, the rear-drive LP550-2 is reportedly capable of scurrying to 60 in just 3.9 seconds and up to a top speed of 199 mph. Check out the photo gallery below and pay special attention to the unique black-and-white racing stripe, Scorpious wheels hiding bright yellow brake calipers and transparent engine cover. Thanks, David!

Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni Zurich unveil

Officially Official: Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni

Few names resonate more with the Lamborghini faithful than Valentino Balboni, Lambo's long-term test driver who's honed every model to roll off the line since 1973. In an ultimate tribute to Balboni, the Italian supercar manufacturer has created this: the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni.

As its name would imply, the Gallardo ditches the standard model's all-wheel drive system and sends power to the rear wheels, and according to the automaker, the 550-2 "was conceived in line with [Balboni's] own thinking, and it meets many customers' requests for a model with a unique character, which offers a very special kind of active driving fun."

The 5.2-liter V10 has been tweaked to put out 550 hp and coupled with a the Gallardo's reduced curb weight (3,042 pounds), the LP 550-2 can sprint to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and top out at 199 mph.

As we saw yesterday, the exterior receives a new set of Scorpious wheels (hiding a revised suspension) and a white and gold stripe running the length of the Lambo, with the theme carrying over inside in the form of a white leather center console and seats. Eight exterior shades are available, along with black, orange or yellow brake calipers, depending on the chosen hue, and in addition to the standard transparent engine cover, rear-view camera, navigation system and Bluetooth integration, buyers can option up for the e-gear transmission and carbon ceramic brakes.

This purest of Gallardos will be limited to 250 units, each bearing a serial number and Balboni's signature on the left side window, with US pricing starting at $219,800. Make the jump for the official release.

Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni

Continue reading Officially Official: Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni

Pics aplenty: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder

Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder - Click above for a high-res image gallery

We love us some supercar photos, and Lamborghini just made our day by releasing a plethora of new images of the Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder. Introduced late last year at the L.A. Auto Show, the new Gallardo drop-top received a host of upgrades compared to its predecessor, including a new folding top, LED taillights, and, of course, the new 552 horsepower 5.2-liter V10 also found in its coupe sibling. Check out the gallery below for all-new high-res images.

Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder

Leaked: Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2?

Oh baby. The cat would appear to be out of the bag for the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2, as what certainly look to be official photos of the newest bull have hit the web. Details are sketchy, but Lamborghini's naming scheme keeps no secrets. Assuming this is all on the level, expect 550 horsepower from the V10 mounted aft of the cockpit, with that power going to the rear wheels exclusively. The lack of AWD should also result in some weight loss, a welcome addition in any sports car, much less a Lamborghini making this kind of power. And yes, that's a ball-topped gated shifter in the interior photo featured in the gallery. Glorious. A very serious car for very serious drivers. We're dying to hear the official details.

Gallery: 2010 Lamborghini LP550-2

eBay Find of the Day: Lamborghini-Bizzarrini Targa one-off

It's not much of a shock to find an automotive mash-up on eBay Motors. However, it's rare that one of those Frankencars is a combination of one vintage Italian exotic with an even rarer and more exotic body on top, all assembled by the genius responsible for much of the hardware in the first place.

Initially intended to be a Bizzarrini GT America, this striking red coupe has been assembled on top of a Lamborghini 400GT chassis carrying the very V12 Giotto Bizzarrini designed for the marque of the bull before striking out on his own. It's more than the melding of one man's portfolio of work, the seller says it's a true Bizzarini because the car was actually finished in Livorno, Italy by Giancarlo Reali, former coachwork chief for the Bizzarrini operation.

While the car is in need of some elbow grease to render it fully stunning, that doesn't make it a bargain at a $250,000 starting bid. Given that this car seems to have actual pedigree that's sorely lacking from most of the stock offered on eBay, that price may not be as outlandish as it first seems for a one-off put together from 40-year-old leftover parts.

Gallery: Bizzarrini-Lamborghini

REPORT: Lamborghini sees no recovery until 2011

After several years of record growth, Lamborghini, like most automakers, is struggling in a tough economy. Sales are down 30% so far in 2009, and the Raging Bull even laid off factory workers for seven weeks in an effort to keep down inventories. Chief Executive Stephan Winkelmann told Reuters that he expects the sales slump to continue through 2010, saying that the "crisis is very deep."

Winkelmann points out that sales are down over 40% in the US (Lamborghini's top market), and the company's waiting list has dropped from one year to six months. Lamborghini's struggles closely mirror problems with the economy at large; areas that have been hit by investment banking and real estate woes aren't in the market for Italian supercars.

Regardless of the dim forecast for the next 18 months, Winkelmann is still bullish when it comes to profits. The company cleared 60 million euros in 2008 ($84 million in US funds) and the Italian automaker expects to remain in the black even if sales take a 40% plunge. And the world renown luxury exotic automaker will have to stay solvent while vastly improving its carbon footprint. Lamborghini plans to reduce CO2 emissions coming from its vehicles by 35% in six years.

Gallery: Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce

Rumormill: Lamborghini working on short-wheelbase V12 Jota, Revent?n Roadster

Lamborghini Reventón - Click above for a high-res image gallery

If you've been waiting for Lamborghini to replace the aging Murcielago and were disappointed by recent reports that its successor may not arrive until 2012, the mavens over at Autogespot may have some good news for you.

While the Murci may stay on for another few years, word has it that Lamborghini is working on another model, apparently to run in parallel. The reports suggest that the new model, tentatively dubbed Jota (after the label previously used on special Miuras and Diablos of yore), will use the Murcielago's V12, albeit packaged in a shorter wheelbase with an even wider track and lightweight materials.

Any truth to the rumors? It's hard to tell, but in the meantime, Sant'Agata is said to be working on a Reventón Roadster to follow up on the limited-edition fighter jet-inspired supercar.