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Yesterday I was writing about the new Audi R8 sports car that's borrowed at least a few attributes from the Lamborghini Gallardo. I figured since I brought up the subject that I may as well present you with a video of that very car, and specifically in this case we are putting the spotlight on the 2010 Lambo Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder as it blazes through the Canary Islands.
Lamborghini's Gallardo is numerically its biggest production car and is generally regarded the world over as one of the best performing and aesthetically pleasing modern sports cars. The Spyder edition of the Gallardo has been around for a few years and while it doesn't quite have the muscle of other Gallardo models, it's still a sleek European sports car. The environmental aspects of this Web video are great, showing this beaming yellow Lambo cruising the roads against a backdrop of misty skies and rocky terrain. We also get a look under the hood at the :17 mark and then hold onto your hats as shortly thereafter you're gonna get blasted with the roar of the Gallardo as its tires burn Australian pavement. You'll also get to check out both the interior and exterior features of this fine Italian sports car.
There was lots of automotive eye candy to behold at the recently-held 2009 International Auto Show in San Francisco, but one particular car definitely caught an extended gaze of my eye. My vision honed in a shiny white and black sports car, sitting in a "hands off" section of the showroom floor. To my surprise, this mean-looking sports car was an Audi, but not just any Audi. This here was the 2010 Audi R8 rockin' a length-side up with a mounted V10 mid-engine. I had to know more and see more of this particular car, and that's how we ended up with today's video that looks at the pros and (are there any real) cons between the 10-cylinder Audi R8 and its 8-cylinder counterpart.
Constructed by Audi's performance specialty division quattro GmbH, the R8 two-seater from the front pretty much looks like an Audi (albeit a little more sleek than one might associate with an Audi). The R8 has also drawn some heat for being very close in style and construction to the Lamborghini Gallardo to the point where some sports car snobs basically consider the Audi R8 a cheap knockoff primarily because of its engine looking awfully similar to that of the Gallardo. So what? I'll leave that argument for you and your friends to debate. I'd rather spend the time hearing the R8 engines revving up and the tires burning asphalt. The V10 engine looks especially beautiful (best seen at the 3-minute mark) and at 2 minutes you get to see in real time how quickly the R8 goes from 0-60. The V8 edition obviously doesn't have us much push as its 10-cylinder brethren, but hey you could do way worse than this.
I finally made it out to the 52nd Annual International Auto Show at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco yesterday, and I'm sure glad that I made the trip. Today is the final day of the show that started over this last Thanksgiving weekend, and in case you can't or didn't make it out to the Moscone to see it all in person, here's an in depth highlight reel to show some of what you may have missed.
Yes, I know the soundtrack to this clip is kinda annoying, but this web video is quite comprehensive in covering many vehicles and manufacturers who participated in this year's show in San Francisco including the Porsche 911, Lamborghini Murcielago, Audi R8, BMW, a few Chryslers (for whatever that's worth), auto racing vehicles and more. This video includes a few of my faves from this year's event and it also leaves out several personal highlights that I will be spotlighting for the next few or more blogs, so get ready
(Credit:
Tag Heuer)
If you like fast cars, you might get revved up by the Meridiist phone from luxury sports watch maker Tag Heuer. The company has teamed with Italian super sports car manufacturer Lamborghini to create the limited-edition phone, which flashes fancy dual LCD displays made from 60.5 carats of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
The phone's design references the Lamborghini Murcielago down to its signature on the battery cover--the same one as on the Murcielago LP 640's V12 engine block. The device has a hand-brushed stainless steel case and backlit mechanical stainless steel keypad customized with Automobili Lamborghini's trademark Taurus bull on the steel central button.
The Meridiist measures about 4.5 inches by 1.8 inches by a little more than half an inch, giving it something of a 2002 aesthetic, but it does boast above-average battery life--seven hours of talk time or 28 days of standby power. Otherwise it has standard specs, like a WAP 2.0 Web browser and a 2-megapixel camera.
In tribute to the year Automobili Lamborghini was founded, 1,963 of the quad-band Bluetooth phones will be sold worldwide.
You can reserve a Meridiist in different colors of real leather or alligator skin, but the fact that we're not seeing a price listed anywhere on the Tag Heuer site makes us think we're better off sticking with our Ford Explorer handset.
A London-based super car fan site shot footage of 10 vehicles over the last two years.
The rare finds include the Lamborghini Gallardo, the Ferrari Enzo, and the Ferrari Scuderia.
Lamborghini executives are considering a leap into luxury sedans.
After all, other prestige brands are trying it. The sporty Porsche Panamera sedan goes on sale soon, and the luxurious Aston Martin Rapide will reach dealer lots next year.
Lamborghini is looking at an all-wheel-drive, four-door sedan based on the V-10 Estoque concept it introduced last year at the Paris auto show. But so far there are no plans for a production model.
Here is a look at Lamborghini's product plans.
Gallardo: No major changes planned.
Lamborghini showed the Estoque concept sedan at the 2008 Paris Auto Show.
(Credit: Wayne Cunningham/CNET)Murcielago: The two-passenger coupe is scheduled to be redesigned in 2012. Expect Lamborghini to stick with a V-12 engine despite Europe's tightening of carbon dioxide regulations for 2012.
Reventon: The $1.6 million Reventon convertible debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt show. Lamborghini plans to build 15 in 2010. The all-wheel-drive Reventon is powered by a 6.5-liter V-12 engine with more than 650 horsepower. Lamborghini promises 0-to-60 mph acceleration in just more than 3 seconds.
Estoque: Lambo officials have denied they are working on a production version of the four-door sedan based on the Paris concept car, but say the segment holds promise.
(Source: Automotive News)
The Frankfurt Auto Show (also known as The Frankfurt Motor Show) just concluded another exciting string of showcases for roughly 10 days at the trade fair grounds in the aforementioned city. This automobile exhibition has existed in some form for over a century, and is one of the biggest car shows in the world. This video clip from Edmunds.com gives us a quick snapshot of some of the hottest (and unfathomably expensive cars on display at this year's event.
One of the big themes in this year's Frankfurt Motor Show was electric battery driven automobiles, and there was no shortage of such vehicles on display from a variety of manufacturers. Featured in this video is the Audi E-Tron, and not only is it environmentally friendly, it's a sweet lookin' car as well. Other highlights in this clip include the Ferrari 458 Italia, the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, and the new Lamborghini Roadster. Most of these cars are expensive as they look, and you'll probably have to sell your children and grandchildren into slavery to afford these vehicles. But I'm a sucker for the eye candy presented here, even if it does make me feel like a beggar. Oh well.
Stay tuned for live shots of the Audi R8 Spyder as our coverage continues.
(Credit: Audi)We all knew this was coming, now we have photographic proof. Images of the drop-top version of Audi's R8 have leaked onto the interwebs before the official unveiling at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show.
What does the upcoming R8 Spyder look like? Predicatably, something like the Gallardo Spyder.
(Credit: Audi/Lamborghini)Considering that the R8 coupe so closely resembles the Lamborghini Gallardo (with which it shares a platform), it's no surprise that the R8 Spyder looks a lot like an Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder with a German nose job. Like the new S5 Cabriolet, Audi will most likely equip the R8 with a powered canvas top rather than a heavier metal roof.
From the looks of the blurry photos, we expect that the Spyder will be powered by the same V-10 engine and Quattro drivetrain that powers the coupe, but hidden behind an opaque engine cover instead of under glass. But you never know, Audi's rumored electric powerplant may be hidden under that cowl.
We'll be bring you more details and better photos as they emerge as part of our continuing coverage of the 2009 Frankfurt auto show.
The LP550-2 loses a pair of ponies and a pair of driving wheels.
(Credit: Lamborghini)When I was flying around the California Speedway in the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 at 140 mph, I wasn't thinking, "This would be so much better with two fewer horsepower and two fewer driving wheels." However, if the rumors circulating the Web of an LP550-2 model are true, that may just be what's next from the bull-badged supercar manufacturer.
The Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 is believed to be powered by a 550 horsepower 5.2-liter V10 sending power to the rear-wheels only, rather than through an all-wheel drive system. Dropping the hardware required to drive the front wheels helps save about 30 kilograms of mass and allows the slightly less powerful LP550-2 hit 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.9 seconds, which is only 0.2 seconds slower than its more powerful and more grippy brother.
Less power and a less complex drivetrain mean that the LP550-2 is also less expensive than the LP560-4. Ten percent less expensive to be exact--well, as exact as internet rumors can be. Unfortunately, 10 percent off of $200k is still a bit outside of my pay grade.
Check out the leaked photos of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2.
(Via Autoblog and Net Car Show)
Update: Lamborghini has officially confirmed the accuracy of the facts above. The vehicle will be called the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni, named after one of its best known test drivers. The LP550-2 will retail for $219,800 in the U.S.
(Credit:
Antuan Goodwin/CNET)
Ten cylinders at full song behind me, a quick glance at the speedometer lets me know that I'm barreling down the banked straight at 140 mph. That's about the moment I realized that the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 was still pulling.
Al & Ed's brought out a customized Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)I find myself behind the wheel of this quarter-million dollar supercar, not because I've won the lottery, but rather because I've been invited to the California Auto Club Speedway to participate in the Ultimate Lamborghini Experience. The Ultimate Lamborghini Experience--or Lambo Day, for short--is an on-track experience for Lamborghini owners organized by Al & Ed's Autosound. Since I didn't have a Lambo of my own, Lamborghini of Beverly Hills was kind enough to supply a Gallardo LP560-4.
I didn't get an opportunity to test out the Gallardo's electronically limited 202 mph top speed, because the California Speedway was configured to show off the Lambos' handling (and to keep us inexperienced drivers safe) with its twisty infield course. Had it been left in its NASCAR oval config, I'd have been able to go a lot faster. However, I did get a taste of the sub-four-second 0-60 time and the fantastic braking and handling the Gallardo brings to the track.
Owners brought their Gallardos, Superleggeras, and Murcielagos, some stock and some wildly modified. Check out the gallery for more pictures of shiny Lamborghinis and driving impressions.
