Where else would you expect to see a Lamborghini Murcielago Superveloce LP670-4 China Edition—yes, it has a really, really long name—crash? No place else in the world than China, of course! And we’ve got the shots to prove it. Enjoy.

Source: Jalopnik

It’s about time. Haven’t enough Murcielagos burned to crisp due to obvious fuel system related defects? Lamborghini, despite their super fast cars, are slow in taking responsibility for such mishaps. What a shame. Only now do they announce a recall. What have they been doing for the past few decades? Oh, right. They’ve been busy building more spontaneously combusting super cars. Keep up the good work, guys. We’re dying to hear of the latest blaze.

Source: Jalopnik

Sick of matte black? Well then feast your eyes on this matte blue Lamborghini LP640. Is it just us or is matte the new eye candy? Rant or rave all you want but matte is undeniably sleek, nasty cool.

Kinda’ like in the realms of Bruce Wayne-Dark Knight kind of cool. We’re quite sure Alfred would have loved it for the Batmobile.

Source: Jalopnik

Why do the rich keep crashing their cars? If it isn’t an Enzo that’s crashed doing 200+ mph, it’s a Gallardo that’s all torn up by the side of the road. Kudos to this Gallardo driver for giving us something new. Kind of like a bad parking job, or maybe the SUV stole his slot? Whatever.

It just goes to show how sloppy the rich and famous, especially in this Hollywood neighborhood of Laurel Canyon, are with their ultra-expensive machines. With all the money in world, why can’t they afford some serious driving lessons on supercars? Wake up, people! Those are exotics you’re driving, and they should be around long enough for tomorrow’s generations to see.

Source: Jalopnik

Sometimes, being perfect is imperfection by itself. Such is the case with the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster.

Yes, it the most vicious car Lamborghini has ever produced, and yes, it is the most expensive, selling at around 1.1 million Euros. But get this – one of the greatest flaws of this car, is that it has no flaws. Technically speaking, the more advanced a car is, the less flaws there are to make a driver learn. And learning is the most important aspect of driving, not dominance over other super cars. Well, at least in my opinion.

Why do I say this? Well, because looking at the Reventon Roadster, there’s nothing more you could ask from it. When the coupe version was sold out, rich people were clamoring for a top-down version of this jet-fighter mimicker. Now that it’s out, what’s next? I know most of the rich people out there, well at least those who care more about their social status rather than their skills behind the wheel, want a car which blasts away other cars even while standing still. That’s exactly what the Reventon Roadster is. That’s why Lamborghini, again, decided to limit its production – to make it even more exclusive than the Coupe version. Other than that, there’s no way it’ll fall into the hands of a budding racer with race training in mind. In fact, with Lamborghini’s reputation for staying away from official race events, I’d say the Reventon Roadster is not a race car. It’s a super car, but not a race car.

So what else is wrong with this car? Apart from its being perfect, there’s apparently nothing else. It’s so perfect it almost loses its purpose. And when criticizing a car, you have to keep in mind its purpose, and whether it has attained that. If you’re a perfect person, what’s your purpose in life? The same goes for the Reventon Roadster.

Yes, it is more visually appealing than most Ferrari’s, its arch nemesis. Yes, it costs almost as much as the ultimate super car Bugatti Veyron, which costs 1.4 million Euros, but not as fast. Yes, it has an all-wheel drive system to keep you gripping on the road like a lizard, but what does that contribute to your learning? Nothing. It only shows you just how good a driver you are behind a perfect super car. What if you’re put behind a clunker? You think you can drive as fast? No way.

My point is this – if you’re rich and looking for more exclusivity in your life, go ahead and buy the Reventon Roadster. But if you want to be honest with yourself and want to know just how well you can handle a car, go for something less perfect.

There is something about the Reventon Roadster I like though – it’s naturally aspirated. At least you can say you won the race without a turbo. What’s your opinion?

Source: Autoblog

Experience comes with old age. Even if you’re a retired test driver for one of the biggest super car makers in the world, you’ll still have it in you – the knowledge and skills you’ve learned and mastered through the years.

If there’s one word I would use to describe this man, it would have to be ‘sensible’. I’m talking about no other than Valentino Balboni, Lamborghini’s premier test driver.

He’s retired, of course, but the words which came out of his mouth during an interview with an Autoblog writer confirmed every little thing I believe in when it comes to cars.

In case you didn’t know, Balboni was Lamborghini’s test driver ever since 1973, which means he’s driven just about EVERY Lamborghini ever made – roughly around 80 percent of them. No wonder Lamborghini decided to name their latest special edition model Gallardo after him.

Dubbed as the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni, it comes with a rear wheel drive train and an engine which has been slightly detuned from its LP560-4 origin.

Balboni tells why the VB is so special. It’s everything he wanted in a Lamborghini – a link back to the past. Yes, he prefers as little electronic aide as possible.

He was even apologetic to Autoblog as the car they drove in had paddle shifters. According to him, such things take responsibility away from the driver. That is so true.

If there’s anything I learned from this encounter, it’s that AWD and that electronic stuff new cars have today will never replace the sheer brilliance of old school technology – stick shifter, rear wheel drive, etc. Balboni is living proof that the old ways are still the best.

Check out the Autoblog article for a better read of this once-in-a-lifetime riding-shotgun opportunity.

I’m going to say it one more time – the VB is worth trading ANY Ferrari for. For me, it’s the best Lamborghini ever made. Thank you, Mr. Valentino Balboni.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/26/first-drive-kinda-2010-lamborghini-gallardo-lp550-2-valentino/

We all know that Lamborghini keeps its hands off racing per se by faithfully sticking to its AWD supercars. Well, it looks like the tide’s turning with this latest bit of news from Sant’Agata.

No other than CEO Stephan Winkelmann has announced that Lamborghini will be producing a hybrid. Yes, a hybrid. But they’re not going to scrap altogether the high performance V10 and V12 engines raging bulls are known for. Instead, their sticking in an electric motor which will drive the car at low speeds, after which the monstrous ICE (internal combustion engine) takes over to plummet you into the bucket seat.

Expect the hybrid bull to come around 2015, about the same time its rival will debut. Maranello has announced that its hybrid Ferrari will be coming in that same year. Looks like a match made in heaven.

As for the racing part, well, Lamborghini is starting to warm up with its latest decision regarding drive train configurations. They’re going to follow up on the Balboni Lamborghini by offering all their future models in both AWD and RWD configurations. I’m sure you’re aware that when competing on the track, nothing beats RWD in terms of weight and agility. Sure, AWD cars are fast, but when it comes to overcoming tight, high speed corners, nothing oversteers like an RWD.

So there it is, the latest news from Sant’Agata. Stay tuned, Lambo fans. With these latest developments, it looks like Maranello has more to worry about.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/05/report-lamborghini-eyeing-hybrid-model-for-2015-next-gen-mode/

If you like playing with numbers and are a fan of Lamborghinis, then this little piece of news might interest you. Using no less than official figures from Sant’Agata, guys at the Inside Lane have come up with a nice pie chart showcasing how many of each model Lamborghini sold since its inception.

Leading the pack in orange is all the incarnations of the Gallardo. Numbering around 9,900, Lamborghini has sold more Gallardos than all their other models combined, which is around 9,500. This excludes the Murcielago, which makes up a little less than one-third of the pie chart. Gallardo’s are still selling hot as ever with numbers bound to surpass the 10,000 mark, especially with the RWD Valentino Balboni Special Edition Gallardo rolling out of Sant’Agata. It’s one hell of a Gallardo. With its agile RWD system, you can probably run circles around its AWD sisters given the right skills. A well-tuned RWD such as this can definitely run neck-to-neck with any car anywhere.

Got tons of money to spend? Which Lamborghini will you spend on?

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/16/pie-in-the-sky-perspective-charting-out-lamborghini-production/

This is one Lambo worth trading a Ferrari for

Far fetched? Maybe not. In tribute to the Italian super car manufacturer’s premier test driver, Valentino Balboni, Lamborghini has just sent word out to the press of its latest Gallardo. Dubbed the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni, this will definitely shake some nerves even in the most loyal of Ferrari fans.

Its most unique character – a rear-wheel drive train. This puts all of the Lambo’s 550 horsepower into the rear wheels. With a 5.2 liter V10 engine pushing on a lightened 3,042 pound body, this LP 550-2 is able to max out at 199 mph and can run from 0 to 60 mph in merely 3.9 seconds. And, lo and behold, it’s even got a manual shifter for even more fun!

It’s quite obvious that its predecessors can do better, but most probably not in the level of fun you can have with this raging wild bull. Being a rear-wheel drive, and with a manual shifter, this Lambo has the potential to outmaneuver even the most agile of its all-wheel drive sisters given you have the right skills.

Anyway, if you want to savor it’s all too sleek exterior, just follow the jump. Ownership will be limited to 250 lucky individuals. If you’re one of them, you’re going to have Balboni’s John Doe on your Lambo’s left side window. And if you’re stateside, that’s going to cost you around $219,800.

So you think you’re up for it? You should be if you’re a real Lamborghini fan. Bulls like this only get born once in a blue moon.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/30/officially-official-lamborghini-gallardo-lp-550-2-valentino-bal/

Lamborghini is not giving in to financial fears

Even if you’re one of the best supercar makers out there, you’re not immune from the global recession.

Sant’ Agata’s pride, Lamborghini, has reported that their sales are down by almost one-third this year. This has led them to shed their workforce to battle the crisis. According to Lamborghini Chief Executive Stephan Winkelman, 2010 looks as gloomy as this year because of the deep economic crisis. Out in the US, Lamborghini’s sales are down by almost half, forcing them to cut their availability waiting list by six months from the previous one year.

Although that may sound like good news to buyers of the Raging Bull, it doesn’t fare well for the Italian supercar maker. But despite the grim situation, Winkelman still managed to boast of his company’s profits, which according to him amounted to 60 million Euros (around US$84 million) for the previous year.

Winkelman is confident that their company can pull through, being the sole rival of Ferrari in terms of quality and power. They’re even working on ways to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of their cars by as much as a third by 2016.

Perhaps, it’s in league with Ferrari’s go green designing process which is centered on bio-fuel. Only time will tell. But for now, Lamborghini fans have to stick with premium gasoline.

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/06/10/report-lamborghini-sees-no-recovery-until-2011/