Lamborghini’s drivetrain wizards say they have all the horsepower they need for their superfast cars. So from here on, performance gains will come from using lighter materials to reduce vehicle weight, instead of from chasing more engine thrust.

“It has come to the point where acceleration equals consumption,” said Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of the Italian automaker. “More consumption means increased CO2 emissions.”

Winkelmann, who fears future government regulations could restrict engine performance, said Lamborghini’s r&d spending will emphasize taking weight out of vehicles.

The pursuit of top speed is limited by the physics of aerodynamic resistance, Maurizio Reggiani, Lamborghini’s r&d chief, said in an interview this month at the Detroit auto show. Once a vehicle reaches 211 mph, there is a declining rate of return for each additional horsepower needed to push the vehicle faster, he said.

Also, there are few places in the world where a driver can go that fast. So Reggiani said Lamborghini will focus on acceleration instead of top speed. The most effective way to do that, he said: take weight out of the car.

“The weight-to-power ratio will be the key factor,” Reggiani said. “We will use composite materials in the right place, when it also has the right cost, stiffness and mechanical characteristics.”

That could prove to be an expensive solution. Lamborghini has used mostly high-strength steel in its vehicles’ structures and body panels. But Reggiani said the automaker will make greater use of aluminum and carbon fiber.

Lamborghini has made progress with its re-engineered Murcielago LP670-4 SV. The new version of the car has added 30 hp while shedding 220 pounds, mostly through use of carbon fiber. The “670″ in the car’s name reflects its horsepower rating. The car can reach 62 mph in 3.2 seconds.

“No one can really tell 30 horsepower was added, but everyone can feel how much lighter the car is,” Reggiani said.

Lamborghini also is investigating start-stop technology for city driving to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. But with a V-10 or V-12 engine, the firing order is faster than a typical four-cylinder with start-stop.

As a result, Reggiani said, missing a cylinder or two on vehicle restart could cause more pollution than not having the technology at all. The same theory applies to cylinder deactivation at cruising speeds.

“Where is the supplier who can provide the right starter and alternator for our engine?” Reggiani asked. “That’s a lot of cylinders. It’s easy to make a mistake.”

Lamborghini presents the ultimate driving machine among open-top two-seaters – the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster is a sports car of breathtaking fascination, menacing power and uncompromising performance. The 6.5 litre twelve-cylinder generates 493 kW (670 PS), catapulting the Roadster from 0 to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and onwards to a top speed of 205 mph. The open-top Lamborghini Reventon is not only one of the fastest, but also one of the most exclusive cars in the world – Lamborghini has limited the series.

The powerful arrowhead form at the front, the mighty air intakes pulled way forward, the broad side skirts, the upwards opening scissor doors and the rear end with its menacing edges – the Roadster is clad in a design of maximum functionality and spectacular clarity. Details set stylish accents, such as headlamps featuring bi-xenon units with LEDs forming the daytime running lights and indicators. The rear lamps are also equipped with LEDs.

Behind the two seats are two hidden pop-up bars that deploy upwards in just a few hundredths of a second in the event of an imminent rollover. A fixed, horizontal wing-shaped member behind the seats bears the third brake light.

The driver can switch between two modes at the touch of a button – one digital view with illuminated bars and one level with classic round dials, albeit with changing colour graphics. Centrally located at the top of the display is the G-force meter. It represents the intensity of the forces acting on the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster under acceleration, braking and heavy cornering; the same format used in Formula 1.

The instruments are mounted in a casing machined from solid aluminium which is housed in a carbon fibre dashboard. The interior displays uncompromisingly clean craftsmanship and features a host of carbon fibre applications – e.g. on the centre tunnel – aluminium, Alcantara and leather. The central panels and the seat cushions are perforated, with precision stitching gracing their outer edges.

The V12 engine catapults the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 3.4 seconds and onwards to a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph). It reacts with the eagerness of a racing engine to input from the right foot, revving to 8,000 rpm and beyond, and performing a symphony that sends shudders along the spine. The deep booming bass, the powerful mid-range and the exultant horn section play music that, once heard, can never be forgotten.

In classic Lamborghini style, the aluminium engine is mounted longitudinally in front of the rear axle, with the transmission ahead of it beneath the centre tunnel. This layout results in 58 percent of the overall weight being borne by the rear wheels – ideal for a powerful sports car.

Also standard on the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster is the e.gear automated six-speed sequential manual transmission. The driver controls the gear shift, which is activated hydraulically via two steering wheel paddles. In addition to the ‘Normal’ mode, the system offers a ‘Corsa’ and a ‘low adherence’ mode. The driver just has to keep his foot to the floor – the rest is handled by e.gear.

This new limited edition Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni marks a return to rear-wheel drive for the first time since the Diablo. It didn’t happen with the Murcielago LP 670-4 SV, but it’s happening now with the Gallardo. Just 250 units of the car will be built in honour of the retiring chief test driver, Valentino Balboni, who has been with the company for over 42 years.

The LP 550-2 suggests that it produces about 10 bhp less than the LP 560-4, but interestingly, it’s also 120 kg lighter. Lamborghini suggest a 0-96 kph time of just 3.9 seconds, and a top speed of 320 kph.

These numbers are little slower than the LP560-4, but don’t suggest that it’s any less exhilarating a drive. In fact, given that it was designed conceived with inputs from Balboni itself, it’s probably going to be the most fun Lambo in production today.

For this, Lamborghini has relocated the transmission to the rear axle, resulting in a 43-57% front-rear weight distribution to maximise controlled oversteer. New springs, dampers, stabilisers, tyres and even the aerodynamics were also adjusted to help change the power flow.

A 45% limited slip diff was redeveloped for the rear-axle and adjustments were made to the ESP system. The CORSA program allows the LP550-2 to stretch it’s power-sliding legs a bit more than the standard program.

Lamborghini opts for the latter, giving its blessing to German motorsport garage Reiter Engineering to campaign race-prepped Raging Bulls in European sportscar series. Earlier this month we brought you the first details and images on Reiter’s latest racecar, a Gallardo LP560-4 prepped for the GT2 class. With that out of the way, Reiter is now reportedly turning its attention to its next project for the top-tier GT1 class. It’s basis: the spankin’ new Murcielago SV.

The ultimate version of the Lamborghini supercar was just revealed at the Geneva Auto Show last month, but the boffins at Reiter Engineering aren’t about to waste any time. No details yet, but if the rear-drive-only LP560 GT2 is any indication, we can expect Reiter to axe the Murci’s all-wheel-drive system to save weight as well. The GT1-spec Murcielago SV is being developed for the 2010 season, when the FIA GT Championship will be split into the GT2 European Championship and the GT1 World Championship. While the aforementioned LP560 will take on the former, the competition Superveloce will take on the likes of the Nismo GT-R, Ford GT and two or three more anticipated models, each supplying a maximum of two teams with two cars each, in the latter that will include races in Argentina, Australia, South Africa and the UAE in addition to the European events.

Reiter’s been known to turn the racing versions of Lamborghini’s roadcars back into street machinery, with examples like the Gallardo GT3 Strada and Murcielago R-GT Strada in its repertoire

The Asus Lamborghini VX5 laptop comes with an LCD cover designed to remind users of the Lamborghini Reventon sports car’s aluminum-alloy fuselage.

Its piano-painted mirror surface is also supposed to mimic the car’s finish. The notebook comes with a 1TB SSD from pureSilicon Inc., which launched the compact flash-memory drive in January.

The Lamborghini VX5 will also come with an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU and 4GB of RAM. “It features a ‘twin turbo’ mode that users can utilize to accelerate CPU and GPU performance via a speed key,” Asus said.

The notebook also has an illuminated “chiclet” keyboard that automatically lights up in low light conditions.

The laptop’s display is a 16-in. “full HD” screen — 1080p, or 1920 by 1080 pixels — along with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GT 130M graphics chip with 1GB of GDDR 3 video RAM.

The laptop’s Blu-ray drive and the onboard HDMI socket allow output to an HDTV for watching movies.

After years of casting around for a third model, Lamborghini has settled on what Manfred Fitzgerald, head of brand and design, rather presumptively calls “the world’s first supersedan.” The dramatic Estoque, revealed in concept form at the Paris auto show, isn’t called a four-door coupe by its makers, but it certainly would travel in the extrawide tire tracks of cars like the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide, both of which it would follow to market, in 2012.

Quest for the third leg
“The [exotic car] business is quite volatile,” allows Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann. “So three legs are invariably better to stand on than two. That’s why we have been thinking for several years about a third model to complement the Murciélago and the Gallardo.”

Lamborghini bosses evaluated options ranging from a Miura successor (remember the 2006 design exercise?) to an LM002 reincarnation to a front-engine GT.

“The SUV fell through because that wave has passed. We also dismissed the front-engine sports car because the segment is, on a global basis, deceptively small,” says Winkelmann.

“In the end, we decided on the four-door supersportwagen. Despite its unconventional architecture, it perfectly matches our key brand values, and research tells us that it will work in all markets – especially in Asia and Russia, which will soon account for one-third of our total sales volume. Perhaps most important, it addresses a very wide customer base, from sports car aficionados with families to style-conscious businessmen with full-time chauffeurs. To satisfy these clients, who are used to the space, comfort, and convenience of a full-size luxury sedan, we created a generously roomy car free of head- and legroom compromises.”

“Entry and egress will be effortless,” promises Mauricio Reggiani, who is in charge of the technical department. “The big doors open wide, the seats are cushy yet supportive, there is plenty of legroom, and once you’ve made yourself comfortable, the low roof is never an issue. Although visibility is excellent, the first thing you’ll notice from inside is the high beltline, which provides a charming cocoon effect.”

Mechanically, the front-engine Estoque is unlike either of Lamborghini’s current offerings, both of which are mid-engine two-seaters. The Estoque is loosely based on the ASF (Audi aluminum spaceframe) platform shared with the next Audi A8 and Bentley Continental families. For production, an ASF architecture is bound to be the most practical choice in terms of investment, weight savings, and commonality.

A front-mounted engine is a given, and odds favor a twin-turbo V-8. To be on the safe side, the engine bay is just big enough to house Lamborghini’s V-10, but that thirsty and expensive engine is more appropriate for a hard-core sports car. The show car’s V-8 is derived from the V-10, but for production, Lamborghini is more likely to modify the next A8’s new 4.0-liter, direct-injection twin-turbo V-8. Rated at about 420 hp and 400 lb-ft in A8 guise, it would probably get a power and torque boost to 500 hp and 480 lb-ft (although that would still put it behind the 620-hp, Lambo-sourced V-10 in Audi’s next S8).

A transaxle would be nice but is difficult to accomplish with four-wheel drive. “Even with the transmission bolted to the engine, we think we can achieve a well-balanced, 55/45 percent weight distribution,” states Reggiani. “Instead of the fixed torque split preferred by Audi, I would vote for an active, electronically controlled on-demand system that is even more responsive and progressive.”

As for brakes, why look any further than the industry’s largest-diameter rotors, which Bentley currently installs on the Continental GT? The Estoque almost certainly will get the same setup, with optional carbon-ceramic discs, of course.

The A8/Bentley architecture also offers a control-arm air suspension, but Lamborghini prefers a more pure (and lighter) approach. “For the Estoque, a more straightforward coil-spring suspension tuned by means of Audi Magnetic Ride or a similar system might be a better solution,” says Reggiani.

If celebrating Christmas ‘fast’ is your style, then Lamborghini’s range of 2008 baubles, bears, candles and cushions are now available, in the special matt black and white colours launched this year on its new 202 mph Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4.

The box-set of three baubles in lightweight ceramic is available with one Nero Noctis black and two Mono Cerus white in each box: both colours available to order on the Gallardo LP 560-4. Box-sets of one black, one white, slow-burning candles are offered, and the 13-inch Lamborghini shield-embroidered cushions in the two colours complete the collection.

When it’s time to slow Christmas down, or for younger Lamborghini fans at Christmas, cuddle up to the Lamborghini polar bear, who sports a black sweater and the Lamborghini logo.

In addition to the celebratory ‘black and white’ Christmas selection, Lamborghini has a range of calendars and Christmas cards available to order, as well as the complete Collezione Automobili Lamborghini, which ranges from pencils and pens, t shirts sweatshirts and caps to exclusive luggage, priced from £2.00 to over £2,000.00.

The Collezione Automobili Lamborghini range is available from authorised Lamborghini dealers in London, Reading, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh (lamborghini.co.uk for contact details), and on-line at Lamborghini Store

In the weeks leading up to the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the rumor mill was spinning at full speed at the prospect of a new high-performance, rear-wheel drive Lamborghini supercar. Instead, we got the Estoque four-door sedan concept. However, the failure of Lamborghini to deliver pure driving performance at the Paris show doesn’t necessarily mean Lamborghini has given up on the idea.

According to AutoTelegraaf, at least two high-performance two-wheel drive Lamborghinis are on the way. The first will surface in 2009 and will be based on the company’s new Gallardo. To reflect its two-wheel drive layout, the new model will be called the LP560-2, but will also sport the Superleggera– Italian for ‘superlight’ – nameplate. This is a divergence from the current Gallardo Superleggera, which does with Lamborghini’s all-wheel drive system.

Although the new Gallardo Superleggera will be down two drive wheels, it promises to up the car’s performance quotient. In tandem with an expected power bump, the Superleggera’s even lighter curb weight should mean a marked improvement in all categories of performance.

Following the release of the LP560-2, Lamborghini is planning on launching a two-wheel drive version of its Murcielago. Following the Gallardo’s new naming scheme, the new Murci will be dubbed the LP640-2. The new model won’t dawn the Superleggera nameplate, but it could wear the SV badge in production. The LP640-2 would shed at least 220 pounds compared to its all-wheel drive counterpart.

No official word from Lamborghini on when we can expect to two new supercars, but a concept version of the Murcielago could appear at March’s Geneva Motor Show.

As part of the strategy to further expand its global business activities, Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. will found a branch in China. Following a recent decision by the Board of Management, the Italian luxury sportscar manufacturer will establish Automobili Lamborghini China in the country´s capital city Beijing and will start operations at the beginning of 2009.

Lamborghini´s rise to become one of the most successful and profitable super sportscar manufacturers is the result of a clear dual strategy. First, the creation of an incomparable new, broad and attractive product portfolio. Second and equally important, the ongoing expansion of brand representation to ensure substantial presence in all major markets of the world.

The President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., Stephan Winkelmann, points out the strategic rationale of the move: “China has the strongest dynamics of change to undoubtedly become the leading economy in the world. As one of the symbols of European luxury tradition, our products and our brand promise are irrevocably moving into the focus of a growing number of people. The development of wealth and the developing ‘savoir-vivre’ in China makes it one of the pivotal markets for Lamborghini’s future growth. The decision to establish a branch in China illustrates our dedication to opening the potential of this market for Lamborghini. Our new regional office will ensure the presence of the brand and further the prosperity of the corporation on a global scale.”

In 2008 Automobili Lamborghini expects a growth of car sales in China by 186% ( 28 cars in 2007 toward 80 in 2008). The market for luxury products is characterized by stable and solid growth and by a wide presence in practically all major economic metropolis throughout the country. At the time being, Automobili Lamborghini has three dealers located in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, one in Hong Kong, and another two will be shortly be opened in Chengdu and Qingdao. More are to be established.

Lamborghini is focused on establishing a roughly equal split of worldwide sales between the three major continental regions: Northern America, Europe and Asia.

Stephan Winkelmann has appointed Eginardo Bertoli as Country Manager of Automobili Lamborghini China. Mr Bertoli will report directly to Enrico Maffeo, Director of Sales and Customer Service worldwide, who is based at the Lamborghini headquarters in Italy. Mr. Bertoli has a strong background in the automotive industry, having worked for a range of international companies such as Fiat Powertrain Technologies, Kongsberg Automotive and Interpump Group S.p.A.

Mr Bertoli’s career has included senior positions in Italy, the USA as well as China. During his three years’ assignment for Iveco Motors in Shanghai he gained substantial experience of the Chinese market.

Zhang Xiaodong will be head of customer service China. He will manage all aftersales operations including warranty, parts and service, and will report to Eginardo Bertoli.

With the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder, Lamborghini has created a driving experience like absolutely no other – fascinating design, breathtaking performance and extreme handling characteristics come together with all the sensual intensity and open-air pleasure that only a soft top super sports car can deliver.

The Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 has been on the market since early 2008, as the successor to the most successful Lamborghini of all time – since 2003, more than 8,500 models bearing the Gallardo name have left the production facility in Sant’Agata Bolognese. “The LP 560-4 is the next step in a huge success story,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. “With the Spyder, we are now unveiling a car that is, quite simply, a new dimension in the latest Gallardo range. It is an entirely new model, whilst building on the substantial technical and design attributes of the Gallardo LP560-4 production strategy. The new Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder is a simply breathtaking automobile – and utterly unparalleled in its commitment to extreme motoring.”

In its new generation, the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder represents more than ever before automotive passion in its purest form. As in the Coupe, its enormous power is delivered by the new 5.2 litre V10 with an output of 560 hp at 8,000 rpm. The increase in 40 hp over its predecessor, as well as the 44 pound (20 kilogram) reduction in vehicle weight, improves the power-to-weight ratio to 6.10 pounds (2.77 kg) per hp, thus improving performance even further.

The Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder takes only 4.0 seconds to sprint from 0 to 62 mph, reaching 124mph in only 13.1 seconds and going on to a top speed of 201mph. The new driveline, featuring the ‘Iniezione Diretta Stratificata’ direct fuel injection system also makes for impressive efficiency. Despite the considerable increase in performance, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions have been reduced by a staggering 18 percent.