In a perfect world you could build an automobile for the masses, no matter how daring or bold the design was, and the majority of auto enthusiasts would naturally be attracted to your new creation. The same thing can be said for many new crossover SUVs, especially in the luxury market. Here in America we have taken a special liking to luxury crossovers such as the Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Evoque and even the BMW X5/X6. Undoubtedly, there is a vast market for such vehicles.

The latest luxury automaker to reportedly have plans to roll out a new luxury crossover SUV, is Lamborghini. We already got wind of Bentley having an SUV on the drawing board while Maserati recently uncovered the Kubang concept, so this news is no surprise to us.

Automotive rumors are sometimes like the bubonic plague; sure it spreads fast, but you never really confirm its legitimacy until you experience the real thing for yourself.

According to Autonews, a senior source at Audi confirmed reports of Lamborghini getting into the SUV market with an aggressively styled crossover vehicle. Lately, images of such a vehicle have been circulating over the social networks and various automotive blogs from the Italian magazine Quattroruote.

There is really no reason for us to doubt this rumor especially considering that Lamborghini has stated that they will have “two surprises” for upcoming auto shows. One surprise for Beijing and one for Geneva. Quite possibly, one of the two surprises will be a new Lamborghini Aventador Roadster while the other may be the rumored crossover SUV.

Lamborghini Aventador Roadster rendering - source: ps-garage

I am always down for good old fashion drag race especially when the contestants include a selection of new exotic cars. The guys at Autocar get their hands on a new Benz SLS AMG, Porsche GT2 RS and a Lamborghini Aventador all at the same time. What do they do with these three beastly cars? They do what many of you reading this would do; take them to an open runway (or drag strip) to find out which one is the fastest. Sure, anyone can look up the stats of these three cars and see what they will do on paper. But what is the fun in that? Hit up the video below to find out which car leads the pack.

I am sure everyone reading this would agree with me in saying that the new Lamborghini Aventador is an astonishing sports car even if you are not a fan of raging bulls. Despite the Aventador not being the fastest exotic car around, it still deserves some type of exclusive recognition for being one of the most talked-about exotic cars of this decade thus far.

When the official announcements of the new Aventador made its way onto automotive enthusiast sites such as AutomotiveAddicts.com, we all reiterated Lamborghini’s claimed top speed of 217mph for Lamborghini’s newest creation. Well that top speed may be true to many owners of the new Aventador but now the guys at Sport Auto pegged the Aventador at 230mph (370 km/h).

For proof of the 230 mph run, here is the exclusive Sport Auto Aventador making rounds at Hockenheim followed by a top speed run below. Enjoy!

Why yes, that is a big-block Corvette... Image: RNickeymouse

Southern California is the center of the collector / exotic car universe, and nowhere is that more evident than the canyons of Mulholland Highway, near Malibu, California. YouTube poster RNickeymouse makes a living by filming motorcycle riders in some of the better corners, then selling them the footage and stills. Occasionally, he captures a few cars worth noting, too, like the ones in the video below.

If you’ve got a keen eye, you’ll spot Jay Leno (twice, in fact), and the list of cars captured is pretty impressive. There’s a Ferrari 599 GTO, a McLaren MP4-12C, a prototype Audi eTron Spyder, a few Ariel Atoms, a Caterham 7, a Bugatti Type 57 SC and even what looks to be an original Shelby Cobra. If idiots crossing double-yellow lines mid-corner raise your blood pressure, there’s some sweet justice in the middle of the video, too.

Years ago I rode with a sportbike club, until one ill-fated weekend ride where the group suffered three crashes and a member received a ticked for 100 miles per hour OVER the speed limit. After spending two days running from a certain Western state’s highway patrol, I realized that having a license, and not being dead, were more important than the occasional high-speed hoon weekend. Bad things happen in high speed groups, whether you’re talking about motorcycles or cars.

Take the incident below, which was found on Jalopnik. It seems that an exotic car club was en route from Kyushu to Hiroshima when the driver of a Ferrari lost control while overtaking in a curve. His car hit the median, creating a chain-reaction accident that ultimately totaled 14 cars. Included among the carnage were eight Ferraris, three Mercedes-Benzes, a Lamborghini, a Nissan Skyline and a Toyota Prius (which, if we had to guess, probably wasn’t driven by a club member.

The good news is that no one was seriously injured in the accident, which shut down the stretch of road in Yamaguchi Prefecture for some six hours. Wet roads likely played a part in the accident as well, which is no up to the police and insurance companies to sort out.

Lamborghini has taken the wraps off of what is essentially a Spyder (Convertible) version of the Valentino Balboni LP550-2 at this year’s LA Auto Show. The exclusive rear-wheel-drive setup and power-folding top make it one-of-a-kind.

The new Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Spyder is powered by a 5.2-liter V10 engine pumping 542 horsepower (550 PS – metric bhp) and 398 pound-feet of torque. Power is directed to the rear wheels through a 6-speed e-gear transmission. With this setup, the LP550-2 Spyder will max out at 198 mph and run 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds.

Interestingly enough, the last rear-wheel-drive convertible Lamborghini, the Diablo SV Roadster, was back in 1998. Look for the Lamborghini LP550-2 Spyder to hit showroom floors just before Summer of 2012.

2012 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Spyder Press Release

Automobili Lamborghini is expanding the most successful model line ever built under the sign of the bull with a very special car – the new Gallardo LP 550-2 Spyder combines the open spyder body style with purist rear Wheel Drive. This version brings together that stunning level of open-air driving fun that can come only from a super sports car with a folding roof and an unbelievably agile and spontaneous handling.

“With the Gallardo LP 550-2 Spyder, we are expanding the Lamborghini lineup with a purist model that adds yet another dimension of driving fun. This will appeal in particular to a very special group of customers that enjoy a spirited driving style and also like to experience the sheer pleasure of open-air driving,” says Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. “This special model with rear-wheel drive is a logical expansion of our lineup of spyder models with all-wheel drive.”

The most important technical characteristics of the Lamborghini LP 550-2 Spyder are already recognizable from the model designation – LP stands for Longitudinale/Posteriore, for the mid-engine built longitudinally in front of the rear axle. 550 refers to the power output in hp, and the 2 stands for the drive to the rear wheels. At Lamborghini, the word spyder means the ultimate synthesis of a fascinating, powerfully expressive super sports car design, the ultimate open-air thrill and sheer pleasure for all the senses.

A driving experience of the highest precision

The Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Spyder with rear-wheel drive is the perfect fit for the kind of sports car driver that enjoys a particularly hands-on and spirited style of driving. The setup is laid out to ensure that the rear end remains reliable and stable at all times, while the front axle steers with the highest level of precision and limits movement to an absolute minimum.

Thanks to the supremely powerful V10 engine, controlled oversteer is not a problem, although always and only to the extent prescribed by the driver. Its easy-to-control road manners and the ESP assistant system developed for these vehicles make the Gallardo LP 550-2 Spyder an outstandingly safe sports car to drive.

Further developed chassis, drive system and engine

In order to shape this unique character of driving fun and safety, the engineers in Sant’Agata Bolognese carried out extensive modifications to the Gallardo LP 550-2 Spyder, developing it specifically for these new characteristics. Not only was drive concentrated on the rear axle, the vehicle was also completely retuned in all its dynamic details. This Includes a specific dampers setting. The aerodynamics were also adapted to account for the change in the distribution of forces.

The vehicle show out its goods with a rear axle with the 45-percent locking differential, and the adoption of the e-gear transmission. All completed with a fine adaptation of the ESP stability control system. While the standard program puts a priority on stability, the CORSA program allows larger drift angles and delivers a highly intensive appreciation of the full dynamics of the LP 550-2. All the excellent characteristics of the Gallardo chassis are fully retained – its pleasing bodyroll comfort, as well as its excellent directional stability at high speed.

Outstanding performance is guaranteed

The heart of the Gallardo – the 5.2-liter ten-cylinder – was also retuned and its characteristics optimized for rear-wheel drive, delivering that perfect and breathtaking synthesis of high-revving pleasure, pulling power, exuberant temperament and powerful melody in all keys. In the LP 550-2 Spyder, the compact and lightweight power unit delivers 405 kW (550 hp). Thanks to systematic Lamborghini lightweight design and an extremely low dry weight of just 1,520 kilograms, phenomenal performance is guaranteed – the LP 550-2 catapults itself from zero to 100 km/h in just 4,2 seconds. And its top speed of 319km/h guarantees it a place among the ultimate super sports cars. The soft-top of the Gallardo Spyder is designed for unlimited top-speed enjoyment both open and closed.

Careful individualization of the lineup

With the Gallardo LP 550-2 Spyder, Lamborghini is expanding its most successful model line of all time (to-date a total of nearly 11.800 have been built in Sant’Agata Bolognese) with a stunning variant that continues the successful individualization of its lineup. This includes the LP 560-4 Spyder, as well as the ultra-high-performance Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante, which boasts an even further weight reduction through carbon-fiber lightweight engineering. The latest version among the coupe variants is the Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale – the road-going version of the race car featured in the world’s fastest single-brand racing series.

Source: Lamborghini

I am like any other car enthusiast; I enjoy a good drag race especially if one of the cars is an exotic or true classic. Well, one car that happens to be a hodgepodge of a classic, exotic and dragster is a highly modified Lamborghini Countach sporting a front engine and a blower big enough to swallow little children whole. During a recent run down a Sydney Dragway in Sydney, Australia, this ridiculous Lamborghini hits the wall at full throttle ending the potentially epic finish for this Countach which has obviously seen better days. Hit the jump below below to check it out.

[sources: Symbolic Motor Car via Youtube]

A Lamborghini Aventador costs $379,000, which is serious money by almost anyone’s definition. That investment buys you a 700 horsepower supercar, and the envy of your friends and neighbors. Like most cars, the more you drive an Aventador, the less it’s worth; even if you park it in your garage and never drive it, it’s likely going to be years (or even decades) before the car increases in value.

On the other hand, art can often be a good investment, which is why German artist / model maker Robert Gulpen crafts exotic cars out of precious metals, exotic components and rare gems. His models typically take 200 hours to complete, and the price of each one is “available on request.” Let’s be honest here: if the price of a sterling silver with gold accents Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster, in 1:16 scale, is even a concern, then you’re not a serious customer.

For REALLY serious customers, Robert Gulpen has created the world’s most expensive model. His rendering of a Lamborghini Aventador, in 1:8 scale, is built from real carbon fiber blended with gold thread just 1/1000 of a millimeter in diameter. The rims and the interior parts are both cast from gold and platinum, and the seats are inlaid with diamonds and other gemstones.

Gulpen estimates that he’s got about $2.8 million worth of raw materials in the car, plus some 500 hours spent crafting it. When it hits auction in December, the starting bid will be $4.83 million, which makes this the most expensive model car ever created. Gulpen has snapped up two other world records with the project as well, including the most expensive Lamborghini logo and the world’s safest display showcase.

If the car sells at auction, Gulpen has committed to donating $690,000 to charity. That may be noble, but we’re still calling this stupid money; if blowing five million dollars on a model car (even one crafted from precious metals) sounds like a good idea, you simply have too much money.

Source: Carscoop, via Left Lane News and You Tube