Lamborghini May Drop Manual Transmission

As a driver, I always like the feeling of having my left foot do something while driving. Hardcore gearheads share the same opinion that there’s nothing like driving a “proper” manual.

But with supercars, manual transmission have started to be a thing of the past. With electronic wizardry now having a critical role in managing all aspects of the car, having a driver do the shifting is now a very rare thing.

Manual transmissions are fitted to less than 5% of Lambo’s fleet and automatic gearboxes have gotten so much better that they change gears faster than any person with a manual.

Lambo is currently working on the following priority list: 1) design, 2) handling, 3) acceleration, and 4) top speed.

BF Performance Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4

Lamborghini’s already quite content with the Gallardo LP560-4 but tuning Swiss firm BF Performance demands better for the car. Funny ’cause Lambo’s already one of the most radical stylists around and their engineering is nothing short of perfect most of the time.

Still, the Swiss decided to tweak the Gallardo and turn it into a more aggressive and more dynamic GT600. Outside, one can readily see the new aero kit which is made from carbon fiber.

Up front, the kit includes a bumper with huge air inlets and a front spoiler reminiscent of the Reventon. The car also sports sideskirts. At the back is a rear diffuser and a new rear wing. Five-point race belts, a roll-over cage and carbon ceramic brakes round up the package.

The car can also be given a full racing pedigree by taking 4 off the LP560-4 and convert it to pure rear-wheel drive. With added tweaks and tuning, the GT600 can even beat the LP640-4 Super Veloce around the Sachsenring course by 0.6 seconds.

BF Performance offers tuning for both coupe and the spyder versions of the Gallardo.

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 SuperVeloce in the Works

Again, this is why no one can probably keep a secret these days thanks mostly to the Internet. Scuttlebutt had it that Lambo was working on a Gallardo SV and a picture.

For those of you who aren’t supercar nuts, The SuperVeloce badge is only slapped on the meanest Lambo versions. This Gallardo SV follows in the footsteps of the mean Murcielago LP 670-4 SV launched last year.

The Gallardo’s basically the baby Lambo so we can’t expect it to be more powerful than its big brother. But the car does get the SV treatement. It’s been put on a diet and given more oomph – 570 hp total – and that is hanneled to all four wheels.

The picture doesn’t really tell us much other than it might be featured in a special black and white body color but then again, there’s always Photoshop.

Source: Left Lane

JB-Tuned: Lamborghini Murcielago LP-640 JB-R

As always, the first thought that comes to mind to when “tuned” and “exotica” mix, is “WTF?!?” You’re already paying a lot of premium for the marquee be it a Lambo, a Ferrari or a Porsche. So why have another not-as-popular tuning house add its name to that? Not if you’re mad with power.

German tuner JB Car Design laid its hands on a Lamborghini Murcielago LP-640 hoping to turn a raging bull into even a madder beast. And they did. They upped the power from 640 to a range of options dishing out 710 to 750 hp.

The body is tweaked to look more aggressive with a new front bumper, sills, and revamped rear. It now even sports a titanium sports exhaust system. The car now sits atop 20-inch Schmidt Revolution aluminum wheels. As if the Lambo wasn’t sporty enough.

Inside, JB added leather and aluminium accents. The car even has a new F1-style steering wheel. Fancy one? Be prepare to put down $740,000 (500,000 Euros) for it. With a weak dollar, that’s a heck of a price to pay.

Lamborghini and U-Dub Collaborate on Carbon Fiber

And whoever said that laboratories are only for geeks. Lambo officially unveiled the new Advance Composite Structure Laboratory based at University of Washington in a day that featured speeches and Lambo test drives.

Lamborghini’s investing on developing advanced composites with the help of some boffins from U-Dub. The effort is aimed at developing future carbon fiber technologies. Imagine lighter and stronger composites that could propel cars to new heights.

The laboratory is equipped with various equipment that would allow for manufacturing and testing carbon fiber tech. For testing, the lab has lightning strike generators, a drop tower and crash test facilities. Talk about a real torture test for hardy composites.

We just hope that they can also develop something that can be filtered down to mass production cars.

Source: Inside Line

Lamborghini Working on Murcielago Replacement

Now this is some bit of news every gearhead’s excited to hear about. Lambo’s working on a new raging bull to replace the Murcielago and Lambo’s promising that it be a better beast in every way over the current Murcielago.

Since Lambo’s basically Audi (and Audi’s basically Volkswagen’s), the replacement will be using Audi’s aluminum space-frame chassis. The body will be made out of carbon fiber to shave pounds of the car. Lighter means faster and even more fuel-efficient than the current car.

The Lambo’s power will be coming from a 6.0L V12 that dishes out 700 hp. Given the lightweight frame, the car can zoom from standstill to 60 mph in about 3 seconds. With those stats, we expect the new car to be in the next class of the supercar elite.

Since this is Lambo we’re talking about, expect some mad stylings.

Never thought fuel efficiency would factor in for Lambos but reports have it that this new car might just be the basis of Lambo’s own hybrid cars.

Source: AutoExpress