Automotive Einstein

The Lamborghini Aventador replaces the Murcielago, and those are some pretty big shoes to fill. As one of the world’s preeminent supercars, the Murcielago was devastatingly quick and, despite its demure-for-Lambo looks, loud and brash. The Aventador takes a big step forward, technologically speaking: its seven-speed transmission uses only one clutch but is lighter than comparable dual-clutch setups, and it snaps off gearshifts like a machine gun. Power comes from a 6.5-liter V-12, which manages to be cleaner and more efficient than the old engine while amping up the power to a mind-blowing 691 horses. The Aventador uses carbon-fiber construction throughout its body (the passenger cell is one solid tub of carbon fiber), which keeps weight down despite the car’s hulking size. With styling reminiscent of the Sesto Elemento concept car, the Aventador draws visual comparisons to a jet fighter, but it could draw performance comparisons, too. Lamborghini claims that the Aventador can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than three seconds and tops out in excess of 200 mph, putting it in an elite club of supercars. The Aventador is the ultimate metamorphosis of the Italian sports car. For those with the money to spend, having an Aventador in the garage is a one-way ticket to a world of speed and striking looks.

For all the hype surrounding the new Aventador LP 700-4, you might have forgotten that Lamborghini still builds the Gallardo supercar. There is now yet another variant of the Gallardo, baptized LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale and unveiled to the public at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The car’s suffix succinctly explains its purpose: Super Trofeo refers to the one-make European racing series featuring the Lamborghini Gallardo, while Stradale is Italian for road. This car, then, is a road-going Gallardo inspired by the Super Trofeo race cars.

Photo Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale First Look – Automobile Magazine

It’s a challenge for anyone to keep up with the constantly changing roster of cars on dealership lots. For car lovers it’s an even tougher task, because beyond knowing that a certain model exists, you need to know where it fits in the automotive firmament. That’s why we’ve gathered every new model due by the first half of 2012 and categorized them, not alphabetically or by some government-defined size class, but by their relevance to buyers, enthusiasts, and the companies that build them. Some cars thrust automakers into new segments, while others drive just like last year’s model. Some cars protect the sanctity of the manual transmission, while others advance performance with the latest technology. Some cars address rising fuel-economy standards, while others disguise obscene speed in stealthy sheetmetal. Here are the 85 new arrivals shaping the automotive world for 2012.

Photo Gallery: New Cars 2012 – Automobile Magazine

Two days, two totally different driving experiences, two key questions.

And how do these two high flyers compare to the sports car establishment?

True, it would have been nice to include the exciting new Lamborghini Aventador, and perhaps even the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, in this contest, but we had to draw the line somewhere. That’s how the 1200-hp Bugatti and the $390K Lambo fell off the grid, as did the Gumperts, Koenigseggs, and Paganis of this world. In the end, we picked the following six competitors: Audi R8 5.2 coupe, Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder Performante, McLaren MP4-12C, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, and Porsche 911 GT2 RS. Past masters like the Nissan GT-R, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, the Jaguar XKR-S, and the Aston Martin DBS would arguably also fit in, but for clarity and compatibility we decided to concentrate on the newest and most advanced variations of the breed. The showdown was staged on the “world’s fastest” racetrack in Rockingham, Northamptonshire, England (day one), as well as on the most challenging rural roads of North Wales (day two). Ready for the ride of your life? Then come aboard, buckle up, and take a deep breath.

Photo Gallery: Supercar Summit: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi R8, Porsche 911, McLaren MP4-12C, and Ferrari 458 Italia – Automobile Magazine

In the ever-changing automotive market, there are a few evergreen nameplates that sell massive volumes year after year. The Toyota Corolla and Honda Accord are the traditional volume winners, last year selling a combined 639,185 vehicles , to put that in perspective, there are more Corollas and Accords sold each year than there are residents in the state of Vermont.

Photo Gallery: The Eight Slowest-Selling Cars – Automobile Magazine

At board meetings, on test tracks, and in design studios, decisions are being made today that will influence what you drive tomorrow. Automakers are hard at work creating the next generation of automobiles — cars that are faster, sexier, more efficient — while trying to keep their development secret. Like you, we are nosy as hell. Unlike you, we have a vast network of snoops, gossips, and disgruntled former employees who have helped us uncover the information we present here. Our annual Sneak Preview feature contains the industry’s future products — as far out as 2019 — that are worth saving your milk money for.

Photo Gallery: 2011 Sneak Preview – Automobile Magazine

Ezra dyer got to go to Rome to drive Lamborghini’s latest flagship, the Aventador, which replaces the Murcielago. A week before he flew to Italy, I am at the Monticello Motor Club 100 miles northwest of Manhattan to drive the two latest versions of the Aventador’s smaller sibling, the Gallardo. Rome is nice, but the swanky, members-only, Monticello track is no slum, and I don’t have to worry about jet lag, just clipping apexes correctly. Also, the Gallardo might not be the latest and greatest Lamborghini, but the LP550-2 Bicolore and the LP570-4 Spyder Performante are the latest and greatest Gallardos. The Gallardo, for its part, is the best-selling Lamborghini of all time. More than 10,000 of them have been sold worldwide since the car debuted at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, its sales buttressed by a carefully orchestrated rollout of new models designed to tempt rich guys who cannot resist the latest Italian baubles. There is a group of such rich guys, specially invited by Lamborghini, waiting in the Monticello canteen for the peasant scribes to finish our morning drive so they can take the wheels of the LP550-2 Bicolore and LP570-4 Spyder Performante test cars, assuming we don’t destroy them first. One of these guys tells me he already owns a Gallardo coupe; another tells me he owns a Ferrari F430 Spider. If they are surprised that they have to wait for the likes of us to finish driving before they are allowed out on the track, they are polite enough not to show it.

Photo Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Bicolore & LP570-4 Spyder Performante – First Drive – Automobile Magazine