Parking spaces are inadequate in most cities and people park indiscriminately in any space they can find. The authorities will take action and even tow some vehicles away if not place a summons notice on the windscreen. But they cannot be around all the time so there will be cases (many of them) when cars are parked illegally and inconvenience others.
Usually, people will grumble about the inconsiderate parking which may obstruct pedestrians from walking by safely. In some cases, cars are parked at the entrance of ramps for those won wheelchairs, preventing them from going up to a kerb easily.
Most of the times, people will just grumble and with social media these days, take pictures and post them on pages like ‘Stupid Parking Idiots’. But one person recently decided to take his own action against a car parked illegally near a bus stop in George Town, Penang. The car also blocked a passage for disabled people in wheelchairs.
With just a few weeks to go before Lamborghini’s first hybrid super sportscar makes its debut, the carmaker is saying farewell to its renowned naturally-aspirated V12 engine. With a history going back to the very first Lamborghini car, the V12 engine is very much a part of the brand’s DNA and success.
“The V12 engine is one of the pillars of our history and our marque’s success,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Automobili Lamborghini Chairman & CEO. “As we head towards embracing a new era of hybridization at the heart of our Cor Tauri strategy, this is the Lamborghini way of celebrating the naturally aspirated V12 with two one-off vehicles that perfectly represent our concept of excellence in personalization.”
The Lamborghini Urus super SUV has been a success for the sportscar maker right from the time it went on sale in 2018. Within the first four years, 20,000 units were sold, making it the company’s best-selling model in the shortest time ever. Last year, of the 9,322 vehicles Lamborghini delivered worldwide, 5,367 of them were the Urus.
For most people, owning an Urus (which presently has an 18-month waiting list) is already something special. But there will be some who still want their luxury SUV to be more unique and are willing to pay the extra money for personalisation.
After showing an intriguing video of an extreme off-road sportscar in July, Lamborghini has presented the production model at Art Basel in Florida this week. The sportscar in the video had been based on a concept car called the Huracan Sterrato, and the production model will also have the same name. 1,499 units will be available, with first deliveries beginning in the first quarter of 2023.
“The Sterrato represents a radical and original interpretation of the super sportscar concept but, in terms of performance, the Sterrato belongs in the world’s most dynamic and exciting driving environments,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s Chairman & CEO, after unveiling the car at the international contemporary art fair.
Lamborghini is one of the legendary names among sportscars, many of its models having performance that was so superior that they began to be called supercars (although Lamborghini today refers to them as super sportscars). Like many of the great old car companies, Lamborghini was founded by one man with a determination to make the best cars in the world – Ferruccio Lamborghini.
Most articles about the history of Lamborghini typically start from the time he was already a well known tractor manufacturer in Italy. There is not much about his childhood or the beginnings of his dream which began after World War II when he returned home. Now, a new movie ‘Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend’ shows the missing periods and it is based on a book by his son, Tonino.
After a 3-year forced absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia series will return for the 2023 season. The intercontinental one-make series is run in 3 regions; besides Asia, it is also run in Europe and North America. It is organized by Lamborghini Squadra Corse and teams use the Huracan Super Trofeo Evo model.
The 2023 season will be the ninth in the series and participants will travel to 5 countries across the Asia Pacific region before reuniting with the European and North American championship for the Lamborghini Grand Finals.
If you have the opportunity to land at Guglielmo Marconi Airport in Bologna, Italy, you may see a Lamborghini moving around on the tarmac. It’s not there for a ‘Fast & Furious’ shoot but does an important duty daily as a ‘follow-me’ vehicle that guides aircraft, typically after they land or when they are taxiing to take off.
Since 2013 (its 50th anniversary year), Lamborghini has provided its sportscar to the airport which serves Bologna, the home city of Lamborghini. “The presence of Lamborghini in this hub has a two-fold value: it endorses our relationship with the region that is home to us and with which we have strong bonds, but it is also an important ‘business card’ for both Bolognese and international passengers who have the chance to appreciate our brand up close. This is a local link but with a global vision, therefore right in step with Lamborghini philosophy,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman & CEO of Automobili Lamborghini.
Recently, the partnership was extended until 2025, and to start of the renewed association, there is complete restyling of Lamborghini’s exhibition space located in the main entrance of the terminal’s ground floor. Passengers passing through will be able to view a Lamborghini model permanently on display, buy brand accessories and, if they are staying in the city for a while, book factory and museum tours.
Since going on sale in 2018, the Lamborghini Urus has been a great successor for the Italian sportscar company. Up to June this year, over 20,000 units have been delivered worldwide, making it Lamborghini’s bestselling model in the shortest time ever.
The impressive high performance of the Urus inspired Lamborghini to coin the term ‘Super SUV’ for its model. And in the four years that the Urus has been around, other carmakers like Aston Martin, Audi and BMW M have also launched their Super SUVs.
So Lamborghini has decided it’s time to update its original Super SUV with enhanced performance. The new Urus S replaces the standard Urus and gets the same performance level as the Urus Performante which debuted in August. However, where the Performante is performance-focussed, the Urus S is more oriented towards luxury.
A light blue Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae Roadster was the last pure, naturally-aspirated V12 Lamborghini to be produced, bringing an era to the end. Lamborghini has sold more Aventadors than the sum of all its previous V12 models, delivering its 10,000th Aventador in September 2020.
Unveiled at Geneva Motor Show in 2011 as the Aventador LP 700-4, the Aventador was a game-changer at its launch, and stood as the flagship model of the sportscar maker for 11 years of production.
“The Aventador is a jump of two generations in terms of design and technology, with an exceptional package of unique, innovative technologies and performance that is simply overwhelming,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman & CEO of Automobili Lamborghini at the time of its launch.
A second collaboration between Lamborghini and Ducati was unveiled to the public at the San Marino Grand Prix at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli – the new Ducati Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini. An exclusive limited edition model, only 630 units will be built with each one priced at £55,995 (around RM288,350).
The Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini follows the Ducati Diavel 1260 Lamborghini which was presented two years ago in the first collaboration between the two companies, ambassadors of the ‘Made in Italy’ brand. While the first superbike was inspired by the Sian hybrid supercar, this latest one has been inspired by the Huracan STO.
The new superbike adopts the well-known ‘Fight Formula’ to the technical base of the Panigale V4 S 2023, while integrating elements and stylistic features that are unmistakably Lamborghini. Integrating technical and stylistic elements typical of Lamborghini DNA – and the Huracan STO, in particular – the superbike has exclusive livery in green and orange.
Huracan design elements The Ducati Style Centre, in collaboration with Lamborghini’s Centro Stile, redesigned the superstructures of this special bike, drawing inspiration from the Huracan STO. It features specially-made forged wheels enhanced by the titanium clamping nut on the rear, with the front fender design is inspired by the air ducts integrated in the supercar’s ‘cofango’. The toe cap, radiator cover, wings, tank cover and tail are all made of carbonfibre, the same lightweight material used for all Lamborghinis.
The livery features the STO logo and the number ’63’, which refers to the year in which Lamborghini was founded. Multiply that number by 10 and you get 630 – the number of units of the superbike that will be available.
The colours used are exactly the same as those used for the Huracan STO, with a base in Verde Citrea (green) and contrasting parts in Arancio Dac (orange). The model name and the unique number of each unit are shown on a metal plate inserted in the central tank cover and an aluminium insert on the ignition key. Each owner will get a number Certificate of Authenticity for the superbike.
The superbike’s seat is also inspired by the Huracan STO’s seat finish with accents matching the superstructure. At the heart of the Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini is the 1103 cc Desmosedici Stradale engine with power of 208 ps with a dry clutch, as on the Ducati MotoGP and Superbike models.
Even more exclusivity In addition to the 630 units, Ducati will offer an even more exclusive series dedicated to 63 Lamborghini customers. Thanks to the Ducati’s Style Centre and Speciale Clienti program, they will be able to create unique versions by customizing their Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini with livery and rims in the same colour as their car. It will then be possible to choose the brake caliper colours and seat details from those included in the Huracan STO palettes, in addition to the standard colour scheme.
