Lamborghini Archives

Kode 0 is a 1970s inspired Aventador

Remember the Kode 57 that we covered in September? Well, Ken Okuyama and his team are at it again but this time, they have taken a crack at revamping a current gen Lambo. The Japanese designer’s previous creation, the Kode 57 was rebodied Enzo with special tweaks and features.

This new one, known as Kode 0, has been tastefully reworked to resemble supercars from the 1970s. Okuyama took a standard Lamborghini Aventador and reworked the skin to form a wedge-shaped design unlike any other. Though the support structure was maintained for safety purposes, most of the outer body is unique to the Kode 0.

Okuyama’s team used both wet and dry carbon-fibre to create this masterpiece. The owner who commissioned this build, specifically wanted it to have a chrome exterior. But the end result, which probbaly took serious convincing, is better suited for a vehicle of its class.

Under the hood is the same V12 that comes with the standard car, but the suspension and brakes are unique to the Kode 0. The same is true for the rest of the design elements, including the interior.

The Kode 0 has been introduced with the blessing of Lamborghini. Okuyama personally sought the approval of the Italian automaker before the ‘OK’ was given for the project. That said, somone of Okuyama’s caliber, who served as design chief of Pininfarina and lays claim to the Enzo and Quattroporte’s design work, is incapable of mucking up such a project.

Check out the video and let us know what you think of the car and whether it deserves to be given the same respect as an Aventador. Also, take a look at Jay Leno’s Garage Youtube channel for more videos such as the one featured here.

Four amazing cars that were on display at IAA

Frankfurt played host to some of the more interesting reveals in recent years. A number of automakers brought out some pretty interesting and luxurious offerings. H.R. Owen, a leading luxury vehicle dealership is gearing up to have these vehicles put on sale soon.

The company deals with the world’s most sought-after premium car brands which include Bugatti, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and BAC. Here, were are going to a cover a number of more memorable cars that were unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Bentley Continental GT

The first car worthy of mention is Bentley’s new Continental GT, which sports a smoother and more rounded design, more prominent circular headlights with DRLs and of course an all-new engine. Its an enhanced version of the company’s famous 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 TSI engine that is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Ferrari Portofino

Like Bentley, Ferrari too had something pretty interesting to show us. It launched the Portofino, an entry level Ferrari and a successor to the California T. It’s a drop-top GT that is powered by a 592bhp engine and a E-Diff3 limited-slip differential.

It is supposed to be lighter than its predecessor, and that coupled with a more powerful engine, means that the Portofino requires just 3.5 seconds to get from 0-100km/h, a mere 0.1 seconds slower than the more expensive and sophisticated GTC4 Lusso.

Bugatti Chiron

Bugatti’s main reason for showing up at Frankfurt was to flaunt its Chiron hypercar at its rivals. The Chiron made the news recently for setting a remarkable pace record by accelerating from 0-400km/h and back to a standstill in just 41.96 seconds.

What’s even more remarkable than this is that the Chiron needed only 3.112km to accomplish this feat. It’s an astonishing vehicle both in terms of capability and styling. H.R. Owen’s Bugatti London showroom will have an example on display for order and for the general public to salivate over.

Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster

Last but not least, Lamborghini was there too, primarily for the Aventador S Roadster. Compared to the standard car, the S version has more power and a four-wheel steering system. Though not revolutionary for the time, the Aventador is still one of the most extreme hypercars on sale today.

Unlike Ferrari and McLaren, Lamborghini vehemently believe that naturally aspirated engines still offer the best driving experience one would want. And until it’s no longer economically viable, they will continue to make these amazing non-boosted vehicles for the elite.

Porsche may lead development of Lamborghini Urus

According to recent reports, Lamborghini is looking to ‘one up’ Ferrari at its own game by certain restructuring strategies. But out of the lot, we are most interested in the plans of launching its first ever SUV.

Based on an article published by automobilemag.com, there has been some talk of the production of the automaker’s upcoming hyper-SUV, the Urus, which is slated for launch next year. It is said to be based on the third generation Cayenne, and will sport a number of engine options including a 458bhp plug-in hybrid V6 and a 660bhp 4.0-litre V8.

That isn’t breaking news, but what is however, is the idea that Porsche instead of Lamborghini might be running the show. Audi, acquired Lamborghini in 1999 and the former, is owned by Volkswagen who also owns Porsche. (It’s complicated family tree)

Perhaps the powers that be, hope that with Porsche at the helm of the project, things would progress smoothly as opposed to having the Italian automaker calling the shots. Mind you, this isn’t the first time that the Germans have abruptly stepped in.

The Gallardo, Lamborghini’s most popular vehicle, and which has accounted for a significant portion of the brands sales growth over the yers, shared the same platform as the Audi R8. This had many purists up in arms because they feared that the move had diluted the appeal.

However, they were sadly mistaken and the Gallardo went on to sell like hot cakes in the 10 years that the model was kept in production. And this same strategy could work for the Urus as well.

As a side note, Lamborghini are also working on a Huracan that can do some mild adventure-like activities. Unlike the regular car, this one will have an increased ride height to allow for improved ground clearance. This Huracan will probably be fitted with bigger tyres as well as wider fenders to compensate for them.

Based on this, we can surmise that no automotive manufacture, regardless of heritage, can resist the allure of the SUV. It’s a product line that is in constant demand, especially when they are made by luxury brands.

Source: automobilemag.com

Jamiroquai’s Lamborghini Diablo is up for sale

The viola-metallic Lamborghini Diablo, made famous after being featured in Jamiroquai’s 1990s hit single, Cosmic Girl, has been put up for sale. It has been listed on Auto Trader, which is the UK’s largest marketplace for new and used cars.

It’s one of two identical car that were featured in the 1996 music video. The first car met its unfortunate end after a crash on the video set. This second car, took its place but it too encountered an unlucky incident. During filming, a precision camera fell on it from a considerable height, decimating the windshield.

Jamiroquai’s lead man, Jay Kay, decided to keep driving the car for the remainder of the filming without a front windshield. And as such, unlike many celebrity cars, this particular Lambo has had quite a past and probably a hex too.

Now, its up for sale with a price tag of £549,995 (RM 3,113,357) and happens to be one of only 16 right-hand-drive models in exsistance. Amari Supercars, a car dealership in the UK, claims to have sold it to the band in 1996. And since then, the Lambo has been past on two further owners before being returned to the dealership after spending sometime in Germany.

Speaking of the car, Auto Trader Car’s Editor, Andy Pringle, said, “One of three classic supercars used in the Cosmic Girl video – it’s the only one that the ‘Space Cowboy’ actually owned – so although it might price-out most music fans at over half a million pounds – there could be a love affair reunited on the cards if Jay Kay’s browsing Auto Trader this week.”

Celebrity involvement aside, the Diablo was one of the most iconic cars of the 1990s. It was the quintessential hypercar of an era when Traction Control and Stability Assist systems were almost nonexistent. It was a true driver’s car and one that required a significant amount of physical strength to keep it in check.

Built at Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, the Diablo, which is Spanish for devil, was a mid-engine hypercar built between 1990 and 2001. It had either a 5.7 or 6.0-litre V12 engine that was mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

It replaced the wedge-shaped Countach and was a brute with 485bhp available from its spectacular V12 engine. It was capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in just 4.5 seconds, which was incredibly fast for the time and capable of achieving a top speed of 325km/h.

Unlike the Countach, the Diablo came with better creature comforts including adjustable seats and steering wheel, power windows and Alpine stereo system. Despite this, the car was a real handful to drive because power steering and ABS only became available in later years.

It was eventually replaced by the Murcielago but we are quite sure that the one up for sale, will fetch a significant amount of money and will be an amazing collector’s item for the near future.

Lamborghini Huracán Performante arrive in UK for demo purposes

The First Lamborghini Huracán Performante demonstrators have reached the UK’s H.R. Owens , where the iconic Lamborghini London dealership will put the exotic track-focused car on display as well as demonstrate to customers, what it can accomplish.

It’s the very same showroom that was named the No.1 Lamborghini dealership worldwide in 2016. It has also displayed a number of other iconic cars, which include the Centenario, Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo racer and the 1988 Countach QV.

This is considered the first wave of demos in the UK and allow Lamborghini customers to experience the sheer agility and acceleration that this car has to offer compared to the standard Huracan.

It’s considerably lighter than the base Huracan, weighing about 40kg lighter at 1,382kg in dry weight. This was achieved through extensive use of carbon fiber and forged aluminium. The changes that set it apart from the base car are new front and rear bumpers, carbon fiber bumper skirts, new rear spoiler and a new interior that features a different digital speedometer.

Carbon fibre has been used extensively throughout parts like the rear spoiler, front splitter, rear diffuser as well as other elements of the car. Together, they form the active aerodynamic system of the car that move independently to ensure clean airflow for better grip and higher top speed. Like the Sesto Elemento, several body panels have been hollowed out to reduce weight, an extreme way to make a car lighter.

Though the engine is the same 5.2-litre V10 that is in the rest of Huracan variants, but the one in the Perfomante produces 631bhp and 601Nm of torque, allowing it to sprint to 100km/h from a standstill in under 3.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 325km/h.

Thanks to the extensive weight saving measures and a more powerful engine, the Huracan Performante managed to set a new lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in October of 2016. Its considered one of the more special Lamborghinis right now.

Lamborghini opens its largest showroom in Dubai

China seems to be the main attraction for mainstream automakers due to the size of its market and manufacturing/logistical capabilities. Lamborghini however, begs to differ because the supercar maker has setup shop in Dubai. It is the largest Lamborghini showroom in the world and is located along Sheik Zayed Road.

The showroom covers a surface area of 1,800 square meters and comprises of three floors that house sales, service and merchandise departments. The large showroom area in an attempt to maximize space to display the various models that the Italian automaker currently has to offer.

Unlike the usual showrooms that we are used to, the Lamborghini one can be likened to that of a 9-year old’s fantasy. The sales gallery houses some of the most exquisite supercars that Sant’Agata currently makes. Various variants of the Avantador and Huracan line the the showroom floor, which can only be described as a Lamborghini fan’s idea of heaven.

The facility has a state of the art service centre where highly trained technicians tend to customer vehicles in immaculate working conditions. There’s also a merchandise store where fans and customers of Lamborghini can browse through and purchase an impressive selection of Lamborghini branded attire, accessories, model cars and other memorabilia.

The Italian supercar maker plans on servicing customers in the Middle East with the best that the company has to offer as well as build on its current clientele and cover more markets in the region.