Lamborghini

Cars get stolen all the time, but a few elements about this story make it stand out. First of all, this was no ordinary car. Secondly, it didn’t belong to just anyone. And thirdly, it wasn’t stolen with a simple coat hanger and a pair of pliers.

The story coming in from San Francisco reports the theft of a yellow 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo belonging to celebrity chef Guy Fieri from a local exotic car dealership. According to the report, police figure the thief climbed up onto the roof of the dealership, rappelled down on a rope, busted open the garage door and drove off with the Lamborghini.

[Source: San Francisco Chronicle]

Celebrity Chef’s Lamborghini Stolen in Daring Heist at San Francisco Dealership originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As our sibling site Autoblog mentioned earlier, the luxury cars of Ponzi schemer Byron Keith Brown are headed to auction in Maryland. Brown was convicted and given 15 years in prison for a scam that cost people a total of $17 million. The Baltimore Sun reported that the cars are being sold on March 1 as part of an auction run for the U.S. Treasury Department. Proceeds will be added to the U.S. Treasury’s Asset Forfeiture Fund and net proceeds derived from the assets will be available as restitution for the victims of Brown’s crimes.

Brown ran a company called “In God We Trust Financial Services” and several others under different names in Virginia and Maryland pushing an investment scheme that gave the appearance that people were sending him up to $1 million. Brown spent his money of a variety of flashy cars including a 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago, a 2005 Rolls Royce Phantom, a 2004 Mercedes Benz Maybach 57, a 2006 Aston Martin and many more. A total of 17 cars are being sold, the complete list is at Mahheim Auctions. The auction takes place at the Manheim Baltimore-Washington location, 7120 Dorsey Run Road, Elkridge, MD, 21075.

Make sure you don’t get caught in a Ponzi scheme, check out the tips below on how to avoid shady investments.

Ponzi Schemer’s Luxury Cars Go Up For Auction originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Back in August we told you about the Qatar royals’ $2.5 million in customized baby blue supercars which were clamped by the cops in London outside Harrods, which they bought for $2.2 billion last spring. Now a member of Qatar’s ruling Al-Thani clan has crashed one of them, the $550,000 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce (above) in London as well. The car was nearly totaled at Hyde Park Corner after a high-speed chase involving a white BMW M5, which got the worst of it. “The BMW smashed into the central reservation, bounced off and then hit the Lamborghini,” an eyewitness told the London Evening Standard. “Both cars were definitely traveling very fast.” There were no injuries and no arrests following the incident, which came after most of the Arab playboys had taken their toys home again after a high octane summer. “We thought it was going to quieten down but it’s picking up again,” solicitor Bruce Beringer, who lives in the posh neighborhood, told the paper. “It’s like a second season. We are kept up until 4 am because of the noise of these people revving their engines and racing down the street. These Bugattis and Ferraris make a huge amount of noise.”

Qatar Royal Crashes Lamborghini in London originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Can’t decide between the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 and the Ferrari Four? One’s a front-engined hatchback and the other a mid-engined wedge, but form factor aside, the two have more in common than you might think. They’ve both got new V12 engines bigger than six liters and with over 600 horsepower. They’re both all-wheel drive, each tops the range from arch-rival exotic Italian automakers and cost upwards of $300,000. So which one would you take?

Even if you have the cash on hand, you’ll still have a while to think it over. Because according to reports, they’re both sold out for the rest of the year. Lamborghini earmarked 700 units for 2011, Ferrari 800. But they’ve all reportedly been spoken for. So take your time deciding which you like better. And then buy both. Hey, if you’re gonna dream, might as well dream big.

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Lamborghini Aventador & Ferrari Four Sold Out for 2011 originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geographically located in between the supercar capitals of Europe, Switzerland is where the world’s automakers come to showcase the latest array of mouth-watering, bank-balance-tempting exotic sports cars. And this year’s Geneva Motor Show didn’t disappoint in the least.

In between all those luxury sedans, upscale sport-utes and premium hatchbacks were a blinding assortment of six-figure supercars seemingly capable of bending the very laws of physics. Standing out from the crowd were brand-new offerings from Ferrari, Lamborghini and Pagani, new takes on old favorites from Maserati, Aston Martin and Jaguar, concept cars from Alfa Romeo, BMW and Wiesmann and more.

We went to Geneva to check them out with our own eyes (and lens) – follow the jump to see what we found, and click the images to view the full galleries from our sister-site Autoblog.

Continue reading 2011 Geneva Motor Show: The Supercars

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

2011 Geneva Motor Show: The Supercars originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And VW AG supervisory board chairman, billionaire Ferdinand Piech (grandson of Porsche founder Ferdinand Porsche) isn’t through trying to add premium and luxury brands. At the Geneva Motor Show this week Piech reiterated his interest in acquiring Italian brand Alfa Romeo, owned by Fiat, despite public statements by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne that the marque is not for sale.

Continue reading VW Closing Purchase of Porsche. Still Eyeing Alfa-Romeo

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

VW Closing Purchase of Porsche. Still Eyeing Alfa-Romeo originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My colleague Noah Joseph recently reported on the Lamborghini yacht concept from Italy’s Mauro Lecchi and exotic auto tuner Fenice Milano. Now the design duo have listed another luxe creation, the Diamond 44 superyacht, for sale via global online luxury marketplace JamesList for about $1.4 million.

Continue reading Diamond 44 by Lamborghini Yacht Designer Mauro Lecchi for Sale

Diamond 44 by Lamborghini Yacht Designer Mauro Lecchi for Sale originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When we first saw images of Mauro Lecchi’s design for a Lamborghini motoryacht, we were suitably impressed, but we didn’t think it would ever grace the water. Turns out we were mistaken, because the first example has been commissioned and is currently under construction.

The design takes its cues from Lamborghini sportscars and translates them into a 50-foot express power yacht – and an impressive one at that – made out of lightweight carbon-Kevlar. Fenice Milano – the same outfit responsible for those guilded Fiats and Rolls-Royces – has been brought in to work the interior, so you know it will be as outlandish as the exterior is menacing. We’ve updated the image gallery below with additional renderings as well as pictures of the vessel under construction, so why not take a look for yourself.

Mauro Lecchi & Fenice Milano Team Up to Build Lamborghini-Inspired Motoryacht originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Cars get stolen all the time, but a few elements about this story make it stand out. First of all, this was no ordinary car. Secondly, it didn’t belong to just anyone. And thirdly, it wasn’t stolen with a simple coat hanger and a pair of pliers.

The story coming in from San Francisco reports the theft of a yellow 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo belonging to celebrity chef Guy Fieri from a local exotic car dealership. According to the report, police figure the thief climbed up onto the roof of the dealership, rappelled down on a rope, busted open the garage door and drove off with the Lamborghini.

[Source: San Francisco Chronicle]

Celebrity Chef’s Lamborghini Stolen in Daring Heist at San Francisco Dealership originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News on the next-generation 2015 Audi R8 has been spilling forth for a bit now, but a report in Autocar has begun to put them into a single package. We knew that next R8 wouldn’t offer a manual option, only a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and that the monocoque would be a lighter, aluminum and carbon affair. Audi has apparently pegged a target weight of under 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds), meaning it will shed more than 135 kg (305 lbs.) versus today’s 4.2-liter V8 manual.

That will make the two engines in the next car – refined versions of the current naturally aspirated V8 and V10 – even more potent. Autocar didn’t mention an increase in displacement, but horsepower bumps were rated at 20 hp for the V8, to 450 hp, and 25 hp for the V10, to 550 hp. The GT will also benefit from 20 additional horses, getting 580 hp. More interestingly, neither mill will benefit from forced induction as Audi wants to maintain “the throttle response, the soaring nature of the delivery and the inherent sound.”

The evolution or disappearance of the sideblades on the “clean-sheet design” also wasn’t broached, but the trademark signifiers don’t appear in Autocar‘s rendering. The report states that it will take cues from the R8 e-tron (pictured), but they see intakes at the door shut-line, which feature very MP4-12C-like dual strakes. It’s only a rendering, but if sideblades are what you’re after then the future doesn’t look bright. We’ll see the sibling Lamborghini Gallardo replacement next year, a year before the R8 is shown in 2014.

Details on 2015 Audi R8 leak out originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Of all the car shows around the calendar year, the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance doesn’t typically fall on our radar screen. But maybe it should, because the annual event in Florida – young as it is – has a history of offering firsts. Maybe not the first time a vehicle is seen in North America, mind you, but a first just the same.

Last year the event included the sale of the first examples of the Ferrari FF, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster and Audi R8 GT to be delivered in America. The year before that, it was the Audi R8 5.2 FSI (yeah, that’s the one with the V10) and Ferrari California. And before that, the event’s auctioneers sold off the first Audi R8 Spyder, Ferrari 458 Italia and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

Noticing a pattern here? Organizers have no intention of dropping the ball this year, when they’ll be auctioning off the first U.S. deliveries of the new Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG. Now if you’re thinking that we haven’t even seen the new SL63 AMG yet, you’re absolutely right. The new SL itself has been shown, but not the AMG version, which is expected to pack Affalterbach’s 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 with 571 horsepower on tap. Once the car has been unveiled and deliveries commence, the winner of the auction is guaranteed to be the first to get one in the United States.

As if that’s not enough, there will also be an Audi R8 GT Spyder – one of only 50 slated for production and the only one in red to be made available in the U.S. – as well as a Lamborghini Aventador and a whole mess of special-edition Shelby muscle cars, with proceeds going to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Follow the link for more info, or head down on February 25th to see the bidding frenzy at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.

First Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG in America to be auctioned off at Boca concours originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some may beg to differ, but from where we sit, the acquisition Audi made of Lamborghini back in 1998 was a good thing, and remains as such. The resulting supercars to roll out of Sant’Agata Bolognese have been better than those made under prior owners by leaps and bounds. But who would have thought the relationship would benefit Audi as much as it has?

Not only did the partnership give Ingolstadt the sweet-revving V10 engine that powered the RS6 and S8 (until recent pressures necessitated a switch to a twin-turbo V8 instead), but it also gave Audi the underpinnings for the R8 … and a page or two out of the Lamborghini playbook.

The R8 has since grown to include two different engine specs, a convertible version and the hard-core R8 GT. But as if all that weren’t enough, it led to the crme-de-la-crme R8 GT Spyder. The limited-edition roadster packs the 5.2-liter V10 engine tuned up to 560 horsepower and unburdened of 187 pounds of excess weight, all without a roof to get between driver and the wind rushing rapidly by.

The hard-core, tire-burning attitude, however, is not all the R8 GT Spyder got from its Italian cousins. It also picked up a Lamborghini’s price tag, as Audi USA has just announced the sticker on the exclusive roadster: $210,000. That doesn’t include the $1,200 destination charge, taxes or optional equipment like carbon-ceramic brakes or Bang & Olufsen sound system.

That may seem mighty steep, but if you’ve got the cash to burn, don’t hesitate for too long, because with only 333 units to be built in total and just 50 earmarked for the United States, they’re bound to go fast. Like, Lamborghini fast. Follow the jump for the full press release, and seeing as how Audi has released a whole mess of new photos since the car’s initial launch, we’ve put those together for you in a fresh high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Audi prices R8 GT Spyder at a top-dropping $210,000*

Audi prices R8 GT Spyder at a top-dropping $210,000* originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Concept cars are typically designed and crafted as one-of-a-kind creations by automakers or independent design studios, shown at a couple of expositions, and then disappear into museum collections. But every once in a while, these radical rarities come up for sale or auction. And that once in a while is about to arrive, and arrive in a big way, this coming May. That’s when the venerable Bertone Museum collection will cross the auction block.

The six concept cars were all created in the 1960s-1980s by the famed Italian design house, which is now facing a restructuring and is selling off much of its collection. The items up for auction are the 1967 Lamborghini Marzal, 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero, 1963 Chevrolet Testudo, 1974 Lamborghini Bravo, 1980 Lamborghini Athon and 1978 Lancia Sibilo concept cars, ranging in pre-sale price estimates between six figures and as much as $2.5 million apiece.

The sale is being conducted by the venerable RM Auctions as part of its first event during the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como on May 21.

Bertone Concept Cars up for Auction at Villa d’Este originally appeared on Luxist on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Back in December my colleague Noah Joseph previewed some of the notable early consignments at Gooding & Company‘s Amelia Island sale. Now with the auction date of March 11 looming we have details on starring lots added in the interim. Recent additions to the stunning lineup include an extraordinary “barn find” 1955 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback with coachwork by H.J. Mulliner; a highly-original and unrestored 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV; and a 1962 AC Cobra. They join other incredible offerings including a 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Prototype, a 1963 Lotus 23B and a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (above).

“A true connoisseur’s car, the Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback has a place in the world’s finest collections,” says David Gooding, President and founder. “This recently-discovered, two-owner R-Type is the ultimate collector’s Bentley for its role in luxury motoring history and sophisticated performance specification.” Gooding have not released estimates for the Bentley or Miura, but expect the bidding to be fierce. Meanwhile the Aston Martin’s estimate is $425,000 – $475,000; the AC Cobra $450,000 – $550,000; the Lotus $175,000 – $225,000; and the Ferrari 250 GT Lusso $600,000 – $750,000.

Rare Ferraris, Bentleys, Astons & More at Gooding’s Amelia Island Sale originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Back in December my colleague Noah Joseph previewed some of the notable early consignments at Gooding & Company‘s Amelia Island sale. Now with the auction date of March 11 looming we have details on starring lots added in the interim. Recent additions to the stunning lineup include an extraordinary “barn find” 1955 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback with coachwork by H.J. Mulliner; a highly-original and unrestored 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV; and a 1962 AC Cobra. They join other incredible offerings including a 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Prototype, a 1963 Lotus 23B and a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (above).

“A true connoisseur’s car, the Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback has a place in the world’s finest collections,” says David Gooding, President and founder. “This recently-discovered, two-owner R-Type is the ultimate collector’s Bentley for its role in luxury motoring history and sophisticated performance specification.” Gooding have not released estimates for the Bentley or Miura, but expect the bidding to be fierce. Meanwhile the Aston Martin’s estimate is $425,000 – $475,000; the AC Cobra $450,000 – $550,000; the Lotus $175,000 – $225,000; and the Ferrari 250 GT Lusso $600,000 – $750,000.

Rare Ferraris, Bentleys, Astons & More at Gooding’s Amelia Island Sale originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Salon Priv, Europe’s finest and largest dedicated display of supercars, exotics, classics and luxury goods in an English garden party setting, is moving to an amazing new venue this summer to house the largest exhibition to date and an incredible auction alongside. Syon Park (above), the sprawling London estate of the Duke of Northumberland, whose family have lived there for over 400 years, is best known as the mansion used in the movie Gosford Park and is the last surviving ducal residence retaining its country estate in Greater London, making a fitting new setting for the five-star event slated for June 22nd – 24th.

To mark the occasion, RM Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction house, has selected Salon Priv as the venue for its third annual European sale. Themed ‘Quintessentially English’ and scheduled for June 23, the new RM sale is set to become a regular fixture on the company’s global events calendar, catering specifically for collectors with an affinity for British marques. Also joining the luxe event, now in its sixth season, for the first time is Land Rover who have confirmed that they will show the new Range Rover Evoque models which guests will be able to test drive.

2011 marks a return to the event for Porsche alongside such brands as Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Maserati, Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Morgan and Rolls-Royce. In addition to the stunning display of modern super and luxury cars, the event’s internationally renowned Concours d’Elgance returns with seven new categories and a display of some of the rarest and most valuable cars in the world. Examples of this year’s categories include Ferrari 250 Competizione, Historic Grand Prix Single Seaters, Grand Routier, Oddballs, Motorcycles from the Steve McQueen era and a collection of stunning Rolls-Royce models to celebrate the 100 year centenary of the Spirit of Ecstasy. [cont'd]

Continue reading The Classicist: London’s Luxe Salon Prive Comes to ‘Gosford Park’

The Classicist: London’s Luxe Salon Prive Comes to ‘Gosford Park’ originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Concept cars are typically designed and crafted as one-of-a-kind creations by automakers or independent design studios, shown at a couple of expositions, and then disappear into museum collections. But every once in a while, these radical rarities come up for sale or auction. And that once in a while is about to arrive, and arrive in a big way, this coming May. That’s when the venerable Bertone Museum collection will cross the auction block.

The six concept cars were all created in the 1960s-1980s by the famed Italian design house, which is now facing a restructuring and is selling off much of its collection. The items up for auction are the 1967 Lamborghini Marzal, 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero, 1963 Chevrolet Testudo, 1974 Lamborghini Bravo, 1980 Lamborghini Athon and 1978 Lancia Sibilo concept cars, ranging in pre-sale price estimates between six figures and as much as $2.5 million apiece.

The sale is being conducted by the venerable RM Auctions as part of its first event during the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como on May 21.

Bertone Concept Cars up for Auction at Villa d’Este originally appeared on Luxist on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.