Styling of Lamborghini Countach

Posted by Rahman | 10/16/2008 05:53:00 PM | | 0 comments »

The Countach was styled by Marcello Gandini of the Bertone design studio, the same designer and studio that designed the Miura. Gandini was then a young, inexperienced designer—not very experienced in the practical, ergonomic aspects of automobile design, but at the same time unhindered by them. He produced a quite striking design. The Countach shape was wide and low (42.1 inches), but not very long. Its angular and wedge-shaped body was made almost entirely of flat, trapezoidal panels. There were curves, notably the smoothly coke-bottle wing line, but the overall appearance was sharp.The doors, a Countach trademark, were of a 'scissors' fashion—hinged at the front with horizontal hinges, so that the doors lifted up and tilted forwards. This was partly for style, but just as much because the width of the car made conventional doors impossible to use in an even slightly confined space. Care needed to be taken, though, in opening the doors with a low roof overhead. (With the car's poor rear visibility and wide sills, this led to drivers adopting a method of reversing the car for parking by opening the door, sitting on the sill and reversing while looking over the back of the car from outside.)
Aerodynamics, however, were still unfortunately unable to match the sleek looks of the car.
The pure style of the prototype was progressively enhanced or cluttered (depending on one's point of view) by the evolution of the car to improve its performance, handling, tractability, and ability to meet mandated requirements. This began with the first production model, which included several vents which were found to be necessary to cool the engine adequately. These included the iconic NACA duct on the door and rear fender of each side of the car. The car design changes ended with a large engine vent directly behind the driver, reducing the rearview. Later additions, including fender flares, spoilers, carburetor covers, and bumpers, progressively changed the aesthetic values of the car.
The Countach's styling and visual impression caused it to become an icon of great design to almost everyone except automotive engineers. The superior performance characteristics of later Lamborghini models (such as the Diablo, or the Murciélago) appealed to performance car drivers and engineers, but they never had the originality or outrageousness that gave the Countach its distinction. The different impressions left by the various Lamborghini models have generated numerous debates and disagreements over what constitutes 'classic' or 'great' automotive design (elegant looks and style, vs. technical and engineering superiority).

Name of Lamborghini Countach

Posted by Rahman | 10/16/2008 05:49:00 PM | | 0 comments »

The word countach (pronounced [ˈkuntɑʃ]) is an exclamation of astonishment in the local Piedmontese language - generally used by men on seeing an extremely beautiful woman. While the term is often considered untranslatable into English, it is essentially equivalent to the British lager lout verbalization "Fwwaaaa". Or, it can also be considered the verbal equivalent of a wolf-whistle.
The Countach name stuck when Nuccio Bertone first saw "Project 112" in his studio. The prototype was introduced to the world at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Most previous Lamborghini car names were associated with bulls and bullfighting.

Lamborghini Murciélago

Posted by Rahman | 10/16/2008 05:47:00 PM | | 0 comments »

The Lamborghini Murciélago is a high performance sports car produced by Italian automaker Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. and designed by Luc Donckerwolke. It was introduced in 2001 as the successor to the Diablo. The Murciélago is a two-door, two-seat coupé. To celebrate the company's 40 years in operation, 50 special edition Murciélagos were built during the autumn of 2003. An open-top version called the Murciélago Roadster was introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year. The roadster features similar performance to the coupé with a more aggressive rear flank, as well as a considerably higher price tag.
The Murciélago sports a 6.2-litre version of the Lamborghini V12 engine, a six-speed manual or six-speed sequential automatic transmission, and four-wheel drive. It also has a rear spoiler that can be raised to an angle of 70 degrees, side mirrors that fold in to improve aerodynamics, and side scoops that automatically open to the needed size to let in just the right amount of air needed to cool its engine. The 2008 car's fuel economy is 8 mpg (U.S.) (29 l/100 km) city and 13 mpg (U.S.) (18 l/100 km) freeway, making it the least efficient 2008 car for city and highway driving, according to the EPA.
The coupé's base price is US $313,000, which is US $107,000 more than its smaller sibling, the Lamborghini Gallardo.
In 2006 the Murciélago's engine was replaced by a stronger 6.5-liter engine and the car's name was changed to Murciélago LP640. For the 2007 model year Lamborghini did the same with the roadster model, which is now called Murciélago LP640 Roadster. Both versions received a minor facelift.

Diablo GTR

Posted by Rahman | 10/16/2008 05:30:00 PM | | 0 comments »

After campaigning the Diablo SV-R for four years in the Diablo Supertrophy Lamborghini launched a completely new car for the 2000 season. This Diablo GTR is a modified version of the 6 litre GT version of the Diablo launched in 1999. In comparison with the Diablo GT, GTR most important features are a modified chassis frame with integrated roll bar, improved suspensions, central fixing nut for the rims, race braking system, additional radiators for transmission oil cooling, very high performance rear wing (directly bolted to the chassis), simplified interiors and weight reduction. The engine is basically the same V12, 6 litre, of the Diablo GT which thanks to the adoption of a specially tuned exhaust system, without catalyser, delivers 590 hp (440 kW/600 PS) (575 in the GT model).

The engine management system is based on the proprietary Lamborghini LIE electronic engine control system tuned for racing. Fuel injection is sequential multipoint and ignition is static with individual coils. Lamborghini Data Acquisition System, LDAS, and diagnostic functions are integrated in the engine electronic management system.

For the engine cooling, two water radiators in parallel are side mounted to the engine and an engine oil cooler is front mounted as in the Diablo GT. Additional coolers for gearbox and differential oil are installed in order to better match the racing overloads.

The transmission is on the rear wheels through a Lamborghini 5 speed gearbox with one basic gear ratio option and an alternative option for a shorter 5th gear ratio. The gear box lever is in an asymmetric position on the central tunnel in order to be closer to the steering wheel, for better control. The steering system is power assisted.

The tubular chassis frame integrates the roll bar and is directly connected to the rear wing. The front suspension is modified for racing. Shock absorbers and anti-roll bars are adjustable. The rims are lightweight magnesium alloy with central fixing nut and they accept racing type tyres. A special racing fuel tank with fast filling system has been installed. The braking system is based on the Diablo GT high performance module. New racing brake calipers have been adopted to better match the very severe racing conditions.

Most of the body is carbon fibre made, except for the roof, which is made of steel for torsional rigidity, while the doors are made of aluminium, for safety reasons.

The cockpit fittings are simplified to meet racing requirements. The driver seat has been moved towards the longitudinal axle of the car, reducing the size of the central tunnel, to ensure a better driving position. Racing switches for ignition and for other functions have been adopted instead of the series push buttons. The fire extinguisher system is installed on the right side of the cockpit with activating switch on the tunnel. The driver's seat is of racing type with a six-point safety belt and the steering wheel is also racing type.

A production run of 30 cars was planned at the launch of the car at the 1999 Bologna Motorshow, but at the end of the run 40 cars were built .

Lamborghini Diablo

Posted by Rahman | 10/16/2008 05:16:00 PM | | 0 comments »

The Lamborghini Diablo was a high-performance mid-engined sports car built by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1990 and 2001, before it was replaced by the Lamborghini Murciélago.

Lamborghini Jalpa

Posted by Rahman | 10/16/2008 05:16:00 PM | | 0 comments »

The Lamborghini Jalpa (pronounced in the Spanish "HAL-pah") was a sport car produced by the Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1981 to 1988. The Jalpa was a development of the earlier Silhouette, but was rather more successful; a total of 410 examples were sold. The Jalpa was intended to fill a role as a more "affordable" Lamborghini, being much cheaper than the Countach. Instead of the big car's V12, the Jalpa was fitted with a transversely-mounted 3.5 litre V8 that developed 255 hp (190 kW). The bodywork was designed and built by Bertone. The name Jalpa came from a famous breed of fighting bulls, Ferruccio Lamborghini having a liking for bulls and being a Taurus he gave most Lamborghini cars bullfighting-related names.
Compared to the Countach, the Jalpa was much easier to drive, having better visibility and being more tractable in heavy traffic and at slow speeds. At night, however, there were many distracting internal reflections (a common curse of the Italian low-volume car).
Originally the plastic components (bumpers, air intakes and engine cover) were black, and the car carried over the rectangular taillights of the Silhouette. In 1984, however, the plastic became body-colored, and round taillights were fitted.
In 1988, after falling sales, the new owners, Chrysler, decided to end Jalpa production.
The official top speed of the Jalpa was 146 mph (234 km/h) but higher speeds have been claimed. The weight with all fluids is 3322 lb (1,507 kg). The Jalpa is 43.9 inches (112 cm) tall.
Following the Chrysler takeover Lamborghini product programs general manager Jack Stavana fitted a Jalpa V8 into a Dodge Daytona, linked to an AWD system designed by Carroll Shelby and called it the "Decepzione". Despite its performance, the project was never followed up due to the car having just 1.5 inches (38.1 mm) of ground clearance, necessitated by the comparatively tall engine block.

Lamborghini Silhouette

Posted by Rahman | 10/16/2008 05:13:00 PM | | 0 comments »

The Lamborghini Silhouette was a mid-engine rear drive sports car made in small numbers by Lamborghini between 1976 and 1979. The Silhouette began as a styling exercise by noted Italian carrozzeria Bertone. It was based on the earlier Lamborghini Urraco but was distinguished from the Uracco by more angular styling. The Silhouette was the first Lamborghini to employ a targa top roof. The Silhouette later evolved into the similar looking but more successful Lamborghini Jalpa. The car had a 3 litre V8 engine mounted transversely behind the driver. Of the 54 units built, 31 are currently known to exist.
Afterwards once the car stopped production it was named and was the only Lamborghini to be named after the project stopped.

Lamborghini Reventón

Posted by Rahman | 10/16/2008 05:13:00 PM | | 0 comments »

Lamborghini Reventón (pronounced /ˌrɛvənˈtoʊn/, Spanish pronunciation: [ɾeβenˈton]) is a mid-engined sports car that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. It is currently the most powerful and expensive Lamborghini road car to date, costing one million euros. The official press release states that only 20 examples will be released to the public. The Reventón is very limited with a single car (0/20) produced for the Lamborghini Museum. Although early rumours indicated the total number would actually be 100, each Reventón is clearly stamped with its number in the sequence of 20 between the drivers and passengers seats.

Although the exterior is all new, almost all the mechanical elements (including the engine) are taken directly from the Murciélago LP640. According to the official press release, the exterior styling was inspired by "the fastest airplanes". To emphasize this, Lamborghini staged a race between a Reventón and a Panavia Tornado fighter plane.

Lamborghini Gallardo

Posted by Rahman | 10/15/2008 07:46:00 PM | | 0 comments »

The Lamborghini Gallardo is a sports car built by Lamborghini. The Gallardo is Lamborghini's most-produced model to date, with 5,000 built in the first three years of production. It is less expensive than Lamborghini's larger, more powerful Murciélago.

The car is named after a famous breed of fighting bull. The Spanish word gallardo (/ɡaˈʎaɾðo/) translates into "gallant," and from Italian into "striking".