Lamborghini Canto – What the Murcielago could have been?

Back in the late 1990s, when Lamborghini were starting to realise they needed a replacement for the ageing Diablo, they started reviewing design proposals from various automotive design firms. Zagato’s offering was the Zagato L147 SuperDiablo, or as it was to be later known, the Lamborghini Canto.
The Lamborghini Canto first appeared in 1998, it arrived only two years after another Zagato designed Lamborghini concept had been unveiled, the Diablo-based Raptor. The cars shared a number of similar features, including the wraparound windows, triangular lateral air intakes, and trademark double-bubble roof. However of the two, the earlier Raptor was probably the better looking.
Clearly Ferdinand Piech – head of the Volkswagen Group – thought so too. After VW bought Lamborghini in 1999, one of his first decisions was to review the Canto’s development and redesign the concept. The car was re-engineered and the rear extensively restyled to include smaller air intakes. The engine was also upgraded thanks to a new ECU which boosted output of the 6.0 litre V12 to 640 horsepower – although it was actually detuned to 610 hp to improve reliability.

After the alterations to the design, Lamborghini announced later in 1999 that the Canto was headed for production in 2001, and during this time the Diablo would remain the flagship model for the company. The Canto was extensively tested through the late ’90s and early 2000s, with test mules spotted lapping the Nardo test track.
But as we all know now, the car that actually appeared in 2001 wasn’t the Canto at all. It was the Murcielago. The first Lamborgini developed under VW/Audi ownership, the first truly modern Lamborghini, and the car that set the company on the path of success which it still enjoys to this day.
Thankfully however, the Lamborghini Canto prototype still exists, and is on display at the Lamborghini factory showroom in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy.

McLaren 650S Sprint

McLaren’s new 650S model now comes in three flavors, the standard road going 650S, the competition-spec 650S GT3 for serious racers, and now there’s the 650S Sprint which is aimed at track enthusiasts who still want a little bit of comfort. The 650S Sprint also replaces the MP4-12C-based 12C Sprint as McLaren’s track toy for the super-rich. Compared to the road model, the 650S Sprint features increased downforce and better cooling airflow to the 3.8 litre twin-turbocharged V8. It also features a competition-spec fuel tank and quick-fill cap, a larger radiator borrowed from the GT3 car, a new hood with additional cooling ducts for the radiator, front wing louvres for improved airflow, reduced ride height and recalibrated damping and spring rates, 19-inch center-locking race wheels with either Pirelli slicks or wet tires, onboard air jack system, and an upgraded braking system. On the inside the McLaren 650S Sprint features a stripped-out design with a FIA-approved rol...

Maserati Ghibli vs BMW 6 Series : Which Will You Buy?

When considering vehicles like Maserati Ghibli and the BWM 6 Series Gran Coupe, both reflect an effort toward blending dignified luxury with exhilarating performance. Though beholding vehicles of this caliber is always an exercise most fruitfully left to the natural eye, the image above serves as a simple example of each sedan’s inherent dignity. In lieu of experiencing each vehicle’s performance profile from behind the wheel, the table provided similarly works to demonstrate what both Ghibli and BMW’s 6 series have been engineered to accomplish. Comparing the Maserati Ghibli vs. BMW 6 Series in this regard yields a number of important emphases. Local clients will notice that both vehicles develop their identity around six-cylinder engines with a pair of strategic turbochargers. Yet regardless of identical displacement and analogous induction technology, Maserati serves its Ghibli clients with significantly greater quantities of horsepower and torque. In addition to t...

Peugeot RC

The RC concept was designed at the Peugeot Style Centre. Intended as a true enthusiasts car, the real innovation lay in the fact that the car was designed as an "affordable" sports car. The Peugeot RC was the concept car that paved the way for the 2008 Peugeot RC HYmotion4 concept. Peugeot used the 2002 RC concept to compare performance and economy differences between comparable petrol and diesel engines. As an affordable sports car the RC had to deliver not only in terms of price, but there was the engine, the size and running costs, as well as driver comforts to consider. A wide panoramic windscreen and the cab forward seating helps the driver see all around the car and compensates for the effect caused by the length of the car. In the Petrol vs. Diesel experiment, Peugeot aimed to prove that an HDi engine could match the performance levels achieved from a petrol engine. And to demonstrate that it was not unreasonable to put an HDi engine in a sports car. The 2 resulti...

Road Strikers

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