Lamborghini Auctions Cars

Marcello Gandini needs no introduction. He has tens of models to his name and many of them have achieved legendary status. Now, three of his creations, namely the Lamborghini Jarama, the Lancia Stratos HF Stradale, and the Alfa-Romeo Montreal will be up for sale at an upcoming auction by Stratas Auctions. Collectively, they are expected to fetch north of $800,000.

It has been over 55 years since the Lamborghini Miura was launched. It stayed in production for around seven years, during which the Italian automaker produced 764 examples of the beauty. Out of these 764 copies, three were conferred with the SVJ badge to make an ultra-rare model of a rather rare car. One of those three, a 1972 model, has now come up for sale and is listed on Kidston.com!

When it comes to exotic cars, Lamborghini is one of the first to come to mind. Most of you know the story of how Lamborghini started making cars. So we won’t be delving into that. Essentially, Enzo Ferrari’s temper helped spawn one of the greatest automotive rivalries in history – Ferrari vs Lamborghini. Most classic Lamborghinis are significant cars, which is why Fantasy Junction in Emeryville, California, has this 1967 400 GT 2+2 in its inventory, and it’s looking for a new owner.

Lamborghini introduced the Murciélago back in 2001 as a successor to the Diablo. The Murciélago was in production for almost a decade. It was the first new car after 11 years and also happened to be the first under its new parent, Volkswagen. The Italian car was also the new flagship V-12 and worthy to be the face of the company. The car sold in decent numbers – 4,099 examples to be exact – and is still a hit with enthusiasts.

If you are someone who was craving to own one, here’s your chance to own a 2006 model Murciélago with 14,000 miles on the odo, courtesy of the Bring-a-Trailer auction.

Lamborghini is known for making some of the world’s most outlandish cars. The Aventador is arguably the last of the old-school greats, a big, heavy supercar with a naturally aspirated V-12 engine positioned behind the seats and its tiny brother, the Huracan, has been a steady seller for years.

But Lamborghini wasn’t always hell-bent on making supercars with its first cars being laid-back grand tourers. It all changed, however, when the Miura arrived. And then, while everyone was still wiping off their drool, Lamborghini struck again with this, the Miura SV.

One of the most iconic Lamborghinis ever built, the Countach was introduced in 1974 as a replacement for the equally iconic Miura and survived into production for an impressive 16 years, until 1990.

30 years later and the Countach remains a highly sought-after collectible, commanding millions of dollars in certain specifications. If you like the late models with wider skirts and the more powerful V-12, you can score one in pristine condition at Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro sale in the U.K. on February 22.

Lamborghini is known for making some of the world’s most dramatic supercars and this sure is one of the most dramatic modern Lambos, not least because it lacks the usual amenities such as a full-width windscreen or side windows. Built as a styling design that harkens back to the old-time-y speedsters, the Gallardo Concept S previewed a limited-edition model that never materialized. However, one running and driving example powered by the 5.0-liter, naturally aspirated 512-horsepower V-10 of the standard Gallardo does exist and you’re looking at it now. If you’ve missed out on the Concept S the first two times RM/Sotheby’s tried to sell it, it’ll be up for grabs once again in Abu Dhabi.

A roof that lifts up to reveal the cockpit? Check! Futuristic cues that are both strange and appealing as you’d expect from a Zagato design? Check! All the goodies from the Diablo VT including the viscous central differential allowing for AWD and the magnificent 5.7-liter V-12 putting out almost 500 horsepower? Check! A carbon-fiber body created entirely through digital design and manufacturing process? Check! The Raptor could’ve kick-started Lamborghini’s marriage with Audi in grand style at the end of the 20th century but, instead, the car you see here is the only one the Italians ever made.

It was the mid-’90s when Lamborghini realized that its ’lineup" needed to be refreshed. At the time, the company based in Sant’Agata Bolognese made only the mid-engined Diablo, successor of the Countach and a very potent car in its own right. However, the Diablo was hardly a forward-thinking car, AWD aside, and Lamborghini realized it needed to start thinking about its replacement and, on top of that, of something that could allow it to attract a wider audience. The key to increasing its client base, Lamborghini thought, would be to create a model that would sit below the Diablo in terms of performance while lacking none of that unmistakable Lamborghini DNA. The job of designing this new model, as well as the Diablo replacement, was in Zagato’s hands and the legendary design house came up with the Raptor in just four short months, fast enough to allow Lamborghini to showcase the prototype at the 1996 Geneva Auto Show. Now, this one-off coach-built wonder can be yours, providing you’ve got a million or two to spare.

What can your $10 get you? For some people, $10 equates to a few lottery tickets. For others, it’s a pack of cigarettes. That’s great, sure, but what if your $10 can get you a one-off Lamborghini Huracan that bares the signature of none other than His Holiness, Pope Francis? This isn’t a joke, folks. The one-off, white and gold Huracan that Lamborghini gave to Pope Francis back in November 2017 is now up-for-grabs at Omaze. The sweepstakes-slash-charity initiative requires at least a $10 donation to enter the sweepstakes. According to Omaze, proceeds from the contest will go to a “number of causes working to transform lives around the world.” The website is accepting donations ranging from $10 to $5,000. The amount donated correlates to the number of entries you get. Entries will be accepted until January 30, 2019.

The Urraco heralded Lamborghini’s entry in the budget supercar niche. It was available in a number of guises, the P200, P250, and P300. Less than 800 units of this sleek V-8 mid-engined Italian beauty were sold before production ceased back in 1979. In spite of its rarity, the Urraco still fails to command the kind of prices you’ll see early Dinos being sold for.

Presented at the 1970 Turin Auto Show, the Urraco hit the market two years later as an affordable 2+2 supercar that wasn’t really a supercar and stood in either the Miura’s or the Countach’s shadow throughout its lifespan. Its design, penned by Marcello Gandini during his stint at Bertone, leaves something to be desired as far as dramatism goes with the more dedicated 2-seater Merak from Maserati being clearly the best-looking budget supercar at the time.

For all its shortcomings, many of which were mocked during a Top Gear episode which centered around the Merak, the Dino 308 GT4 and the Urraco, the Urraco was considered a brilliant car by Lamborghini engineers as it incorporated a number of industry firsts and other novel ideas for the early ’70s, many of which have been forgotten as time wore on and the scissor doors of the Countach turned the heads of just about any automotive aficionado.

The Lamborghini Diablo arrived at a difficult time for the Italian firm. Barely out of bankruptcy and purchased by the Mimran brothers in 1985, Lamborghini began working on a successor for the aging Countach. Development took no fewer than four years, with the final car unveiled in 1990. Just like its predecessor, the Diablo was made available in various versions, including an SV model, reviving the Super Veloce name for the first time since the Miura SV was discontinued in 1973.

Lambo introduced the SV model at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show, a full five years after the Diablo went into production. It was essentially a more powerful version of the regular Diablo. It had larger brakes but lacked the all-wheel-drive system in the VT. The Diablo SV was updated alongside the other trims when Lambo facelifted the supercar in 1998, but it became the lineup’s base model and was discontinued after just one year on the market, replaced by the GT. Production of the Diablo continued two years after the SV was retired until 2001.

Continue reading to learn more about the Lamborghini Diablo SV.

Back in November 2017, Lamborghini decided to gift Pope Francis with his own one-off Lamborghini Huracan. The Pontiff graciously declined the gift, opting instead to donate it in the name of charity. Fast forward months later and the aforementioned one-off Huracan is now set to be auctioned off without a reserve price by RM Sotheby’s in Monaco on May 12.

Pope Francis is no stranger to receiving gifts. That comes with the territory of being the leader of the Catholic church and arguably one of the most powerful men in the world. But the famously frugal pontiff isn’t one who enjoys the lavish side of life so when he recently took possession of a one-off Lamborghini Huracan, a gift from the Italian automaker itself, the pope did what the pope usually does: he donated it away.

It’s a bitter blow for papal paparazzi who were hoping to see the pope roar around the cobbled streets of Rome, aviator sunglasses in tow. But the pope’s preference for the simple things in life isn’t anything new. This is a man who traditionally opts to get driven around in Fiats and Fords when he’s on the road so getting inside a Lamborghini is a non-starter to begin with. So instead of taking ownership of the one-off Huracan, the pope decided to receive it from Lamborghini out of courtesy, sign the hood, and give it to RM Sotheby’s, which will then auction the supercar with the proceeds going to three of the holy father’s favorite charities. Considering how much value is placed on items that carry the pope’s signature, expect this one-off Lamborghini Huracan to fetch way more than it’s usual price of $200,000.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Mecum Auctions has been involved with collector cars for almost three decades now, growing from a small family business to selling roughly 20,000 lots per year. In addition to top-dollar automobiles, Mecum also offers vintage motorcycles, collectible road art, and believe it or not, tractors. But you and I don’t really care about all that other stuff – we’re in it for the cars, from cutting-edge performance machines to ironclad muscle cars, antique classics to no-frills racers. Thankfully, Mecum has the entire spread on tap. The auction house averages more than one event per month, but one of the biggest is in California for Monterey Car Week. Roughly 600 vehicles are slated to hit the block for 2016, and we’ve got some of the most interesting of them profiled right here.

Highlighting the lineup for Monterey is the Modern Speed Collection, a host of ultra-high-end speed-mobiles from the present day. Mecum calls it “the apex of 21st Century automotive performance,” and picking through the offerings, I’m inclined to agree. Think rare, gorgeous, and absurdly quick.

TopSpeed will be on the scene this year, bringing you all the latest. Read on for a taste of what’s in store.

Update 08-20-2016 5:00 P.M. PST We’re on the scene at Mecum and have updated this preview with a welcome video. Check it out in the preview below.
Continue reading to learn more about the 2016 Mecum Monterey Auction.

Ready your preconceptions for shattering, because they aren’t long for this world: the behemoth SUV pictured here is from Italian exotic sports car manufacturer Lamborghini. Dubbed the “Rambo Lambo”, this particular example represents one of only 328 vehicles produced between the years of 1986 and 1993. It’s the byproduct of Lamborghini’s “Cheetah” program, which began in 1977 as the development platform for a new military off-roader. The original design, featuring a rear-mounted Chrysler V-8, went to Mobility Technology International (MTI). MTI ended up contracting for the US military, and in some respects, the Cheetah could be considered the precursor to the Humvee.

After the Cheetah, Lamborghini created the LM001, which was similar, but came with a V-8 from AMC. When it was determined that a rear-mounted engine was responsible for unfavorable off-road handling characteristics, Lambo decided to build an entirely new chassis with the V-12 from the Countach sitting up front. Thus, the LM002 was born, making its official debut at the 1986 Brussels Auto Show.

In 1988, Lamborghini attempted to enter an LM002 in the Paris-Dakar Rally, with preparations including a stripped interior, a roll cage, suspension enhanced with heavy-duty components, an engine with output upped to 600 horsepower, and GPS. Unfortunately, funding ran out before the rally took place, but the beefy rally variant did eventually manage to compete in off-road races held in both Egypt and Greece.

Another interesting story finds one particularly unfortunate LM002, owned by Uday Hussein, son of the dictator, blown to smoldering chunks by US service members in 2004 during the invasion of Iraq to help demonstrate the effects of a car bomb.

With such a tumultuous genesis, it’ll be interesting to see what Lamborghini decides to do when it comes to an off-roader/SUV offering. With concepts like the Urus making headlines in the past few years, it certainly looks like Lambo is searching for the right way to reenter the market. Only time will tell if this latest effort is more successful than the LM002.

Updated 9/1/2015: Our man Jonathan Lopez took some pics at Monterey Car Week. Enjoy!

Click past the jump to read more about the Lamborghini LM002.