Yahoo Autos New Cars for 2017: Lamborghini and Lotus
Lamborghini
Centenario (shown above): Lamborghini’s latest seven-figure extravagance celebrates the 100th birthday of company founder Ferruccio, who did not celebrate his own 100th birthday because he’s been dead for 23 years. Based on the Aventador, the Centenario carries a 759-hp V-12 that should be good for a 2.7-second run to 60 mph. Other notable kit includes center-lock wheels, rear-wheel steering, an active wing, and a diffuser that consumes the entire rear end of the car. Sant’Agata will build a total of 40 Centenarios, split equally between coupes and roadsters, for roughly $2 million each, although the entire run was sold to the company’s best customers before the car was ever shown publicly. See official photos and info ››
Huracán: Late last year, the Huracán blossomed into a full-fledged model line with the addition of the Spyder and the cheaper, less powerful LP580-2 rear-wheel-drive variant. Lambo aficionados with a passion for aviation will be more interested in the new Huracán LP610-4 Avio, which deploys wings to take the car airborne as it approaches its 202-mph top speed. Wait . . . no, the Avio is just a paint-and-options special edition with white or gray accents and stripes over one of five special exterior colors. Lamborghini intends to sell 250 Avios at $246,800 apiece to people who think like Aaron Robinson—Lambos! Planes! Lambo-planes!—but enjoy a much higher net worth.
Minor trim changes: Aventador, Aventador SV
Lotus
Evora 400 (shown above): Last year in this space we said that Lotus’s vacation from the U.S. market in 2015 might be an early indicator that it was leaving altogether. Then, with some relief, we went on to announce the fall 2015 on-sale date of the restyled and repowered 2016 Evora 400. The car never made it. Lotus promises us, however, that the $93,785 Evora 400 will actually find its way to the U.S. this year. Adding credibility to the claim is an offer to drive the car before fall. Expect the same mid-mounted and supercharged 3.5-liter V-6, six-speed manual or automatic transmission, and a 2+2 seating configuration as in previous Evoras. The claimed 3138-pound curb weight (manual transmission) probably won’t delight the ghost of Colin Chapman, but that’s relatively light by current standards. And coupled with 400 horsepower from the Toyota-sourced V-6, this Evora will be slow in only one way: coming to market. See first drive review ››
