#ExoticCars

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Ferrari has just released a brief video of its latest exotic, the 458 Italia, going full-tilt on a race track. And as you might expect… it’s incredible.

Unveiled in a stunning light-matte-gray color called Reventón Grey, Lamborghini drew back the covers on Reventón Roadster at the Frankfurt Auto Show today. With just 15 models scheduled to be built Lamborghini’s pre-unveiling video reminded those in attendance that while your chances of climbing Mount Everest at 2,000,000 to 1 and your chance of having a baby that will grow up to win a Nobel prize is 50,000 to 1, your chance of owning a Reventón Roadster is 700,000,000 to one.

Just ahead of the car’s debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Lamborghini has released photos of its Reventón Roadster.

Thanks to the folks at iCar we have this single photo of the upcoming replacement for the Ferrari F430, the 458 Italia. Ferrari has already release four images of the new exotic, but those are computer generated images. Here we have the first solid idea of what the 458 will look like when its unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

Yesterday photos of a new Lamborghini model surfaced on the web and today Lamborghini has confirmed that the new model is indeed the LP550-2. But there is more to the story than that. The new model is officially named the LP550-2 Valentino Balboni, after the former Lamborghini test driver turned brand ambassador.

As expected, Ferrari-tuner Novitec Rosso has released a power-package for the drop-top F430 Scuderia Spider 16M. Thanks to two superchargers the Scuderia’s already impressive engine now puts out 696hp at 8400 rpm and 503 ft-lbs of torque at 6300 rpm. That is an increase of 186hp and 156 ft-lbs of torque.

In an ambitions new emissions reduction strategy Lamborghini has just unveiled, the Italian exotic car maker says it will look to hybrid powertrains (among other things) to cut vehicle emissions by 30 percent by 2015. The company has already made a significant step in that direction with the launch of the LP560-4. Due to the use of direct-injection, that new vehicle emits 18 percent less CO2.

As for the other engineering initiatives Lamborghini will make to hit its target, the company said in a press release that it will also look at biofuels. This shouldn’t be too difficult considering Bentley (which, like Lamborghini, is owned by Volkswagen) has already made significant progress in this field.

Start-stop systems, which turn off the engine when at a light or in traffic, are also a possibility and would no doubt be a part of any hybrid powertrain.

More conventional practices will also be employed, with the company promising to cut the weight of its vehicles while further enhancing aerodynamic efficiency.

The company also cites “improved combustion” in its list of green initiatives and we are no doubt likely to see direct-injection on the successor of the Murciélago – if not sooner.

But Lamborghini’s green plan isn’t just limited to its cars. The company aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 30 percent at its factory.

To do this it will transform the roof of its factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy into an energy generator using solar panels. The company says the system will produce 20 percent of the power the factory uses. At the same time, the roof will undergo a massive overhaul with better insulation, lighting and heating that will reduce energy consumption by an additional 10 percent.

“Despite the difficult situation in today’s global economy, Lamborghini is committed to its policy of environmental management, since we are well aware of the great opportunities that derive from it,” said  Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann. “We have an objective to reduce CO2 emissions to the greatest possible degree. We have also set compulsory annual goals that are part of an integrated approach both considering the automobile as an element which is more considerate of the environment, in terms of emissions and the use of resources, to the accomplishment of a series of corresponding measures such as modifications to our factory.  This is an important action for Lamborghini and a central opportunity for our long term corporate and product development.”

The move has been applauded by the European community, with Guido Sacconi, President of the European Commission on Climate Change saying the company was “on the right path.”

“We have been particularly satisfied with the actions it [Lamborghini] has taken thus far, because they illustrate this company’s desire to embrace a new industrial vision which combines competitiveness and performance with social responsibility,”  Sacconi said.

Official release after the jump:

Last week we brought you news on a new four-wheel drive hybrid system that Ferrari is working on and now it appears as though the Italian maker of exotic cars is exploring turbochargers for future production models.

Been holding off on that flat screen TV? What about that new watch? Go ahead… buy freely and don’t worry about your job, the economy is going to turn around any day now.

DP7 Racing, the team behind the lone Lamborghini Gallardo in the SPEED World Challenge GT series has just hired on World Challenge veteran Chip Herr to pilot the exotic racer for the remainder of the season.

If the pictures of Mercedes’ new supercar, the SLS AMG, weren’t enough for you, then we’re happy to announce that we have video!

When you’re an automaker, there are two ways to significantly improve profits. First, you can sell a vehicle to as many people as possible, using the “economies of scale” approach. Second, you can sell a reduced number of vehicles at a higher profit margin, feeding off an increased demand and a reduced supply.

With everyone pulling out of the upcoming Tokyo Auto Show, Toyota has chosen wisely to ensure all eyes are on its Lexus luxury brand when it drops the curtain on a production model of the breathtakingly beautiful LA-F supercar… finally!

Lamborghini will not be building a four-door exotic – at least not any time soon. Maurizio Reggiani, the head of R&D for the Italian exotic car manufacturer told U.K. publication AutoCar that the Estoque project would be shelved.