Is there a hotter rivalry in the premium car arena than Ferrari v Lamborghini? Buckle up, it’s only going to get hotter as this decade unfolds. Hot on the trail of its Purosangue, Ferrari unveiled the new Roma Spider. This stunning soft-top will replace the Portofino M in the line. Meanwhile, Lamborghini has unveiled the chassis and powertrain for its upcoming 1,000-horsepower hyper hybrid and confirmed plans for two more hybrids and then two battery EVs. Never a dull moment with these two Italian supercar superpowers.
Would you recognize this car as a Lamborghini? It’s the Islero, and it’s rare with just 225 made for 1968-1969. Named for the bull that killed one of Spain’s most famous bullfighters, the Islero packed the punch of a six-carburetor V-12 that could take it to 150 mph. The Islero’s modernistic look presaged the angular style would define exotic car design in the Seventies. Gooding & Company will offer this restored black 1968 Lamborghini Islero at its Amelia Island auction, where it is estimated to sell for up to $500,000.
On the heels of Porsche’s introduction of the 911 Dakar, Lamborghini has announced its plan to launch its own supercar that’s modified to play in the dirt, the Huracán Sterrato. Using the same 5.2-liter V-10 engine as the Huracán Evo, Lamborghini’s new off road-ready SUV can do 0-60 in around 3.2 seconds, has rally lights mounted on the Sterrato’s nose, and includes a built-in camera to record your adventures. Production of 1,499 Sterratos will begin in February of 2023, and U.S. pricing has not been announced.
The 1964 Lamborghini 350 GT, with toned-down coachwork by Touring, looked nothing like any Ferrari or Maserati and made clear that Lamborghini would play by its own rules.
We’ve assembled our “12 Classics Cars of Christmas” with cars that inspire lust but won’t end up gathering dust in the garage. A few, admittedly, may also bring back Santa’s own memories searching in every store only to find all have been sold. We even included a few stocking stuffers for family enjoyment.
Recently I posted a photograph on a social media site of my ‘classic’ car collection circa 2007. It struck me for a two reasons. First, was that I remembered the day vividly. The second was that I was struck by how different each was from the other: a 1950 ‘Crosley-Gardner Special, a 1952 Lancia Ardea, a 1960 Alfa Romeo 2000 Touring Spider and a 1969 Lamborghini Islero.
The Islero delivered all the right ingredients for a high-end GT. Its 4.0-liter, 325-horsepower V12 was a four-cam, six-carburetor aluminum sculpture backed by a 5-speed manual transmission for a 150-plus mph top speed. The Islero name, which sounds almost musical, was borrowed from a bull that had killed a matador.
