Project L140

With all the hype around the L147 some people have overlooked the fact that a new 'Baby' Lamborghini is in the design process for Automobili Lamborghini SpA's 40th Anniversary. The info below is not definite yet it looks promising.
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With the L147 almost complete Lamborghini is now moving on to it's next task, Project L140, the 'Baby' Lamborghini. The L140 is expected to be unveiled in Summer 2003 ready for the 40th Anniversary of Automobili Lamborghini SpA. Productio will be boosted to 1500 - 2000 units a year and could cost between $130,000 - $140,000. The car will be completely new made out of an Aluminium Spaceframe in co-operation with Audi. Automobili Lamborghini have not released any technical specifications for the car though it is understood that the engine being developed in Sant' Agatha in Bolognese will be a 4 litre, 48-Valve V10 producing over 400bhp!!!
Reports suggest it will be released as a 4WD Coupe only and transmission will be a 6-speed manual or an F1 style sequential gearshift. This clutch free system is said to be the Magneti Marelli's Selespeed already offered by Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Mercedes Benz. On the styling side, Greco said only the L140 was penned by an Italian, which prevailed in a design competition that saw 5 scale models coming from four different sources: Audi styling center and three Italians. According to rumours coming from Turin, for the L140 design Lamborghini called Stile Bertone, Italdesign-Giugiaro and a freelance, Marcello Gandini, who penned all the production Lamborghinis since the Miura. Italdesign is said to have prevailed, but Fabrizio Giugiaro, the head of Styling & Models division of the company, refused to comment. His father Giorgetto, in his 45 year career - first at Bertone and Ghia and then as an independent designer - penned exotic cars for Maserati, De Tomaso, Iso Rivolta and Lotus, but never a Lamborghini. With the L140, the son is said to have won where his father never managed to, as the new car is - according to a supplier involved in the project - the work of Fabrizio Giugiaro.

A worthy adversary for the F360, 996 etc

I hope Marcello Gandini have somethin special to offer this time, I'm a big fan of his avant garde designs....especially on the Miura and the Countach. :)

Those production figures seem pretty high for a new model but with a world wide acceptance of a new Lamborghini model who knows.
Where will this model be built?

Scumbag(ready to place his order)

I believe the pictures posted on the lambocars.com sight on July 26th and August 7th are of the L140 prototype, NOT the L147 (Diablo replacement), as suggested. For a look at the L147, see the latest issues of Car & Driver and Automoblie magazines (go to http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/carnews/carnews_spyshots.xml), which have pictures of the L147 (taken in March of 2001). It does retain the big, rear airscoops, although they've been massaged a bit, and the front end looks much more finished. Now THAT looks like the next Diablo!