The official unveiling of Lamborghini’s LP560/4 isn’t until tomorrow, but high quality pics are already circulating. Hey, if Lambo’s brass really wanted to keep this baby a secret, they’d have put a cover on it!  The next-gen Gallardo will come with a new 5.2-liter V10, and while exterior tweaks are minor, in my humble opinion, it looks wicked. More pics after the jump.

Asphalte via Jalopnik

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Remember slot cars? I’ve been obsessed since I was a little kid, and I think it’s time to pick up a new track. Hey, I can’t spend all my money at the bar. Here’s the news:

• The idea of hydrogen-powered vehicles seems pretty promising. But a pilot program to run busses in Santa Clara off the future-fuel has been pretty disappointing. And by disappointing, I mean, really, really expensive. Auto Observer
• Memorial services have been arranged for famed hot rod builder Boyd Coddinigton. If you’re in SoCal, you can swing by his shop and pay your respects. Hopefully, the garage will continue to produce beautiful cars. Godspeed Boyd! AutoWeek
• Honda is recalling more than a quarter million TLs. Turns out excessive heat in the engine compartment can cause a power steering hose to fail, leak fluid on to the catalytic converter and start a fire. I thought Lambos and Ferrari’s were the only cars supposed go up in flames. Detroit News
• The automotive press has a big, fat crush on Chevy’s new Malibu, and rightly so. But is the hybrid option worth it? Some reviewers don’t think so. Washington Post

Writing snappy summations of hilarious news stories is one of the things which makes this job fun. Of course, it’s important recognize when something is already perfect, like this headline from the Daily Telegraph: "A road rager who allegedly slammed on his brakes and got out of his car to confront a driver behind him was struck and pinned under a car sent flying by a truck." That’s what he gets. Here’s the news:

• Everything’s gone green. While the focus at this year’s Geneva Auto Show will be on environmental modesty, don’t worry, there will still be some snarling V12s on hand. After all, Lamborghini will be there. Auto Express
• Kia is going to start making transmissions in Georgia. That’s interesting and everything, but I’d vastly prefer to see somebody like Alfa-Romeo take advantage of our declining dollar. Automotive News
• On the heels of that huge Mustang recall, Ford is still facing heat from the Feds about a defective cruise control switch which can lead to engine fire. Hey, when you’re hot, you’re hot. Auto Week
• Fans of the Sopranos may not have been happy with the way that the series ended, but the character’s rides will still probably command high prices when they hit Barrett-Jackson’s auction block. New York Times

Doing a burnout or turning some donuts is one thing, but hot dogging in a 200 million dollar jumbo jet? That takes some serious balls. After taking delivery of a new Boeing 777, a pilot for Cathay Pacific buzzed the tower at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. What a bad-ass. Here’s the news:

• More spy shots of Porsche’s Panamera have surfaced, and this time the doors and truck are open. While the term ugly may be a bit of a stretch, let’s just put it this way: it’s no Quattroporte. World Car Fans
• Lamborghini’s Gallardo is getting a new name and a burlier powerplant. Styling changes will be minor, but the LP560/4 will come with 60 more horses under the hood. What do you have to do to get a test drive?  AutoWeek
• European regulators just crash tested a slew of pickups, and the results weren’t terribly encouraging. Who knew they even had pickups over there? CarScoop
• Talk about a surprise! Workers at American Axle & Manufacturing didn’t really like the idea of having their pay and benefits cut in half. Think upper management would take that deal? Freep

The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy—whew, say that three times fast!—just released a list of the greenest and meanest cars in America, and on the green side, Toyota’s Prius came up a big, fat loser. Sorry. It actually came in second, behind Honda’s greener-than-Kermit-the-Frog-on-a-lilly pad Civic GX, which runs on compressed air. As expected, small cars and hybrids make up the remainder of the green list, and also as expected, the rides on the mean list look way, way more fun. The VW Tourage—with the CFC-belching diesel V10—took the top "honors," while dream machines like Bugatti’s Veyron and Lamborghini’s Murcielago came in at numbers two and six, respectively. Of course, neither one of those models probably sees 1/10 the annual miles a Ford Focus—number nine on the green list—does, so in reality, they probably pollute a lot less. But whatever, check out the full breakdown over at Wired.

Ever wonder if the track edition of your favorite exotic is worth the extra cash? Well, so did the boys over at Road & Track, and they decided to find out. They ran back-to-back hot laps with the Viper SRT10 and its evil twin, the SRT10 ACR, compared Lambo’s Gallardo Spyder to its tarted-up sister, the Superleggera, and pitted Porsche’s Carrera S against its big, burly cousin, the GT3 RS. They also took a look at the numbers and tried to determine whether Ferrari’s 430 Scuderia and the Corvette ZR1 will really deliver over their standard brethren. The article is way cool—and it’ll make you wonder exactly how someone gets a job at Road & Track.
Check it out.

These Ferrari SUV rumors will not go away. I hope they’re just rumors. The Lambo LM002 was kind of cool, but I don’t think the world needs another Cayenne. In fact, I don’t think the world needs any Cayennes. More at Auto Express.

Do you think Ferrari should be building SUVs?

Our latest new car battle wasn’t even close. The F430 smoked the Gallardo by almost a three-to-one margin. As one guy put it, "Lambos are for boys and rap stars, Ferraris are for car enthusiasts. F430 all they way." 

By John

Community Editor

Yesterday, Tim and I took the Lambo out to the Richard Petty Driving Experience to go for a ride-along. On the way there, he was pretty responsible, and kept the Italian stallion under 100 for most of the way—which is pretty tough to do. Anyway, to be honest—sorry Jen—I’m more of a F1 guy, but this was still a blast. Unfortunately, the folks there really want you to buy their in-car video, so they frowned upon me taking a camera in the car. I was actually going to pony up the cash and buy one—until I found out it takes six weeks to get it. Wow. I wish I had six weeks to deliver video! Tonight, we’re going to head back out there and get behind the wheel. Of course, I’ll try to get as much footage as I can, but in the meantime, check out the stuff I shot yesterday.

By John

Community Editor

While Tim and I were picking up the Lambo and the Lotus, I looked over the list of cars the guys at Rent-a-Vette have available, and they’ve got some seriously sick stuff. With choices like a Bentley Continental GT, an Aston Martin Vantage and the Mercedes SL55 AMG, almost anyone with exotic tastes can find their dream car here—brand new or not. Like check out this classic Ferrari BB512! It wasn’t on the menu, but the guys there assured me it was for rent. I know this is Rob’s favorite Ferrari… maybe Jen and I can goad him into renting it during SEMA.

Swwe