Whereas Ferrari choose either the backdrop of a flowing mountain road, or some sideways action with Nando around Fiorano, their Italian neighbour Lamborghini usually adopt a more ‘edgy’ theme and with the more approachable 700 bhp Aventador, they seem more intent than ever to accentuate just how much rage there is left in the old bull.

These latest ads by the agency Philipp und Keuntje GmbH, Hamburg, Germany are beautifully illustrated by Herr Müller and depict four states of pain experienced when driving the Aventador.

Like the car, they’re unconventional, which is clearly Lamborghini’s intent behind the campaign, but it almost feels like they are compensating for the increased refinement and civility which has inevitably touched its most powerful of supercars.

But with Ferrari positioning itself as the automotive equivalent of Don Giovanni, the bull fighters from Sant’Agata are staying true to their heavy metal roots. On acid.

It’s good to see parent company Audi taking such good care of the brand.

The Truth Hurts: Gunshot

“It’s not a car, it’s a weapon. Sounds like a gunshoot and feels like one too.” - Michael Köckritz, Ramp Magazin.

The Truth Hurts: Delirium

“The acceleration is apocalyptic. It can deliver pure delirium on demand.” - James May, Top Gear.

The Truth Hurts: Eyeballs

“If you slam on the brakes at 100km/h, you come to a halt in just 30 meters. Your eyeballs should then pop back into their sockets.” - Ulrich Safferling, Auto-Illustrierte.

The Truth Hurts: Neck

“Gearshifts can be as unforgiving as a professionally executed punch in the neck.” - Jan Baedeker, Classicdriver.com.

Higher-res Image Gallery

Over the past few months you will have been bombarded with warnings about the upcoming winter weather and why we MUST fit a set of winter tyres to our cars, less we be doomed to an ignominious (and expensive) fate.

There is of course another way and perhaps the most prudent among us might consider doing both – improve our cars AND our driving.

The Opportunity

Do you remember Juha Kankkunen? Four-time World Rally Champion and holder of two ice-driving world records, most recently in the Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible in which he topped 205 mph earlier this year on the frozen Baltic Sea.

Unhinged? Perhaps. But who better to learn about driving supercars on ice?

That’s what we thought too.

Our colleagues at ROAD magazine have got together with D1 Ultimate GT Supercar Driving Holidays and are offering a special 10% discount off a range of 3 and 4-day driving experiences, together with a complimentary signed copy of Juha’s book, My Road. The offer is only open to ROAD magazine readers and available until the end of December 2011.

Supercars on ice with four time Rally World Champion Juha Kankkunen.

The courses aren’t cheap, but then neither are those repairs to your pride and joy, but with a 10% discount you’d be saving yourself up to £500 (or more, if you bring a few friends). Cars, which thankfully are provided, include – a four-wheel drive Volkswagen Golf (to learn the basics), then onto a Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Audi RS4 and Lamborghini Gallardo which you can see in the video above.

Non-driving guests are also welcome, so you could turn it into a winter vacation (of sorts).

To enter

To take advantage of this limited offer, contact Ultimate GT’s Daniel Eden at daniel@ultimate-gt.com, quoting Road Magazine Offer.

You can find out a little more on the Ultimate GT website and read about these unique driving experiences in the next issue of ROAD magazine, which will be out later this month.

If you do book a place, then we’d love to hear how you get on, just let Phil and the other ROADies know when you’re attending by leaving a message on their Facebook page.

The sequence was filmed by a camera mounted on the bumper of a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9, then dubbed with the sound of Lelouch’s Ferrari 275GTB. The rest as they say is history.

33 years later, Lamborghini have used the theme of C’était un Rendezvous to promote their latest model, the Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month.

The film, “SUPER TROFEO STRADALE. LIFE IS A RACE.” was produced by creative agency, Philipp & Keuntje GmbH, and Final Touch Filmproduktion GmbH and features a Super Trofeo Stradle driving through the city streets accompanied by the sound of that wonderful 562bhp 5.2-litre V10 engine.

At nearly two and a half minutes long, it’s somewhat shorter than Lelouch’s 9 minute original, but the message is clear – if life is a race, then the best car to experience it in is the Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale.

It’s not the first time someone has either used C’était un Rendezvous as inspiration for a film or commercial, or made a homage of their own. In the following scene we see a Porsche 911 GT3 and Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera dicing it out through the streets of Paris, inspired by the original film:

This short film is reminiscent of the iconic C’était un Rendezvous and features a Porsche 911 GT3 and Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.

The agency responsible for this latest film, Philipp & Keuntje GmbH, were also behind my favourite poster ads EVER, Lamborghini: A part of Italy. Take a look at them below and then tell me those aren’t amonsgst the most emotive car ads you’ve ever seen..

Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale

The Super Trofeo Stradale is based technically on the 562 bhp Gallardo Superleggera, but it’s not just the performance which is impressive, Lamborghini have gone to the trouble of ‘tuning’ the V10’s firing order to deliver the same spine-tingling sound you hear in the Super Trofeo motor racing series.

Generous use of carbon fibre enables the Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale to boast a dry weight of 1340 kg – that’s 70 kg less than the already lean Gallardo LP 560-4, and gives the Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale a power-to-weight ratio of 419 bhp/tonne. Performance is suitably supercar-quick with a 0 to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and 125 mph in just 13.8 seconds, with maximum speed a cool 200 mph (320 Km/h).

The Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale sports a brand new “Rosso Mars” paint finish that underscores the special connection between ultimate race track performance and Lamborghini’s “Italian-ness”. The “Rosso Mars” colour symbolises Italy’s traditional racing red with a modern 21st century touch.

In contrast to the “Rosso Mars” finish Matte Black is used on the large rear spoiler, the engine hood and the front air intakes. The forged wheels are painted in high-gloss black, a colour that is also available on the roof as an option. The rocker panel covers, impressive rear diffuser and outside mirror housings are also made of carbon fibre polished to a high gloss, while the brake callipers are accented in red for the first time on a Lamborghini.

Besides the historically suggestive “Rosso Mars”, the new Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale is also available upon request in “Grigio Telesto” or “Bianco Monocerus” with the roof available in gloss black as an option.

With such a strong racing connection, Lamborghini are also offering the LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale with a tubular interior roll cage, 4-point safety belts and a fire extinguisher. However if you’ve buying one for ‘show’ more so than ‘go’, you can still equip it with satellite navigation, a Bluetooth connection for mobile phones, an anti-theft system, and a front-axle lifting system for those annoying speed bumps and parking garages.

Firstly we need to start with a rudimentary definition of what it means to be a ‘cool brand’, since, as I will explain, ‘cool’ doesn’t necessarily mean successful.

Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the CoolBrands Expert Council, says “Cool is subjective and personal. But being identified as a Cool Brand by the British public and a panel of influential opinion formers implies it is a brand that most Brits wish to own.”

A brand is essentially an identity which reflects the qualities and values of its owner, one that used to be defined by the brand itself, but in this era of digital and social media is largely a product of public perception. If a brand really is cool, then the evidence should be visible for all of us to see.

So, a working definition of ‘cool’ will most likely include;

• a brand which people aspire to own,
• which people then feel proud to openly display within their peer groups,
• are happy to associate themselves with the other brand owners,
• and which conveys upon them the same distinctive qualities that they associate with the brand they like.

Or to put it another way, a cool brand must inspire admiration, aspiration, a willingness to associate and a mutual sense of identity.

American clothing brand, Abercrombie & Fitch, used to be cool; many of us admired the quality and style of their items, felt comfortable being identified as an A & F customer but then once everybody was wearing them, we felt less happy being associated with the brand.

I was reading an article this morning by Colin Morrison about ‘Five reasons why Facebook may be doomed’, and one of the reasons he cited is that Facebook is losing its cool because it’s simply too popular – too common.

What began as a community of students sharing their pictures and news, has now become an essential tool for parents keeping track of their kids. What may have been cool (in a geeky sort of way) has now become a metaphor for weirdness. Would you want to be like Facebook? Probably not.

Just as it would be hard to deny how successful Facebook has become (it’s on target for more than $1bn profit in 2011), the same cannot be said for phone maker RIM (producer of Blackberry devices), whose shares have plummeted 50 per cent in the past few months with calls for its joint-CEOs to step down. Despite the financial turmoil and loss of demand for its smartphone and tablet devices, the CoolBrands survey found that while 47% of women voted Apple their favourite tech brand, some 44% voted for Blackberry.

This news is unlikely to appease RIM’s current shareholder revolt, but shows that being cool (or not) doesn’t necessarily translate into the bottom line.

So how did Aston Martin become a cool brand?

Cheliotis commented; “Smooth, sexy and sophisticated; British built, high quality and hand finished, let’s be honest, young or old, male or female, opinion former or British public, who wouldn’t aspire to own what is truly the coolest car on the road. Number one in five of the last six years, this British icon is truly the coolest of the cool.”

From Aston’s continued association with the 007 Bond films, their passion and success in motorsport and the bold innovativeness of the One-77 supercar, Aston Martin as a brand, represents the kind of person we’d all like to be – confident, successful, well-liked and courageous, yet subtle and classy.

The brand as a tool for self-identity is strong in this most British of car makers – Aston Martin is like the guy at school which all the girls want to be with, whilst all the other guys just want to copy.

So how have the other brands being doing?

How other brands can get in on the action?

The one question we haven’t answered so far is, “what difference does it make if a brand is perceived to be cool?” As an accolade, this latest award bestowed on Aston Martin is generating thousands of news articles and millions of views – it’s called ‘earned media’ and you just can’t buy this kind of positive messaging for your brand.

People who read about a ‘cool brand’ will reflect on what it could mean for their own image and perception by in their peer group, so whilst being perceived as cool won’t automatically translate into a bottom-line revenue improvement, it’s certainly a very valuable asset – one that saves a huge amount of marketing spend and which should lead to increased profitability, providing, as was unfortunately lacking with RIM, that you continue to provide products which people want to buy.

So the takeaway message from Aston Martin’s success is two-fold; build a brand identity and personality that customers would like to adopt as their own, but make sure you then build the products that such an affiliation would normally lead them to buy. A cool brand without neat products is something of a hollow achievement.

But Aston Martin is not the only cool brand, and whilst this latest CoolBrands survey is notable for the iconic brands surveyed, it’s not entirely comprehensive or indeed conclusive. Nor is coolness the preserve of luxury brands.

Lexus is the top-selling hybrid car maker in 2011 and for many buyers the epitome of cool, when choosing to express their environmentally conscious values. MINI continues to be a cool brand for many, despite their ubiquity, whilst Citroen has made great progress in rebuilding ‘affordable chic’ back into its brand with cars such as the DS3 and now DS4.

Even Volvo shows signs of venturing cool-wards with its latest S60/V60 and XC60 models. The one thing they all have in common is a distinctive personality and attributes which make them stand out on our crowded roads.

Of the Top 20 CoolBrands, only Ferrari (8th) and Maserati (20th) were in the fight with Aston. Morgan were also in the Top 66 brands in the survey. The remaining automotive brands on the list were unclassified and included – Alfa Romeo, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lotus, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Porsche, Range Rover and Rolls-Royce.

So Aston Martin is yet again the coolest of the cool, but rather than dismiss it as a meaningless trinklet, it might be worth taking a closer look at how Aston have achieved this position.

Alex Vaidya, Head of Digital at Porsche Cars GB tweeted this morning, “Being voted the coolest instantly makes you uncool!” – well in that case I’m sure Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin’s CEO, must be cursing the brand’s latest trophy and wishing he’d kept a lower profile.

Perhaps not.

Speaking at the Volkswagen Group pre-event gathering, Winkelmann confirmed the 995 kg model will use the same 562 bhp engine as the LP570-4, resulting in a 0-62 mph time of around 2.5 seconds.

There is no word on pricing yet, but expect it to match the Sesto Elemento’s gargantuan performance and echo the $1.5 million previously asked for the Reventon.

This new and most extreme Gallardo is based on the successful race car from the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, the world’s fastest single-make series, and will be produced in a limited run of 150 numbered units.

There are many similarities between the racing and road versions such as the V10 powerplant. Like the Super Trofeo competition version, the new Super Trofeo Stradale is based technically on the Gallardo Superleggera. The V10 powerplant generates 562 bhp at 8000 RPM. The maximum torque is equally impressive, with the torque curve peaking at 540 Nm at 6500 RPM. But it’s not just the performance which is impressive, Lamborghini have gone to the trouble of ‘tuning’ the V10’s firing order to deliver the same spine-tingling sound you hear in the Super Trofeo motor racing series.

Like the race car, the Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale uses the robotized e-gear six-speed transmission controlled by steering wheel paddles. This electronically controlled system shifts smoothly through its six gears and for maximum acceleration from a standing start, the transmission can be set to the “Thrust Mode” – a program that allows it to reach the best performance possible executing a racing start with minimal tyre slippage at a set-off engine speed of approximately 5000 rpm.

Four-wheel drive is still the order of the day, whilst the layout of the suspension is directly derived from motor racing, Lamborghini say that no other model in the Gallardo line-up is as close to being a true race car. Another great feature is the ultra-lightweight 19-inch wheels, which alone save some 13 kilograms. The lightweight and sturdy wheel bearings and bolts are made from titanium and high performance Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres are footwear of choice.

Eight-piston aluminium callipers are standard wear (with 4-piston on the rear), but on request Lamborghini will install a carbon-ceramic brake system with carbon-ceramic discs measuring 380 mm at the front (up from 365 mm for the standard aluminium discs) and 356 mm for the rear wheels.

Generous use of carbon fibre enales the Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale to boast a dry weight of 1340 kg. That’s 70 kg less than the already lean Gallardo LP 560-4, and gives the Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale a power-to-weight ratio of 419 bhp/tonne. Performance is suitably supercar-quick with a 0 to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds and 125 mph in just 13.8 seconds. Maximum speed is a cool 200 mph (320 Km/h).

The Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale sports a brand new “Rosso Mars” paint finish that underscores the special connection between ultimate race track performance and Lamborghini’s “Italian-ness”. The “Rosso Mars” colour symbolises Italy’s traditional racing red with a modern 21st century touch.

In contrast to the “Rosso Mars” finish Matte Black is used on the large rear spoiler, the engine hood and the front air intakes. The forged wheels are painted in high-gloss black, a colour that is also available on the roof as an option. The rocker panel covers, impressive rear diffuser and outside mirror housings are also made of carbon fibre polished to a high gloss, while the brake callipers are accented in red for the first time on a Lamborghini.

Besides the historically suggestive “Rosso Mars”, the new Gallardo Super Trofeo Stradale is also available upon request in “Grigio Telesto” or “Bianco Monocerus” with the roof available in gloss black as an option.

Inside, Lamborghini have used more carbon fibre and continued the contrasting red/black theme. Alcantara is the dominant upholstery material – in “Rosso Mars” on the underside of the dashboard, the central part of the seat cushion and the backrest combined with extremely lightweight carbon fibre.

Black Alcantara with contrasting red top-stitching is used to finish the other parts of the interior, whilst the steering wheel is upholstered in black suede also with red top-stitching. The door panels, the monocoque racing seats and the center console are all covered with carbon fibre, whilst discreet sporty accents are provided by dark chromed metal.

With such a strong racing connection, Lamborghini are also offering the LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale with a tubular interior roll cage, 4-point safety belts and a fire extinguisher. However if you’ve buying one for ‘show’ more so than ‘go’, you can still equip it with satellite navigation, a Bluetooth connection for mobile phones, an anti-theft system, and a front-axle lifting system for those annoying speed bumps and parking garages.

Gallery

The Italian Police have a long history of exotic pursuit cars, however usually the task falls to Lamborghini, who have provided a succession of unique models to the State Police.

This time it was the choice of the Carabinieri and they chose not one, but two Lotus Evora for the task. With one car stationed in Milan and the other in Rome, the rapid transportation vehicles are equipped with a portable refrigerator (for carrying blood and organs in medical emergencies), but also some of the very latest voice recognition technology including the EVA (Enhanced Vehicle Automation) system.

The Arma dei Carabinieri, which is a seperate organisation to the Italian army, play a similar role in Italy to Scotland Yard in the UK and work with the civilian police to provide a crucial service to the public.

Commenting during the handover event at Carabinieri headquarters in Rome, Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said: “We are extremely proud to be working with such an iconic and professional organisation as the Carabinieri who play an integral role in Italian society.”

“Everyone knows that Italy has more than it’s fair share of high-profile sports car manufacturers so it is a real honour for a relatively small British brand to be in this position. The feedback from the driver training on the Evora S at our test track was very positive, it’s such a responsive car to drive, I think the teams in Rome and Milan are really going to feel the benefit of working with our product.”

The British-Police-edition Evora with its blues-and-twos just wouldn’t cut it on the stylish streets of Milan and Rome.

Carabinieri spokesperson, Colonel Marco Minicucci said: “Our special Lotus Evoras combine the very best of our technology with excellent British engineering from Lotus. Not just anyone can drive these cars, we carefully selected some of our team to attend a driver training session at the new test track at Lotus’ headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk where they learnt all about the very special characteristics and incredible potential of the cars.”

By carefully selected I suspect Colonel Minicucci means “..a few of us senior police officers visited Lotus’ Hethel HQ and had a blast around their new test track!” Don’t worry Marco, we don’t blame you..

Gallery

Whilst the SLS AMG is often compared with rivals sports cars from Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini, the company are clearly feeling confident enough that such a comparison is no longer valid – “The car in front is an SLS AMG, with the rest only visible in its rear-view mirrow.”

Do they have a point, or have they been sipping a few too many schnapps?

During his visit to the assembly lines and new facilities, where the carbon fibre monocoque of the new Aventador LP 700-4 is made, Lomu was struck by the efficiency and craftsmanship that set the Company apart.

After admiring the fine collection of models in the Lamborghini’s Sant’Agata museum, the hugely imposing rugby legend (who is 196 cm tall and weighs 125 kg) had the chance to try out the Gallardo Superleggera on the road and get behind the wheel of the Aventador. In his words: “The feeling you get in a Lamborghini and the adrenaline rush at every bend are unbelievable! It’s an extreme but comfortable car!”.

Jonah Lomu is in Italy to promote the “Friends for Japan” appeal, the proceeds of which will go towards rebuilding the areas hit by the tragic tsunami of March 11. The appeal events will climax in a rugby match between Italy and Japan on August 13 in Cesena.

Gallery

China is an extremely important market for Lamborghini, achieving over 150% sales growth in 2010 compared to 2009, although after the recent spectacle of a disgruntled Chinese owner destroying his Gallardo (see below) we wonder if Lamborghini should vet their customers more closely before letting them buy a car.

Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, said: “Our presence at Auto Shanghai 2011 reflects the importance of the Chinese market, which is now our second most significant after the USA. The appeal of the Lamborghini brand in China is illustrated by the launch here of the Gallardo LP 550-2 Tricolore: definitively Italian, and with all the performance and handling a Lamborghini Gallardo promises. Demand for our cars continues to grow: our worldwide order book for the Lamborghini LP 700-4 Aventador is already eighteen months ahead of production.”

In 2011 Lamborghini will expand its dealership network in China from 14 to 20 dealers.

Gallery