Don’t tell Lamborghini about U.S. economic woes.

The company announced Sunday at the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Center that 2007 was the first year more than 1,000 of its luxury vehicles were sold in North America.

As a result, the maker of luxury sportscars has created a U.S. dealer management arm, said President and CEO Stephan Winklemann.

“2007 was a fantastic year for Lamborghini,” Winklemann told a crowd of international journalists gathered Sunday afternoon.

Although small by Big Three standards, the number of vehicles sold globally by Lamborghini jumped from 2,087 in 2006 to 2,406 in 2007, company officials said.

And Lamborghini may have taken the shine out of their paint, but a new matte finish still creates sparkle for the ultra-luxury brand.

At Cobo, the Italian carmaker introduced a matte brown paint called Marrone Apus at the Detroit Auto Show on Sunday afternoon. The new paint is part of the Italian carmaker’s effort to help customers personalize the exclusive vehicles, much like designers create couture in the fashion industry, according to company officials.

“Dream your dream and let us produce a car for you,” Lamborghini spokesman Chas Ostezan said. The company will customize any aspect of the interior or paint finish, he said. “Anything that doesn’t affect safety or the build of the car.”

Described as halfway between a brown and black, the matte finish has an underlying gold sparkle that glittered under the Cobo lights like a snowbank on a sunny winter day.

Shown in Detroit on Lamborghini’s $222,060 Gallardo Spyder, the new paint color is available on all standard models, according to company officials. The matte finish was originally introduced in a green-gray on Lamborghini’s Reventon model at the Frankfurt, Germany, auto show last fall, Ostezan added.

A blanket-soft, chocolate brown suede-like microfiber wrapped the steering wheel and covered the seats of the Spyder. A smooth, two-tone brown and cream-colored leather interior complimented the look.

If pure looks aren’t enough, the Spyder, a permanent four-wheel drive with a 5-liter, 10-cylinder V-90 engine boasts 520 horsepower at 8,000 r.p.m.

On either side of the Spyder at Cobo were two Murcielago LP640s, one a $333,000 coupe and the other a $365,000 roadster. For the extra cash, the models offer a 6.5 liter, 12-cylinder V-60 engine that puts out 640 horsepower at 8,000 r.p.m., according to company specifications.

New paint also covered the Murcialagos. The shiny, bold aqua called Blu Cepheus, is inspired by the blues of polar ice, Lamborghini officials said.

The company complimented the single-tone paint with an untreated light brown, saddle-like leather from Italy’s Tuscany region. Because it’s untreated, the leather will naturally change over time, Ostezan said.

By: TAMMY STABLES BATTAGLIA
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER