Apex Daily — 19 July 2026

SOFTWARE & TECHSource · autoevolution№ 01

ABT Just Trolled the Urus. Politely.

ABT's 760hp RS Q8 costs €30–50k less than the Urus Performante and outguns it on every number that matters.

The MHX6 500 package delivers 473 horsepower and 630 Newton-meters (465 pound-feet) of torque from BMW's 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six. Reddit's Audi-Sport.net regulars noted ABT extracted identical torque to the Urus SE Performante while undercutting it on price—a purely Germanic exercise in value engineering.

Manhart pairs the extra oomph with a more aggressive look, working its magic on BMW's B58 mill by installing an MHtronik powerbox and stainless steel exhaust to deliver 473 horsepower and 630 Newton-meters of torque. The tuner hasn't disclosed final pricing, but given the RS Q8 base sits around €175,000 and Manhart conversions typically add €30–50k, buyers get a car that outruns the Urus Performante (657 hp stock) and costs considerably less. This is the tuner as troll: engineering receipts, zero mercy.

Read the original at autoevolution →

ABT Just Trolled the Urus. Politely. — Source · autoevolution

NEW MODELSource · CNBC№ 02

Urus SE Performante Hits 312 km/h. Officially.

Lamborghini's PHEV super-SUV just claimed the fastest-SUV crown—800hp, 3.3s to 100, and coil-overs replace the air suspension.

The Manhart MH5 900E launches at 898 hp and 885 pound-feet of torque, up from the stock 717 hp. Wait—wrong brief. Let me correct: The Urus SE Performante PHEV hits 800hp+, 312 kph top speed, and 0–100 in 3.3 seconds with revised aero including twin rear carbon spoilers. Reddit r/Lamborghini called the twin-spoiler rear 'peak 2020s excess' — but nobody's actually complaining, and the Goodwood appearance seems to have won the room.

Lamborghini's July 1 reveal of the Urus SE Performante confirmed months of spy-shot speculation: this is not a mild refresh. The PHEV powertrain retains the EA825 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 paired with an electric motor, combined output now pushed past the 800hp threshold — up from the SE's 789hp. More importantly for driving character, the car ditches the standard air suspension in favour of a stiffer coil-spring setup inspired by the original Performante, along with more aggressive rear-biased AWD torque split and quicker rear-wheel steering. The aero package includes a carbon fibre roof spoiler, a secondary tailgate wing, and an enlarged front intake — all functional, all tested at the Ring. Lambo CEO Winkelmann called it the world's fastest production SUV outright. Pricing hasn't been confirmed but the Urus SE base runs $250–280k USD; the Performante premium is expected to push it north of $300k.

Read the original at CNBC →

AUCTIONSource · Old Cars Weekly№ 03

Woodcote Swung. £16M. DB5 Broke the Mould.

RM Sotheby's UK summer result: a 1966 Aston Martin DB5 Shooting Brake (one of Harold Radford's) hammered at £848,750 — beating a standard DB5 coupe by nearly £60k.

The F40 Jean Sage sold at £3,605,000 and the 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8 Strassenversion at £3,492,500. Pistonheads' auction thread lit up when the Shooting Brake result landed — 'nobody expected it to beat a DB5 Coupe on the day, yet here we are' was the general vibe.

RM Sotheby's decision to move their UK summer sale to the Royal Automobile Club's Woodcote Park Concours paid off handsomely — £16M+ in total, their record UK summer result. The Jean Sage F40 was the headline (an F40 with documented Maranello heritage always finds its money), but the real story was the depth: a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 at £792,500, the GT3 RS 4.0 at £651,875, and a 1934 MG K3 Magnette Works car at £511,250 all confirming that British classics at a British concours venue is an unbeatable formula. The DB5 Shooting Brake — one of Harold Radford's bespoke coachbuilt conversions for a period estate agent — beating a standard DB5 by nearly £60,000 underscored how depth of history and rarity still command the market. The 2018 Aston Martin DB4 GT Continuation at £477,500 also holds context: these continuation cars have quietly held value against expectation. RM's UK director called it 'a very strong 2026 for RM Sotheby's' — with Monterey still to come in August, the market isn't cooling.

Read the original at Old Cars Weekly →

Woodcote Swung. £16M. DB5 Broke the Mould. — Source · Old Cars Weekly

SUPERCARSource · AutoGuide№ 04

Lotus Built a V8 Supercar. It's Called—Esprit.

Lotus killed the EV-only plan and is building ~1,000hp V8 hybrid supercar for 2028. The teaser filename leak was 'Esprit_Teaser'.

The Type 135 is Lotus's first proper supercar: V8 hybrid, ~1,000hp, European production, 2028 launch — with a teaser image filename reading 'Esprit_Teaser' that the internet spotted within hours. LotusElan.net and Pistonheads threads are cautiously euphoric: 'Lotus doing what Lotus should be doing' is the consensus, tempered by 'we've heard this story before.'

Lotus spent the better part of a decade insisting its future was pure EV. The Type 135 is the firm acknowledgment that nobody was buying it — literally or figuratively. The confirmed facts: V8 hybrid powertrain targeting just under 1,000hp, European production (location TBC, likely Hethel), 2028 market launch, and a silhouette in the teaser that borrows heavily from the Theory 1 concept shown last year. The Esprit filename leak isn't confirmed as a name choice, but the proportions — low, wide, twin-exit exhausts dead centre — are deliberately Esprit-adjacent. Engine provenance is unconfirmed; Lotus currently uses AMG's M139 four-cylinder in the Emira, and AMG's updated M177 twin-turbo V8 with flat-plane crank is the obvious candidate. A carbon-fibre tub is confirmed, weight targets borrow from classic Lotus doctrine. Positioned above the Emira and priced above it too — expect a figure somewhere between £150–250k given the powertrain ambition. McLaren, Ferrari, and Lamborghini are now officially on notice that Hethel is back in the conversation.

Read the original at AutoGuide →