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At the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I saw Lamborghinis. Atop Rome's Janiculum Hill, I turned from the domes and towers to ogle Lambo scoops and louvers in yellow, lavender, cobalt, teal, and lurid pink. In Bologna's Piazza Maggiore, instead of exploring palaces and the Basilica of San Petronio, I beheld the array of Miuras, Isleros, Espadas, Urracos, Countachs, Diablos, Murciélagos, Gallardos, and Aventadors. Aside from a couple of LM002 bruiser-utilities, the only discordant element was at the nearby 447-year-old fountain, where Neptune clutches the trident that was copied by Mario Maserati when he designed the emblem for his brothers' first production car. On Tuesday, May 7, some 350 Lambor-ghinis gathered at the Piazza Castello, in Milan, for the Grande Giro to celebrate the marque's fiftieth birthday. After testing the 3.5-liter V-12 engine in May 1963, Ferruccio Lamborghini showed his first car, the 350GTV, that autumn at Turin. He began selling its successor, the 350GT, in 1964. The impetus for the car's creation came from Enzo Ferrari, who had spurned Ferruccio Lamborghini's complaints about his Ferrari 250GT's workmanship.

What a fantastic powertrain. This V-8 seemingly revs to the sky and sounds fantastic during full-throttle upshifts. Perhaps the biggest complaint there is that by the time you hear the second shift, you're in serious trouble. The RS5 is an absolute rocket. But it's a manageable rocket. Unlike some new vehicles that use turbocharged engines, the RS5 makes due with 4.2 liters of normally aspirated, high-revving goodness that can still leave a stop with grace.

ESTORIL, Portugal – The BMW 3-series coupe is alive and well. Its new name, 4-series, is the result of competitive pressure from the Audi A5, which is, of course, the coupe version of the A4. The 2014 BMW 4-series updates what probably is the most successful two-door in the global market and should carry on as the driver's version of BMW's premium compact, leaving it to the much higher-volume 3-series sedan to bring in the multitudes of well-financed, post-yuppie aspirational consumers.