All Entries Tagged With: "LAMBORGHINI"
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? Exotics @ Foxwoods
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Phil Dunphy for ADLX
LET’S see: how to compliment a mostly male gathering of one hundred sports cars at Foxwoods Casino to raise awareness for the ongoing battle against breast cancer?
Well, aside from lunch at the Hard Rock, a crisp autumnal road trip through scenic New London County, Conn. there were some other visual flourishes that added value to the event. Our man Phil catelogues them nicely with his camera.
Decisions, decisions: Lamborghini edge or Ferrari curve?
The rally was set against the world’s largest casino. A colorful backdrop, to be sure.
Models advertising Private Jet Charters were on call that morning.
Apparently, the pain of standing in heels got to more than a few as the morning wore on.
They persevered, nonetheless.
As did the event’s planner, Manolis Christo.
Color coordination was a recurring theme…
…as you might’ve guessed.
For one, Bumble Bee from Transformers blended well in Camaro yellow.
Getting ready to rally.
FerrariChat.com member Lane Baker coordinates route plans. No speeding!
A tall order considering the old rivalries represented here.
But then again, not too tall an order. One hundred cars on Connecticut backroads creates its own special kind of traffic.
Much to some local’s apparent appreciation.
eBay Watch: 1989 Lamborghini Countach
Avanti!
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG eBay
ESPOUSING the very essence of a supercar – hell, didn’t Lamborghini coin the term? – the Countach’s unchecked exuberance was and is like nothing else on the road.
The 70’s and 80’s Lambos were so edgy that you can almost see Marcello Gandini at the drafting table gazing down at his old Miura design and then in the corner of his eye finding sudden inspiration in a nearby protactor and pair of scissors.
Or, to stir some conspiracy theorists from an August’s slumber, could it have been that Sr. Gandini and the Bertone design team used some back channel NATO connection to get the low down on the US Air Force’s then-secret F-117 Night Hawk?
Considering both vessels’ low profiles, trapezoidal planed surfaces, and rectangular ducts, it’s an easy parallel to draw.
Whatever the case, like the now retired stealth fighter, the Lamborghini Countach seems at once dated and hyper advanced in its visual appeal. Like a some spaceship from Tron, this 25th Anniversary ship comes in villain black powered by the 5.2 liter V12 that put the Ferrari Testarossa on notice.
Having said that, with a buy-it-now price of $114,900, you could nearly buy two Testarossas for the price of this one Countach (or buy one have the rest for the fix-it fund).
But who said edgy futurist flamboyance comes cheap. Even 20 years on.
[Linked: eBay]
The Three Million Dollar Garage
Merry Christmas
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG found on Flickr
WE all have our own ideal garage in mind.
Mine would feature in quantity one: Duesenberg Model J, Alfa Romeo Spider, Alfa Romeo 8C, Bentley Azure Convertible, Ford GT, Maserati Spyder, Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, Mercedes-Benz 540K, Mercedes-Benz 280 SE Cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz 300SL - sigh - I could go on…
And so I will.
Rolls-Royce Corniche Convertible, Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Lamborghini Murcielago, and Porsche Carrera GT.
So many cars. So few dollars, sterling, euros, or yen to spend.
But nobody said anything about Kuwaiti Dinars!
The above photograph (apparently) shows a private collection in Kuwait. Amazing to think that four of my favorites are in among the - gulp - crowd.
A Flickr user with the ID “q8500″ having a keen eye for Mercedes-Benzes, decided to compile and share a multitude of car pics; this awe inspiring picture among them.
Naturally, the jpeg’s titled “the three million $ garage.”
And while it’s perhaps too cropped for our taste, it does transmit the owner’s rolling joie de vivre.
Honors go to the commentator who can identify every beauty in the picture.
[Linked: Flickr]
Pondering The Future of Conspicuous Vehicular Consumption Under An Obama Administration
By Gunnar Heinrich
BARRING the discovery of intelligent life on Mars, the top story in today’s news cycle is almost impossible to eclipse or ignore: Barack Obama is America’s president-elect.
While Mr. Obama’s fleet ascendancy to the top of American governance is unprecedented, it still doesn’t change the rotten state that the automotive “Denmark” now finds itself…for now.
Just how might an Obama Administration change the industry and specifically the luxury car market, in particular? It probably won’t in the near term, but over time there may well be a shift away from super-luxury automobiles.
Farewell, fair Maybach.
More important than cost (what’s $300K to heavy hitters with net worths heavier than $20ma?) is the fundamental aspect of appearance.
If we were to bite onto conservatives’ concern that an Obama Administration will play the game of Federal Robin Hood, then splurging on Phantoms, Gallardos, and Panameras would definitely be out, indefinitely by the large majority of the few haves and even fewer have mores.
It’s one thing to own a lot that’s taxable. It’s quite another to look the part, too.
And considering that the soon-to-be U.S. president caved to the needs of appearance by giving up his own toy – the Secret Service approved Chrysler 300C (no) thanks to political eco-pressure – how sympathetic will an Obama Administration be to elite buyers and their elite car brands?
Not very.
Real change is coming to the luxury automotive market, to be sure.
[Linked: Reuters]
Just How “German” Is Lamborghini?
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG by BusinessWeek
OR Bentley and Bugatti for that matter?
Catching up with the latest on “German” auto news as I’m prone to do over at the respectable German Car Blog, I continually find myself questioning the site’s self described focus of “delivering news and opinion about Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, VW and Porsche.”
Apparently, BMW and Mercedes-Benz aren’t German enough for inclusion which leads one to suspect the obvious – the blog really just covers the marques associated with the VW-Audi Group.
Fine, but back to the “German” point. Does foreign ownership of a nameplate dictate nationality?
Did anyone claim Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, or Volvo as American brands just for being members of Ford’s Premier Auto Group? Or might we have really thought Lamborghini as made-in-the-USA when Chrysler owned the raging bull?
I think not. So why insist that the British Bentley, the Franco-Italian Bugatti, or the Italian Lambo as Teutonic? As a concept, it seems oddly foreign.
[Linked: German Car Blog]
Lamborghini & Ferrari
By Gunnar Heinrich
GRANTED there are plenty of well healed AMEX holders who don’t have to choose just one.
But there really seems to be two distinct camps of driver. And two distinct kinds of car.
The Ferrari driver and the Lamborghini driver are every bit as unique a species of motoring animal as, say, the world’s BMW and Jaguar drivers. The differences are hard to pinpoint, exactly.
So, it’s best to look at it from the perspective of the product.
I read a quote some time back in one of the US rags that described Lamborghini and Ferrari (the cars) as women.
Warning: shameless chauvinism to follow.
The Ferrari, the owner said, was the woman you brought home to your parents. The Lamborghini was the slut that you- well – you get the idea.
As uncharitable as that comparison may seem for Lambo; there is a grain of truth to that.
Lamborghini is about image – first and foremost. Synonymous with the label “supercar,” the car’s visceral sex appeal is in its hot lines and hotter performance.
Ferrari’s prancing horses, on the other hand, are much more refined machines that sport a racing pedigree that extends back to the days when founder Enzo was driving Alfas around Italian courses. The sex is still there just packaged behind a more sophisticated veneer.
She’s great in bed and can hold a conversation over dinner.
The Lambo just wants to order room service with plenty of champagne….
Supercar Forgotten: The De Tomaso Pantera
By Christopher P. Davis
AS I was scrolling through my iPhoto library today, I came across a few pictures of a De Tomaso Pantera that I had taken during a recent trip to Maine.
The owner of the super car, a good friend of mine who also happens to be the innkeeper of the inn my family has stayed at in Maine for more than two decades. Naturally, he obliged when I asked him if I might take a few shots of his car.
The De Tomaso-Ford Partnership was born out of the desire of the Ford Motor Company to have a high performance Italian automaker. Having been summarily dismissed by Ferrari, they set their sights on De Tomaso. De Tomaso, at the time had stakes in Ghia and Vignale, thus giving Ford even more reason to buy into De Tomaso.
The model that originally peaked Henry Ford, II’s attention was the De Tomaso Mangusta. However the model that was built under the partnership was the Pantera.
The Pantera was the first car to be built by De Tomaso using the uni-body technique. Although the styling of the Pantera was on par with the Lamborghini Miura, and the Ford sourced V8 sent the beast from 0-60 in 5.5 seconds according to Car & Driver.
While strong in the visuals and power, the Pantera was lacking in over build quality.
For many owners De Tomasos were as problematic as Nader claimed the Corvair was. This was epitomized when Elvis Presley reportedly shot his Pantera after it neglected to start.
Many examples of the Pantera have been unfortunately bastardized by Bondo, due to the poor build quality. However this was not the case for the Pantera I photographed in Maine this past fall.
Speaking with my friend, the owner, I found out that his car was a true barn find – coming from a chicken coupe on a farm in Maine. Miraculously even though the Pantera’s were not rust proofed, the car held up.
The only alterations he had to make to the car was an engine tune-up, full re-painting of the car, and of course new tires.
The Pantera was designed, engineered and did go toe-to-toe with the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of the time. Fact is, a 70’s Lamborghinis can command upwards of $400,000. A Pantera, asks for just $50,000 – something for any aspiring Italian collector to seriously consider.
When I look back at the Pantera, I feel that De Tomaso and Ford deserve great praise for putting an effort in to creating a supercar and can only wonder what wonders would have been created if importation wasn’t halted in 1975.
While some say the 70′s Oil Crisis put a damper on Pantera sales Stateside, had Ford only considered bringing it back in the 80′s, the Italo-American would have fit in like a glove in that most decadent of decades.
[Linked: De Tomaso | Harraseeket Inn]
Slow To Bloom: Lotus Awareness Stateside
By Christopher P. Davis
IT’S not often that you see a Lotus cruising by and yet yesterday I spotted one.
An edgy little thing, the car had a shape that connoted an arachnid. Pleasing to the eyes, it appeals most to those looking for the exotic.
In my mind, when I think of exotics I think Ferrari, Lamborghini, and even Saleen, but never Lotus.
In both performance and style, Lotus is right up there with their Italian and tuner competition. Their styling is avant garde and simply looks fast, but I realize that the differences lies not within hot contours of curved sheetmetal but rather the cold numbers of stat sheets.
Numerical Challenge No. 1
Price – In the eyes of many of the rich and famous: More Cash = More Cachet.
Lotus’ sprightly Elise starts around a very common $46K- need I say more?
Numerical Challenge No. 2
Horsepower – Unlike a German or Italian, Lotus’ Japan sourced powerplants avoid those big-honkin’ engines.
The Exige S with its 218 horsepower launches from 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds.
With that kind of performance, why wouldn’t everyone want one?
Considering low price matched high performance, it’s easy to ask this basic question: why hasn’t Lotus emerged as the everyman’s sports car?
The Elise’s agility, style, and fleetness ensure makes a for a better argument than any Mustang. The Lotus will out maneuver any Corvette due to the simple fact that the little Brit can turn (at speed). James Bond in his Roger Moore days even drove a Lotus in a few of Albert T. Broccoli’s Giugaro masterpieces.
Mr. Bond never drove a ‘Stang or a Vette.
The real fault?
Advertising. Marketing. You know, getting the word out. I cannot remember the last time I saw a piece of Lotus advertising, whether it be in print, radio, or television.
I honestly wonder if you asked 10 people on the street how many people know the brand Lotus. Five out of 10? If you asked 10 people on the street if they knew what a Corvette was it would – 100%/
Often times, many companies fail because of lack of recognition and I honestly don’t know how Lotus survives. But so long as it does, the company’s cars – or arachnids – make for compelling alternatives.
[Linked: Lotus]
This Week @ Coys: Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer
By Gunnar Heinrich
THERE is something sexy about slant-nosed RMR Ferraris.
It must be the way the cars seem to own a symbiotic look of edge blending with curve. Among the Prancing Horses that manage this feat best include the sublime F355, the angular Testarossa and, certamente, the 512 Berlinetta Boxer.
Ferrari’s mid 70s fighting champ was born out of what London auctioneer Coys of Kensington suggests was a “sensitiv[ity] to criticism.”
Not even a foal in Ferrari’s stables, rivals Lamborghini and Maserati had already brought mid-engined competitors to market that challenged Ferrari’s standing among the fickle fealties of the decade’s super-rich.
Still the Boxer proved to be a knock-out – packing a flat 12 that weighed-in at 344 (1970s) horsepower. Torquing the rear wheels with 302 lb-ft, the Italian moved to 60 in the mid-five seconds range (cheating a current Porsche Boxster) and powered on to a supercar worthy 181 mph (out-running a 911 Carrera).
Coys has made mention of the pictured car’s 45,000 mile, Maranello factory restored history. But in tutto rosso on white, we can call her bella.
Point of price reference : a 1984 512 BBi is listed on Hemmings for $164,500.
[Linked: Coys of Kensington]
Greenwich: Notes From Auction & Concorso
By Gunnar Heinrich
JUDGING by the grosso quantity of Alfa Romeos, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Lancias, Maseratis, and assorted other Italian beauties of all vintages (ever heard of a Dual Ghia?), I’m convinced that Mr. and Mrs. Wennerstrom should rename the Greenwich Concours:
“Il Greenwich Concorso D’Eleganza: Rappresentazione Delle Automobili Italiani Più Belle Nel Mondo”
That said, the parking lots for Concours visitors (always a show unto itself) were surprisingly free of Italian wheels but featured, rather, the usual German suspects – including this SL generational trio (R121 | W113 | R230, respectively)
But, if the parking lots were brimming with Teutons and the lawns of Roger Sherman Baldwin park graced by so many Italians, the Bonhams Auction; or sweat-in (damn it was hot!), offered up for sale an assortment of both nationalities plus a large catalog of British makes.
Yours stayed just long enough to spy the Jaguar XK120 that was on the lot (at $40K the car had some wear ‘n tear) and to be awe inspired by a most immaculate 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I saloon, and, lastly, watch a 280SL sell for just over $20K.
It must’ve been the heat as ADL and Co. repaired to a nearby marina bistro for shade and cool libations.
EXCELLENTE
The Greenwich Concours did not disappoint this year. Any gear head in the tri-state area is best served by going there and coughing up the $25 entrance fee.
Reading news bits of the show online, I was sorry to have missed Autoblog’s Alex Nunez who posted a great assortment of shots from the show.
My favorite automobile on display at the event (show and auction) was a 1948 powdery blue on cream Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith convertible made-to-measure by French coachbuilder Franay.
If there were such a thing as the perfect expression of automotive art, that custom Silver Wraith was near-perfection elegantly expressed.
Perhaps the Concours should keep its name en français after all.
Special thanks to Bruce Wennerstrom.
