Convoy II

As Lamborghini enthusiasts you might already be aware of the story Mel Nichols pened for Car Magazine in 1976 on driving three Lamborghinis from the factory to the UK. Back then Car Magazine was the best car magazine in the world, Mel Nichols the best writer and the Lamborghini story his best story. Jeremy Clarkson said: "I still think his story about driving three Lamborghinis from Italy is the best-ever drive story... I'm trying to do stuff like that now, only on television."

If you don't know the story, or need to read it again, the link is below.

160mph convoy: Lamborghini Countach, Urraco and Silhouette flat out across Europe | Classic and Sports Car

Well, its 40 years since this story was written and we have been in touch with Mel Nichols and we are going to recreate the trip. Mel, Car Magazine and Lamborghini are all on board and it will be great. If you want to be part of it, read on...

We have sourced each of the original 3 models of Lamborghinis featured; a Countach, Urraco and Silhouette. Not an easy task seeing as there are only 3 road worthy Silhouettes in the UK. They will be accompanied on the trip back to the UK by up to 11 guest supercars.

On Sunday 18th October, all participating owners and guests will attend a launch party at SVR HQ where their cars will be loaded onto covered transporters and transported from the UK to the Lamborghini factory in Italy (likely transporter will be CARS International) where they will be stored prior to starting the return trip. The owners will also hand in their luggage to the support team who will transport their belongings to Italy to be waiting for them a week later.

On Saturday 24th September, we will fly out to Bologna ready for the event to begin. After a launch dinner in Bologna, on Sunday we will be taken round the Lamborghini factory for a VIP tour finishing with a Gala dinner in the factory museum.

On Monday morning, Lamborghini will wave the cars off from the factory for us to follow Mel’s original route over the next 6 days, stopping for photographic shoots in specially chosen locations, dinners in the finest local restaurants and staying in 5*+ hotels and resorts along the route. Total distance will be less than 1,500 miles, with about 200-400 miles each day.

We will return to the UK on the 1st October where we will be holding an event ending dinner at the Goodwood House Hotel. On the following Sunday morning we will attend the Italian Car Breakfast Club where we will unveil the cars and announce to the general public what we have just done.

https://grrc.goodwood.com/breakfast-club/breakfast-club-latest/2016-breakfast-club-dates-themes-announced#Q35mgEhylSQgyYxw.97

That is the overall plan, the details need to be worked out, but, understandably, the world’s automotive press have gone crazy for the story!!

Car Magazine are fully supporting the venture. They will run a special edition featuring the trip and associated stories on Lamborghini, its new cars and its heritage. They will be syndicating the story in 15 different languages. But that’s not all, the story will be syndicated to SportAuto in France, Quattroroute in Italy, Autocar in Japan, Car and Driver in the USA and Wheels Magazine in Australia. Octane Magazine, Car and Classic, PistonHeads.com, etc may also be involved.

We are currently in a bidding war with the New Top Gear, the new Amazon Clarkson show and Fifth Gear as to who may come and feature the event on their show. But we are being very selective with the TV side of the press as we will not allow their intrusive requirements to alter the essential driving experience and homage to Mel's original story which is the whole purpose of the event.

Lamborghini are fully on board; they will host the participants and plan to provide a new Aventador and Huracan to accompany the rally back to the UK.

Mel will of course do the full trip and write the story (actually stories as there will be accompanying articles).

The whole trip will be supported with some of the best automotive photographers in the world who will capture the event in all its glory. Mel has already selected his favourite photographer and SVR are taking their own in-house photographer to provide each participant with a lasting memory of this trip.

SVR are pulling the whole thing together and doing logistics. All luggage will be transported to the next hotel, and all of the costs except the individuals fuel usage and relevant insurance will be included in the price to attend this event. Super Veloce Racing (SVR) have the 3 star cars for the story and they will also be bringing their own Noble M600 demonstrator for guests to experience on the trip.

Due to the nature of this event, places are strictly limited to 11 cars with 2 occupants each.

The costs per car, including 2 occupants are £12,000.

Mel is 69 years old now, he will not be doing this ever again. This truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of what will be one of the biggest stories in the automotive press in 2016.

All details are subject to change due to details yet to be finalised, but the bones of the trip are there. Mel is leading the event, Car Magazine and Lamborghini are on board, SVR are organising everything including doing a recce to Italy in April to reserve hotels and ensure everything is planned correctly.

At time of writing, only 9 spaces are left as 2 people have already signed up for this trip.

If you are interested, please contact Alan at SVR quickly: Alan Robb, Super Veloce Racing, Tel: +44 (0) 1628 52175, Mobile: +44 (0) 7557 471509, email: [email protected], Website: Super Veloce Racing Ltd. (SVR) | Supercars for Sale in the UK & Worldwide | Welcome

This should be fun....
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Yes, it's happening. Some of the details have changed but we arrive Bologna 24 th Sept, visit the Lamborghini family museum on Sunday 25th, Lamborghini factory and museum tour on Monday 26th, into the Alps until Thursday, Friday to Paris and hopefully
Link up with French Lambo club on route, night in a palace in Versailles, Paris to London on Saturday with team photo under concord at Brooklands, then a special cars and coffee somewhere posh (by invite) on Sunday morning.

Car magazine will carry the story in their Christmas edition and it's been syndicated all around the world so you'll see it everywhere...

 

Convoy 2 has started, here are the 3 cars at the Ferruccio Lamborghini museum....
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

All safely back 2500km and 8 days later. Look out for the story in the Christmas edition of Car Magazine and others. Great trip...

(Anyone know how to rotate pictures??)
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Yes, all the cars made it. We had a P300 Urraco, Silhouette, Countach, Diablo SE30, Espada, Murciélago SV and Lamborghini loaned us a Huracan Spyder. Plan is that Car magazine will run two issues on Lamborghini, the first issue out in Nov will be the history Lamborghini. The second issue out in Dec will feature this trip. Mel Nichols is writing them all. The stories are being syndicated to other magazines around the world too. Here are some more pictures...
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Some more from the road...
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

photoshop?

 

This months Car magazine has the first of Mel Nichols articles on Lamborghini. It's a 12 page feature on the present Lamborghini company compared to the Lamborghi company he first met in 1973. The interviews and photos were taken during your visit to the factory during Convoy II back in September.

There is also a taster for the Convoy 2 feature which is in the next edition: Reds 2, a homage to the classic comparison of the Countach and the Testarossa from 30 years ago using a Huracan and a 488.

Look out for the next edition of Car magazine out on 14 December for the Convoy II feature...
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

The feature on our Convoy 2 trip is in the current edition (Jan 2017) of Car Magazine, in all good magazine shops (in the UK) now and soon to be in various magazines around the world. It was more than a year in planning but well worth it. Enjoy...
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

For readers in the US, Convoy 2 is reprinted (shorter version) in this months Automobile magazine...
Seven Lamborghinis and an Unforgettable European Road Trip | Automobile Magazine