Oh come now Bob, I don't think it was quite as bad as that. It is a general thread for discussing the futures of Lamborghini and the perception of the marque amongst various groups (not just fans and owners) is relevant to the discussion. In order to survive, every exotic marque needs to be able to find out why the unconverted aren't yet enthusiasts as eventually life's attrition will dwindle the numbers of your current customer base - new blood is essential. If the perceptions of some of the nay-sayers can be 'corrected' by Lamborghini then perhaps they would have a brighter future ahead of them. All the best, Andrew.
One could begin to argue with some of the statements in that post but why bother? It's not that I disagree with everything said. After all, who really thinks a Countach is a great car in hot weather? But my impression is the post was intended to provoke.
I can only speak for myself. I have never watched a single car race. Professional auto racing does nothing for me. That is the same with most Ferraris. It is nice to have performance for the street. Have you ever been to a local FCA event ? With quite a few local FCA events, most of the people are only interested in attending the breakfast and skipping the local fun run. The fun runs always had few enthusiastic drivers, who were interested in pushing the limits of the vehicle. In fact, the club president (his hair is always on fire / super car guy) was hounded by several members, for driving too fast. Years ago, the late JRV posted on Lambo Talk, a picture where I was driving a white Countach, on the road, with dark safety-goggles that had side shields. Last time I checked, the Spyder option is popular, with the 8cyl road Ferraris. As far as I know, the Berlinetta is more functional for track work. In my opinion, the Diablo turns less heads than the Countach. I have no idea about the G and M. That is unfortunate. I have had very good results from the Countach. The Diablo had plenty of power. I believe that is a common problem, with quite a few euro exotics from the 60's and 70's. The Countach is not the only car from the 70's, with a.c. issues. Anacin or Tylenol might help. Can you expand upon your thoughts ? Is this fact or your opinion ? Which Lamborghini cars are you talking about ? Why did you buy a 2nd Lamborghini car ?
You could catch the final 5 laps of the Monaco F1 GP if you turn on the TV right now. Then you could say you've at least watched one... or part of one, anyway. All the best, Andrew.
Lambos are cool the main reason I dont drive my Countach too much though is bcus of short clutch life and exorbitant labor cost to replace it. Thats truly a ridiculous design I'd love to see a new LM002 and a sedan I could be tempted into a Gallardo LP560SV but I'd really love a Murc SV or a Diablo GT
Agree 110%, was starting to reply...but then was remembering a saying. "A fool and his money are soon parted" The there was a pasue and the saying was added to.. "along with is lack of considerate and correct expressions"
I don't think the economy will return to what it was for 20 years and even then it won't be sustainable. The economy we just came out of was a farce. Car prices were supported by the demand of people making easy money. That easy money is gone and I think normal depreciation will now occur on high end consumables. After a few years people will stop buying the high end consumables because it won't be fun to lose 100k on a car every couple of years. Either that or they need to adjust production. The problem has already started as there are A LOT of Gallardo's floating around, many under 100k. I know for me I wouldn't pay 200+k for something I can get for a lot less and or will lose 1/2 it's value quickly. At this point I wouldn't buy one for 100k because I think they will be at 50k before too long. There are just way too many of them out there. SO how does Lambo launch a new car and support the price point? IMO they should really slim production down, buy up and dispose of a lot of the old Gallardo's so the values of the companies cars are supported. That would be the only way to support the 'Lamborghini' exclusivity. OR mass produce and sell the G for 75k brand new. When I was a kid there were NO super cars around here, NOT ONE. I think there are 3 G's here now. By the time something shows up here in the sticks it's been played out BIGTIME and near the end of it's life span.
Don't forget to mention that you don't even get what you pay for.2 Gallardos so far with nothing but problems and a pathetic approach to fixing them from Lamborghini.Add to that a lack of concern from them.It's too much money to buy them and too much depreciation on them to not get some sort of customer service.Anyone wants my cell number to ask any questions before they buy one, feel free to ask me for it. Eric
There was not many super cars around me as a kid as well, but a few. Performance Motors opened up and suddenly there was a Black Countach running around. My neighbor sold it new. He had a cop go past him in the other direction while running 140+ in a 55 zone. He pulled over and waited what felt like several minutes & sure enough the cop came back. No ticket, just talk. Another guy down the street, a gentleman farmer, shelled out 60k for a 85 Jalpa. It was like seeing a spaceship at the time. The local pizza guy (the owner) had a rough 246 Dino with a primer spot on the fender. A Merak was in the area, and a 289 Cobra owned by friend's dad, and some kit cars. Bradley GT, Kelmark GT, Sterling. Ah the good old days. Lamborghini has the best chance that it will get, owned by Audi. If nothing else, they will stop production & stick the name & rights up for some time, and just like Arnold "I'll be back"when the right time comes.
Wow - that really surprises me, Eric! I would have thought they'd certainly want look after you, since you appear to be such a good returning customer. Do you get a different level of service with the larger/pricier or special edition Lamborghinis? All the best, Andrew. Image Unavailable, Please Login
This post may not go down well with some members of the forum, probably Shamile being the most likely. Lamborghini, they are over the top cars, some people love that and yes they attract people but its all very having something over the top but when the item had little behind that over the top styling then what. Case in point a few Gallardos at a track day the so called track biased Superleggera returns to the pits after 3 laps, brakes smoking, I might add that none of those 3 laps was blistering from a time point of view. I have seen numerous 430's at track events, many being driven hard and have yet to see one with brake issues. Look inside a Gallardo and lets be honest, there is too much Audi in there and far too little bespoke, for my money I want something that has a different interior to a Audi. Notice how I have concentrated this post at the Gallardo, well its simple I have spent 4 hours in a Murcielago accross country and it was a truly spectacular drive, yes in many ways it too is too much shout and not quite enough ability BUT it has passion, the interior is more special, the engine is fantastic and its a car that really gets under your skin. I do have to admit its hard for Lamborghini to appease the "poser" and the "driver" but perhaps they need to decide which one of those there are more of and concentrate on that market and that market alone because as it stands there is no way they can compete with Ferrari. It would be a loss for the automotive world to loose Lamborghini but so long as the flavour remains more German than Italian I suspect the demise is just a matter of time.
Dear Lamborghinisti, Who me? Actually, I agree with your post. This is why I drive a Diablo and I'm so passionate about the car. It has style, uniqueness, big azz tires and just shy of 500hp. I'm not a poser or a wannabe race car driver. I'm just a guy that needs to get from point A to point B and I really want to get there with some excitement. ....the fact that it helps me pick up young...um....very young women...well...that's a bonus The Diablo interior is so exotic with the dash sweeping away, the drooping glass to the side mirrors ( from inside the car ) to the gated shift. I just love the car. I just think Audi took way too much of that passion out of the car and just turned it into a comfortable, fast....no, very fast car....um...you know....like a porsche. I think Lamborghini does what it does best.....an absolute show stopper. I think the Reventon Roadster is a step back in the right direction. I just don't think Lamborghini should try to be a Ferrari....it'll be boring and they won't do a good job of it. ....and can you really argue with design like this.... Shamile Freeze....Miami Vice ! Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have a friend that is currently looking at G's and I may just have him give you a call. He is in an NSX right now and I would love to see him get an F-car but he is wanting a G.
First Ferrari I ever saw was a Testarossa. I still have the picture blown up and framed on my wall in the garage. I was 17 y/o. Before that it was always a kit car. I once saw a Mondial go through an intersection, I was in my early 20's at the time. I still have a 'photo' in my mind of that car. It looked BEAUTIFUL! The next Ferrari I saw was the one I bought.
Hey Eric, I didn't know you owned a Tundra. Do you know you can get a TRD supercharger that bumps the power up to 504hp? Factory warranty stays in place too. I just ordered a 2010 Platinum Crew Max and had the motor worked and a supercharger installed. As well I had the truck dropped 2 inches and added a bunch of other cool stuff to it. It's going to be really FAST. Probably a 10 second truck. I can't wait to get it. It's been at the dealer for a couple of weeks now. Edit..I also added lots of stop fast parts too,
Hi Steve I never mod my cars or trucks.I don't keep them long enough. BTW that Tundra is already a rocket ship Eric
I prefer the reflection. BTW those are some clean cars as there is a reflection in the reflection! Not taking anything away from Lamborghini but they just don't do much for me. BUT I have never driven one either so who am I to judge. I might own one someday but from here I think it's the 458 spider. I would love to have a non running Countash for say 20 grand to just sit it in my garage and look at it. They sure do look good. The newer Lambo's are just too over the top and the G is just a mass produced car IMO. On the other hand, this morning, my inbox was full of links from my wife of California's. Looks like she was up early thinking about 4 seat verts. I think the Maserati would be a better choice for a 4 seat vert. I told her a few days ago if she wanted to make 1/2 the payment she could trade in the 360 for a 4 seat vert. I think I might have screwed myself .LOL.
as much as i love the brand, let me add one thing: we can say a part of lamborghini is dead since a long time... desire and effort to build innovative machines and develop new solutions or to use race cars solutions for the road all of this is gone since the countach era (...ok partially the diablo, the VT sistem was interesting and a first on italian exotics) there is really little innovation on either the Murcielago and the G
I know it's fast right out of the box I can't imagine what it's going to be like with 504hp. Not to mention all the other tweaks I am doing. I think I am going to be right around 575hp and over 600 on the torque. Time to get a big ass boat to pull around.
To think that a company that has global automotive dominance on it's mind (VW) is going to do the right thing by purists' is ridiculous. Audi's economic timing was perfect to launch two new models, the excessive economic times absorbed all the production they could handle, thus fulfilling their mandate as a volume producer, now you have to question whether they are the kind of company that should be holding a brand known for it's exoticness, limited production, and exclusivity. The best thing VW can do to save Lamborghini is to SELL IT, before they blend it into obscurity. Most post's in this thread bear that out because they are in no way aligned with the thinking of a large multinational behemoth. Lamborghini's best days are clearly behind it, you might as well hang those Countach posters back on your wall because we'll all be dreaming again if they hang on to it.
Agreed on the Diablo, I was lucky enough to be taken for a few laps in one a few years back and to be honest I expected something brutal and all over the place but I was surprised. Its owner really knew how to drive it and those 4 very sideways laps were pretty memorable, the VT system really worked on the track and the bellowing V12 madeup for the fact I could hardly fit into the car(am 6ft and with a helmet on...)
Lamborghini has changed dramatically over the years. But as with any company, change IS needed as the target market shifts constantly as well. What might be great for traditionalist might not work on the newer generation. This is the biggest hurdle that any products fall under the scrutiny of . Lamborghini has been very successful in converting new customers the recent decade after Audi took over. The company has also been very effective in offering an alternative to the Fcar which basically stood without any worthwhile competition. Considering the amount of time, it is commendable to see Lamborghini in a whole new light. True, the newer designs might not float my boat. However, it did for many others that subsequently purchased Lcars in the recent years. It is unfortunate that Lamborghini has taken such a dramatic drop in sales. But this can be attributed to the fact that no car company can survive on a 2 car lineup. How can a Lamborghini dealer support his overhead simply on the sale of 2 models? It is no wonder Lamborghini had to come up with multiple variants. I dont think that its because they want to ... its because they have to. They simply dont have any other platforms to work with... It would be wise for Lamborghini to build a 4 door sedan (purist can start swearing) should be the next progression for Lamborghini to diversify and move into new segment where a wider audience can purchase into the marque. With the success of many high end sedan/coupe hybrids out on the market, why shouldnt Lamborghini enter this segment? It will boost overall sales with minimal outlay of resources from Audi. Besides, the espada did fairly well for Lamborgini did it not? So, if history does repeat itself, then build a spiritual successor to the espada. Look at Porsche, as history shows, we all know that the cayenne basically was the key in bringing Porsche back from the brink. Check out this link to see porsche... http://auto.howstuffworks.com/porsche-cayenne-history.htm Imagine what a sedan would do for Lamborghini. The Lamborghini dealer network would then have some volume movers that would allow for great revenue generation. This in turn would provide a foundation to fund new development of new sports cars.
Great post and I reckon you got the situation exactly right, and my points would be 1 - If Audi/ VW sell Lambo, who would buy it and more to the point who could afford to create a new vehicle of any kind, agreed Pagani can do it on a tiny scale but again it aint certified for most countries, so who will develope a new Murci replacement ?. I have read that developement costs can range from 1 billion to unlimited................... And if you afre going to sell 200 cars per year ? 2000 ? 20000 ?. So probably better that Audi retains and reinvests, gives them the continued investment. And utilises the Lamborghini brand for good exposure/ media. See point 4 2 - What about going properly downmarket, making a small vehicle of some desciption, maybe a rebadged Golf or some such, a sedan......... Look at Porsche with Boxster. 3 - Keep the exciting vehicles but not so many of the special editions. How about one every two years, because at the end of the day how many people can afford to/ want to replace their supercars every year. Ferrari are bad enough bringing out a special model every model cycle, ala 430 Scud, 360 Scud, 355 Chalenge Stradale, 599 GTO, 575 Superamerica etc. BUT at least they only bring out 1 in each cycle. So far Lambo has bought out how many versions of the Gallardo ?, 6 ? 10 ?. And how much does it cost to develope all of of these models, either it costs very little in which case why would people buy them ? OR they are sufficiently different , in which case do the sales cover the cost of developement. 4 - Why not sell these cars in Audi dealerships and get full value out of the brand ? I can imagine some would not like the lack of exclusivity BUT surely the value of the brand to VW is similar to the value of Ferrari to FIAT. All IMO
