Thursday Oct 1st episode of Ultimate Factories is on Lamborghini on National Geographic Channel. Some preview clips... http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/ultimate-factories/4541/Videos/07269_00#tab-Videos/07269_00 http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/ultimate-factories/4541/Overview#tab-Videos/07267_00 http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/ultimate-factories/4541/Overview#tab-Videos/07268_00
Thanks for the heads up! Just what I need, another infomercial for a $480,000 car to inspire me. As I go to press, the "Ultimate Factories" Corvette Z06 will be on in 10 minutes. Seen the 599 infomercial many times.
Just saw this on my cable guide. Its going to be a great (I hope) TV night...Enzo Biography on CNBC and this Lambo show.
Just watched the videos; was surprised to see the SV. I assume this was filmed recently. Good photos too. Darth Vader, your ship is ready... Image Unavailable, Please Login
NG did a great job, I loved it. It was very interesting to see all the steps taken to make the Murcie. I had no clue the rims were made in Ohio.
I am not up on Lambos, but that show said they put 1.3 gallons of oil in the engine. That is only a little over 5 quarts. That cannot be right, can it? What is the oil capacity of a Murci? Edit: I answered the question using the Lambo web site. 3.17 gallons or 12 liters is the official capacity. Narrator must have misspoke as I went back and watched it again, and he said 1.3 gallons
Two doors up--WAY up! Some of the footage was recycled from the Lambo episode of Rides, such as Balboni keeping alive Ferruccio's mythical "Ferrari with a bad clutch." (and now somebody will say "no that really happened, Ferruccio is on film saying that" but remember he was a salesman above all else.) You also see Balboni in his earlier years popping a Countach door and sitting on the sill and, well, doing the Balboni. Otherwise, it was really informative, including repeated shots of Lambo workers pronouncing "Murcielago!" so you know how to say it, and covered all 14 stations of the Murci production line. The engine and tranny are unbelievable when they're brought out for installation--looks like a battleship's drivetrain, and what you see through the clear bonnet is definitely the tip of the iceberg. I didn't know either that the wheels are from Alcoa in Ohio, and you see the forging and machining from billet to finish. (and now somebody will say "hey you should get aftermarket wheels because the factory SV ones are lame.") I didn't know either either that Lambo ships the bodies 22 miles away for hand painting because there's just no room at the factory for a paint booth. 250 hours of hand labor for prep and paint is impressive, but then I gotta ask, why can't you get custom colors for the SV? And now a new episode of World's Dumbest Criminals is on truTV, followed by the Enzo bio on CNBC, then the rerun of the Lambo show, then Inside Grand Prix and F1 practice session, so I guess I'll get to sleep about 2:30. Sometimes it's not so bad not having a girlfriend at the moment!
I'm a big fan of Nat-Geo's series on Ultimate Factories, I've watched them all. There are always some technical mistakes in the narration, but over all they are well done. I'm sure we've all seen the Ferrari factory - and it is impressive to say the least. BUT THE LAMBORGHINI FACTORY SHOW JUST BLEW ME AWAY !!! I was awe-struck at the amount of "old craftsmanship" and hand work that is done.....way....way....more than I would have ever thought in this modern day and age. I Love Ferraris....and I have a soft spot for Lamborghinis....but watching this episode....I found myself becoming practically obsessed with the Murcielago. That was just a fabulous program. Since selling my TR I've never been the same person. There is an early Diablo for sale not too far away that I drooled over, but can't yet afford. This program tonight re-ignited the flame for me. I just have to get a Lambo....somehow....even if I have to.....(I'll stop there)
Great show IMO, maybe this will quite some F car guys that argue with me all the time that the cars are not hand built and are mass produced just like the 430 cars...yea right..I been to pboth factorys, I even got to go up to where the cars were painted in a pretty small shop north of the Factory. I was amazed at all the hand built time that went into the cars at the time as well. The F car is painted by robot as well as most of the other items attached to the car is done by robots..and that IMO is very apparent when you place a F car and a Lambo next to each other..the fit and finish is 10times better on a 2009 SV than a 2009 Scuderia for example. I also did not know that you HAD to have leather on the passanger side dash for the air bag requirment...I wanted my dash on my SV in all alcantera, but they said no and now I know why. Also cool that the cars rolls on shoes built here in the USA... I just LOVE my SV #12...one of the best cars I have ever had the pleasure of owning.
The press release for the latest Murcielago SV model states: "Engine oil: 12 litres (3.17 gal) Gearbox oil: 3.5 litres (0.92 gal)."
Had to see that one again! Now I remember what I wish they would have explained--the SV's more damage-resistant CF that Roy wrote about a few months ago, and how they did that. But I guess they only had so much time, and made it a priority to go through the whole final assembly line. And the saddlery department. You really do have to wrassle the leather and alcantara onto the dash. Definitely hand work. Can't get over the size of that powerplant. It just dwarfed the lady who was walking it over to the chassis. It looks like the Murci gets along just fine on those teeny Italian back roads. So much for the nitwits who say it's just too wide for the real world. On a hunch, I looked up the published widths for the Murci and Crown Vic--maybe an inch wider. The old Caprice is wider still, and I actually liked it better on the obstacle courses in police training. What I really missed in the program was any leaks about the Murci's successor. Edit: Looked it up again and actually the LP640 is 3.5" skinnier than the Crown Vic, not counting mirrors. And what about Hummers for petesakes?
That was a great show, but the whole time I was watching all I could think of are the Lamborghinis that get abused. I don't mean abused by being driven hard but by people who stand on the cars like Tom Green.
Roy, I caught that part about the airbag too. I don't quite get it though. Many of the Stradales, Scuderias, and Superleggeras I've had through here had full alcantara dashes- including the passenger airbag covers. So why the difference with the SV?
I'm going to take a guess that they tested the airbag with leather but not with alcantera so the lawyers require leather in the cars.
That would be my guess as well. To costly for such a low run production car to R and D that part when they have it already approved on the same Murcie sdash since 2002. On kind of the same note, YOU can not get the racing harness 5 point belts for any USA cars...but you can for Euro cars. I found when I pushed it, that as well R and D was not spent for the USA to get them approved. I had to order them from an outside USA Source, then get them shipped to me privaely.
After seeing the video, I has to ask my self why Ferrari gets al the press for the F430 SCUD, when the Lambo is a more pwerfull beast!!! Thanks, UZY