Now You Can Have Your Vintage Lamborghini Restored Right At the Factory

I hope it will not be anything like Classiche is... For example:

Jaguar Heritage. Heritage Certificate

 

Amen to that!!

One of my favorite quotes: "The company's archive is now one part of PoloStorico, with 21,000 technical drawings and 6000 build sheets for its earlier models in the process of being digitized. The company can issue a certificate of original configuration to say how any car left the factory;......."

21,000 drawings???? And where pray tell have these 21,000 drawings been for the last 50 years? We've been told over the years, the company threw away stuff when VW took over, there was a fire in the archives, and the list goes on.

So, as Oliver states earlier, there were about 5900+ cars built through 1989. So, 21,000 technical documents are available??? If so, where are the factory workshop manuals for the Jalpa? The 5000S, 5000QV? All I've seen over the years is an engine manual (in Italian) for the early Countach, a very rudimentary manaul for the 25th and next to nothing electrial schematic related.

I for one would love to know what even a fraction of these elusive 21,000 drawings would be.

Like Joe, I an hoping for the best but preparing myself for the worst.

Mike

 

I'll take Ferrari Classiche any day over the non-existent situation @ Sant Agata.

But, as you suggest, there are several ways to do this, and all they have to do is to look at what other makers are doing for inspiration.

 

OK let's clarified once for ever all these rumors !

MegaTech took over the Lamborghini ownership in January 1994.

Mike Kimberley was Lotus CEO by that time and he was hired by the new Lamborghini owner to become the new CEO at Sant'Agata.

Kimberley came with his direct assistants/team from Lotus in April 1994.

Very quickly, he noticed there was a lack of offices/rooms in the front building.

During summertime, Mike Kimberley gave the order to move all the records from the location they were (R&D + technical dpt) to the test bench building (located on the far right of the plant when you stand just in front of the main entrance).

Unfortunately, in fall 1994 the roof of that small building was leaking while raining...

What happened after is easy to understand... and it was decided by Mike Kimberley to throw all these docs away !!!

So, that decision has nothing to do with VW-Audi era, it was done before and there was no fire according to my investigations with the persons who did that sad job...

"21,000 technical drawings and 6000 build sheets"

To be accurare, most of technical drawings are destroyed but not all... because somebody sorted what could be recovered one day (I met him) + many of the contractors had collected what is called "copia per lavorazione"... so they are plenty docs available in the area !

It takes a lot of time to contact, to investigate and to build such litterature and drawings libraly, a lot of time, that's the reason why I wrote earlier that "Rome wasn't build in a year"...

About the individual buildsheets, they were all kept & preserved but what happended is also sad, some disappeared over the years to satisfy cupidity... nothing else to add !!!

Finally, they are also the lists of production and/or delivery that were written by Ubaldo Sgarzi and Ingrid Pussich after the working hours...

 

Let's all remember that their primary focus is to build new cars for people and remain competitive. The vintage stuff would be nice for us vintage freaks but it wouldn't make the new cars any better or more successful IMHO.

Fortunately there are other independent efforts underway in many different ways. So as long as they don't obstruct those and occasionally throw some help our way I think that's realistic.

 

True.

 

Would be great, but this is not realistic, if past experience is considered. The factory never really supported owners and clubs of classic cars. And Audi decided to do as if they had nothing to do with Lamborghini (on the PR level).

All the factory documentation will be treated as "secret know-how", since someone must justify the price tags of "certificates".

To ask about 1,000.-- for information about color, interieur, engine number and delivery dealer is somewhat äh bold. Maybe finding the "documents" indeed takes more than 20 hours for a qualified factory employee. Then I would understand ... .

But hey, its business and that is what they are paid for. Earning money. And if they find enough people for the "certificate business case" or the "factory restauration business case" then that is fine. And if that comprises establishing a Potemkin village successfully, again, that is business and characteristic for luxury markets.

 

Bernhard,

When I decided to get an Espada I did my research on the internet and ended up finding a lot of information just where you and I both do now. That wasn't all that long ago and the factory was pretty much useless back then too. But I also had other avenues for indirect access when I needed something urgently. That's pretty much all dried up under Audi. Once I bought my car it wasn't very long before I knew the details of its manufacturing date and original delivery thanks to the information fanaticism of several long time members of VLG.

It wasn't all that hard and a bit of an adventure as well.

Contrast that with my first exotic car purchase in the mid 1980s. No internet, a barely burgeoning Maserati club with a membership roster and a telephone ... Now THAT was far more challenging but also an even bigger adventure as well as a ton of fun! It's the other owners, many now friends, that we meet in the clubs & websites that are the biggest help.

Factory support? What in the hell is that?

 

When I needed a for my 400S last year, the factory tried to tell me it was an LP5000!

 

Ill give my experience. They didnt even know where to find a QV DD Vin, and got a color wrong on another car of mine. Even though it clearly has a paint code tag on it, and original spray that I showed them they did nothing!! I gave them ALL and I mean ALL the evidence, then they went silent and they wont answer anymore. Its a joke and I am supremely disappointed in the factory. If they have holes in records, and owners can show them what is wrong dont you think those who get paid to work on these things would take notice and step up? No they dont, and it seems like they are always on vacation but thats another story...... Its a shame because they really do have some of the best cars of the era and they should be proud.

 

Indeed, if you compare e.g. a Jarama with a contemporary Ghibli (I had one as well, but rather kept the Jarama when reducing my car "fleet"), the technical design and road holding behaviour is so superior. I do not want to enter into a discussion by additional comparison with a Daytona ... . The detailing is another topic and about some details you will shake your head. But once sorted, the classic Lamborghinis are such a joy and good for jumping in and having a ride to the south of Italy (and returning, but not on a flatbed).

There are some persons in the factory, who are proud of the heritage and helpful, but rather "inofficially". I rather suppose that these people lack support by the management and would really get a good thing going, if only they were let ....

The problem might also be in the change of general product positioning. The guys who like 400 GT, Islero, Jarama, Espada and even Miura are mostly not the guys who will buy a new Aventador. These (I just take myselfe as an example) rather tend to a modern front engined Ferrari, which - in addition - have become reliable and are of high workmanship. All these are "classic" GTs in the original sense. Jump in, have a swift transcontinental drive, arrive and still feel comfortable (including your spouse). I must however exclude the Miura from this characterization, your spouse will want to continue the journey by train after one hour of fast driving and you will join her after two hours .

So perhaps this is also an aspect why they rather not make efforts to target owners of classic Lamborghinis. Gone times do not bring profits ...

I would consider buying this car, though ....
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Still unbelievable for me, under the aspect of heritage, that the GTV looked like this until mid of 80s, when Romano Bernardoni bought it from the factoy and completed it for road use.
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Not to forget that they sold all remaining prototypes to Tonino who has them now in his private museum in Funo di Argelato (former Brucciatori factory).

 

Not their market focus though a rebodied Panamera WOULD fit the bill.

For old farts ... like us!

 

Yes, I agree !

That's what I was praying for back in 2011 base on the Audi RS6 when powered by the V10 engine and which was linked to Gallardo, at least on the number of cylinders...

 

lol im in convos with the factory as we speak - will let u guys know what happens

 

I am attractive, of pleasant smell, sporty, entertaining and women like me (most, äh some).

Or to put it on a more realistic basis, old guys often rather have the money and they should be targeted, just for this simple reason .

OK, we are beyond the mid-life crisis, those guys will prefer the wild machines, for one or two years after which they find them uncomfortable ..... .

 

Historically that WAS always Maserati's target marketplace, wealthy Gentleman's sporty GTs. It was Lamborghini's for a short period of time and once the Countach took off they left all that far behind ... Now they can re-dress some Porsche/Audi products and reenter if they want to ...

Maserati is keeping below a certain price point and I doubt there will be anything like the MC12 again. Even the "Alfieri" is way off now, maybe 2018.

 

That would be very helpful, thank you for offering.

Details on where the work is being done, by whom, at what cost, how long it takes, and the net result will help the community.

 

Explains a lot but doesn't make it better what they do nowadays - simple way of making money for limited information

For that builtsheet Lamborghini bills you $1000 but has hardly any relevant data, they are even not able to provide the correct PPG paint code your car was painted by the factory.
Patrick Mimran's GLA12997 is the best example, simply a shame!

 

Well Raymond,
I can undertsand you are angry, bitter... like many others persons !

Rome was not built in a year... and I would also add that complaining about the nowadays people in charge is not correct as they have to handle others person mistakes done 25 yers ago !!!

 

I don't complain about persons, I complain about the factory billing a huge amount for a piece of paper which is missing a lot of information.
Other car companies like Porsche bill only a fractal of the amount and deliver a full spec sheet with all options your car was built.

It's simply a rip off!

 

No, it is called "business case" ......

For "collectors" in the sense of speculators the issue of false factory information creates quite a problem . Will the car be more valuable, if it matches with the factory information, or if it matches the true original specifications (known through other evidence)? Will an "investor", who does not really bother about the cars themselves, rather believe the very well paid for factory "documents", or indeed go into the trouble of trying to verify your evidence about the true specifications? Will, in the end, cars be restored to wrong specifications, namely according to incorrect factory build sheets?

The factory information on both of my cars is definitely wrong, i.e. a 100% negative statistic probe . Does not matter, since I did not pay for it and Espadas and Jaramas will never be so sought after, like a Miura or LP400 .

Cheers, Bernhard

 

Olivier,

Raymond is not angry or bitter.

He has no reason to be, he is just not afraid to tell it like it is, and bravo to him for that.

The Lamborghini community is far too accepting of the many indiscretions of the firm from times past, blamed by the present guard on the past rather than effecting remedies in the present. It only makes the present administration look bad, and, it gets old amongst the faithful.

The only way things improve is when people speak up.

 

Totally agreed.

When someone charges you 1,000 Euros for a single sheet of paper, the information on it should be 100% correct, no excuses.