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Detroit, 12:50 AM
Wed Dec 2
30 posts in the last 24 hours
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07/15/09
07/15/09
Sure, they were dangerous cars. But that is what made them so cool and so interesting. It took a real man to so much as open the doors of these cars, let alone drive and master them. They were the Hemingway of sports cars. Pure, visceral, testosterone-filled exercises in existentialism.
And then they "refined" Lamborghini with the introduction of the Murcielago and Gallardo, and then VW went one step further in increasing production costs so that every wannabe Hollywood douche and Kim Kardashian could have one.
And now they release the Balboni (terrible name, btw), and potentially this, and market them as being sports cars that are "exclusive", "wild", and "dangerous"?
There is nothing especially exclusive about them. There may only be 250 of them to begin with, but that will change as soon as they start selling, at which point they will be built in even bigger volumes, to the detriment of those who initially bought them. "Wild" and "dangerous"? Sorry kids, but it takes more than a pretty face to dance and capture the imagination of pubescent boys.
What happened, Lamborghini?
You've turned into the Nordstroms of sports cars. You sell expensive stuff that you claim is wild (but isn't), and then have sale after sale, but only after you ridiculously jack up your prices, just as you release a car that is wild only compared to its much tamed contemporary brethren (but a total pushover compared to its illustrious predecessors).
07/15/09
But then again, nor are burning cars.
Or maybe it's the Audi/German-ness that make their cars, well, better cars, but worse supercars.
07/15/09
Besides, if I buy a Lamborghini, I want a Lamborghini. I want a car where the salesman advises me that there is a 67% chance the car won't start right away, a 58% chance that it will randomly stop running, a 32% chance that the car will try to kill me, and an 18% chance it will randomly burn itself to the ground on any given day, but there is always 100% chance of awesomeness everyday of the week and twice on Sundays.
Dammit, I want a Lamborghini
These new, post-VW ownership Lambos just don't offer that.
07/15/09
Gone are the days when you could make an insane sports car in your tractor shop and bring it to market with every dime invested in making it a better car. Now it's all about safety and regulations and appealing to as wide an audience as possible rather than going after the niche enthusiasts.
Dammit pauljones! I was in a great mood before coming across your comment. Now I just want to take over the world so I can save Lambo from themselves.
07/15/09
Lamborghini is just far too buttoned-down these days. The company that gave the finger to Ferrari, stole BMW's money, went 180 mph on 60 Minutes, told Gandini to shove it, eschewed slushboxes (mostly), and made the Jota no longer exists.
07/15/09
I think that because car making is no longer a blank instructional book that the engineers are going to write as they build their cars, but rather a book that's now filled and tells them how to do exactly what to make what component behave in exactly what way, and all for a certain price, and lasts a certain number of years. Sure it's imperfect, but it's, for all intents and purposes to us enthusiasts, too close to perfect. An engineer can no longer do something world-breaking with a car. It is no longer an art, but an exact science. And science is no fun.
What's more, it is only logical to make a car better than the one before it. And now, after decades of hooning and honing, the car is so competent, it's become painfully boring. No longer can one be excited driving down a country road, no longer does one need to stay awake and concentrated to drive to the shops, no longer is driving beyond the speed limit a death sentence to the driver and every single passenger.
It's over. Cars simply cannot be both competitive and exciting without being overwhelming (unless you are Michael Schumacher). Let's all build scramjet-powered ekranoplanes until that becomes boring.
Amen.
06/08/09
Jalopnik could start a revenue stream by advertising this through spam emails.
From: 1459233exv@jalopnik.com
06/08/09
From: 1459233exv@jalopnik.com
To: The World
Subject: Increase your stamina, size and rigidity
New product using aural excitement from a Lamborghini has proven results in increase stamina, size and rigidity for both his and her pleasure. Please send $50 in a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Ben Wojdyla.
06/08/09
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06/08/09
Downforce and lightwieght carbon fiber is rice? unless you drive a Bugatti you should probably never visit a car site again..or never share your opinion
06/08/09
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06/09/09
06/09/09
04/20/09
Lamborghinis used to be known for being outrageous, nowadays they're civilized, DRIVEABLE by the average joe. And then 209mph. What's outrageous about that?! A Koenigsegg doesn't have that much more power and can go well into the 240MPH range. But 209? Really? Is that all you could muster?
I miss the old Lambo, the one lacking any kind of logic or concern for safety. This car is not the Countach, even though it does sport stick-on downforce parts.
04/20/09
"Good evening, ladies (wink, wink) and gentlemen. Today is a monumental day in the history of Automobili Lamborghini, as monumental as the day when the great Ferrucio started stuffing V12's into tractors."
*general laughter*
"We have been taking a good look at our environmental impact, and suffice to say, a Murcielago isn't as economical as a Prius, even though it probably is less damaging to make one and transport one. Unless you take a private cargo jet to change its oil, that is."
*more laughter, camera shutters"
"Our environmental team has studied our environmental problems closely and concluded there are other huge worries alongside global warming, which many still claim to be a falsity. The problem that I am about to divulge upon shall lead to far more suffering, it will lead to famine, to wars, to the apocalypse."
*Gasp! Wide eyes staring*
"This plight, ladies and gentlemen, is the decline of bees population."
*lols, rofls, lmaos, roflmaos*
"The evidence strongly suggests that there will be a shortage of food due to the lack of bees pollinating plants, and we all know what happens when food becomes short and primal instincts take over. This is much worsened by the existence of nuclear weapons in the hands of many nations."
*more lols, rofls, lmaos, roflmaos, a couple of concerned faces now*
"Well, fear no more. Lamborghini proudly presents the Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce. Its many hexagonal shaped mesh intakes and cooling duct covers lead bees to believe it is actually a hive and thus begin to manifest in the vehicle. Rather than using a traditional gasoline V12 that would kill the bees with immense heat and suction, we have put a superconducting magnet in there, but limited top speed to 209mph rather than warp speed, due to intergalactic land speed restrictions. The "honey yellow" paint further lengthens its attraction to bees. We have also limited the numbers to 350, as any more than that would cause too many bee colonies and too many bees as a result, which, I'm sure you all know by now, is unpleasant in human societies, and also cause ecological imbalance. This car, research has predicted, should double the bee population around the world in just over 5 years, bringing an end to famines, allowing extended prosperity."
*stunned faces, shock, lols*
"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our presentation, good night."
04/20/09
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04/20/09
04/20/09
Lamborghini
LP670-4 SV
Named by same guy that came up with "XR4Ti".
6.5L V12
670 hp
487 torques
23.7 m/s avg. piston speed
5.1 lb/hp
0-62 in 3.2s
212 mph top speed or 209 mph with AeroPack
AWD
Dragon-ready backend
Any questions?
04/20/09
Just now noticed that the USPTO finally got around to issuing you your patent. Well deserved. Saves me much time and sanity.
04/20/09
P.S. Why can't the unveil the booth professionals in the same way that they unveil the cars? Mmmm, Lambos and boobies.
04/20/09
Side note: Saw the countach at the NYC auto show and good lord is that thing sexy.
04/20/09
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04/20/09
03/13/09
Ken Block's Subaru video was much, much better.
03/13/09