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Detroit, 3:33 PM
Mon Nov 9
14 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.