RE: Mega-mile Murcielago: PH Heroes
Discussion
Adam B said:
what would this car be worth - £50k? Less?
I'd suggest it's difficult to place it in the marketplace; on the one hand you have a meg-miles car where mileage is often the determining factor in whether a car is bought or not, but on the other hand you have a virtually rebuilt car, (both body and running gear)that is probably more (in?)famous than any other example.The only way to find out would be to send it to a specialist auction, but I guess even then it depends who turns up on the day....
Adam B said:
what would this car be worth - £50k? Less?
Interesting question isn't it? There's one here for £90k - http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C302951 seems to be the cheapest available at the moment from my quick search. I suppose the parts prices put a lower limit on it. I've been lurking on these boards for well over a decade now and this is by far the best article I've ever read on here. In a way the author and the owner have summed up what being a true petrolhead is all about - using your car, making rash emotional decisions to keep going when it breaks, and just the sheer love you can have for a car. Hats off
I first read about this in Evo back in 2004, and have followed it's progress on and off since then.
I remember reading a few years back that the Mr. George was deliberating whether or not to sell it because the mileage was creeping up, only to decide that it's mileage had well and truly buggered the residuals anyway so "sod it".
Still a great looking car too. They've aged brilliantly.
I remember reading a few years back that the Mr. George was deliberating whether or not to sell it because the mileage was creeping up, only to decide that it's mileage had well and truly buggered the residuals anyway so "sod it".
Still a great looking car too. They've aged brilliantly.
SuperchargedVR6 said:
Supercar parts prices always amuse me. You can buy a decent hot hatch for the price of one headlight!
I reckon the accountants just pick exorbitant prices out of a hat when pricing up spares.
Designing, R&D, Manufacturing, Gaining type approval etc for a low-volume product can't come cheap...I reckon the accountants just pick exorbitant prices out of a hat when pricing up spares.
Thanks for all the kind comments - Mike's article really sums it up well.
Ironically its never driven better than it does now given the (original) gearbox was rebuilt just before it met the tree, and the V12 top end rebuilt (for a 4th time) shortly before that incident too. With a new rack (original still exists though bent like a banana) its also quite light for a big Lambo round the bends.
Its upgraded front brakes from the Gallardo (post 2005 Murcielagos had this set up anyway) means it stops on a nail and the rear lights from the LP640 lift it into the more recent LED era.
Its a bit of a cliche when someone says a car changed their life but the Murcie really did mine and fortunately for the better.
Thanks to all who helped drag this machine back from the dead - they know who they are.
Simon G
Ironically its never driven better than it does now given the (original) gearbox was rebuilt just before it met the tree, and the V12 top end rebuilt (for a 4th time) shortly before that incident too. With a new rack (original still exists though bent like a banana) its also quite light for a big Lambo round the bends.
Its upgraded front brakes from the Gallardo (post 2005 Murcielagos had this set up anyway) means it stops on a nail and the rear lights from the LP640 lift it into the more recent LED era.
Its a bit of a cliche when someone says a car changed their life but the Murcie really did mine and fortunately for the better.
Thanks to all who helped drag this machine back from the dead - they know who they are.
Simon G
simonspider said:
Thanks for all the kind comments - Mike's article really sums it up well.
Ironically its never driven better than it does now given the (original) gearbox was rebuilt just before it met the tree, and the V12 top end rebuilt (for a 4th time) shortly before that incident too. With a new rack (original still exists though bent like a banana) its also quite light for a big Lambo round the bends.
Its upgraded front brakes from the Gallardo (post 2005 Murcielagos had this set up anyway) means it stops on a nail and the rear lights from the LP640 lift it into the more recent LED era.
Its a bit of a cliche when someone says a car changed their life but the Murcie really did mine and fortunately for the better.
Thanks to all who helped drag this machine back from the dead - they know who they are.
Simon G
Hey Simon... loved the original EVO articles with this.Ironically its never driven better than it does now given the (original) gearbox was rebuilt just before it met the tree, and the V12 top end rebuilt (for a 4th time) shortly before that incident too. With a new rack (original still exists though bent like a banana) its also quite light for a big Lambo round the bends.
Its upgraded front brakes from the Gallardo (post 2005 Murcielagos had this set up anyway) means it stops on a nail and the rear lights from the LP640 lift it into the more recent LED era.
Its a bit of a cliche when someone says a car changed their life but the Murcie really did mine and fortunately for the better.
Thanks to all who helped drag this machine back from the dead - they know who they are.
Simon G
Tell us, is it really more like Trigger's broom now?
Its more new parts on it than old, that I know for sure.
That said, the shell, some of the glass, doors and bodywork rear of them, is original. Its a bit like an old aircraft really. There are still commercial aircraft flying that were originally built in the '70's (some 747's for example) which only still retain the airframe as original. I suppose the concept isn't common on cars!
As for the £3k a month. I had enough to last a few months payments..so it kind of forced my hand to put it to work.
Simon
That said, the shell, some of the glass, doors and bodywork rear of them, is original. Its a bit like an old aircraft really. There are still commercial aircraft flying that were originally built in the '70's (some 747's for example) which only still retain the airframe as original. I suppose the concept isn't common on cars!
As for the £3k a month. I had enough to last a few months payments..so it kind of forced my hand to put it to work.
Simon
SuperchargedVR6 said:
Supercar parts prices always amuse me. You can buy a decent hot hatch for the price of one headlight!
I reckon the accountants just pick exorbitant prices out of a hat when pricing up spares.
It's largely down to the cost of tooling, divided by the number of parts produced.I reckon the accountants just pick exorbitant prices out of a hat when pricing up spares.
A Ford Focus headlamp tool is split over ~3-4 million (!) units at least, so even though they'll probably chew through 4 or 5 tools, the amortisation cost per headlamp is <£1.
A Murcielago headlamp tool is split over 4-5,000 units, so that amortisation element of the cost is over 200x as much.
Add in using a low-volume manufacturer not a big plant, plus more stringent QC, and the production cost could be 3-5x as much also.
...and then you have the supercar tax on top, as you point out...
callmedave said:
It was sad to hear that the majority of these are being sold with sub 10k on the clock, all those horses being sheltered just to save a few pennies, If this was mine I would be driving it every day and making any excuse I could to get behind the wheel - your mother in law needs a lift to the chiropractor? No problem, I'll take her!
Awesome write up, just a shame the weather wasn't in your favour, maybe it will be when it reaches 300,000 and another article is due!
I used to say things like that up to about age 25 to be fair. Then as i grew tired of climbing in and out of low slung, noisy sports cars that only sat in heavy rain on a miserable M62 on a winters night with poor visibility...I started to see why for transport owners happily jump into a Range Rover and leave these sort of cars as toys. Which of course makes it all the heroic to the owner. Awesome write up, just a shame the weather wasn't in your favour, maybe it will be when it reaches 300,000 and another article is due!
Shnozz said:
I used to say things like that up to about age 25 to be fair. Then as i grew tired of climbing in and out of low slung, noisy sports cars that only sat in heavy rain on a miserable M62 on a winters night with poor visibility...I started to see why for transport owners happily jump into a Range Rover and leave these sort of cars as toys. Which of course makes it all the heroic to the owner.
That made me smile. A few weeks ago I trailered SG54 behind a nearly new Range Rover Sport up to Sheffield. I did this since the gearbox had needed some adjustment and had only just gone back in the car a few days before Mike came over. So I figured just to be safe I'll trailer the Lambo up the M1 - bearing in mind if it played up there is now no hard shoulder on most of it.Just after Tibshelf services I met stationary traffic and put the Sport into 'Park'. When the traffic started to move the Range simply refused to go into 'Drive' just showing a message on the dash saying 'HDC Gearbox fault'.
I kid you not my heart was racing as for the next 7 minutes it steadfastly refused to move all the while the traffic now gaining speed veering around me in lane 2. I half expected to be rammed forward by an HGV and another rebuild.
Eventually having switched the RR V8 off multiple times it eventually agreed to engage drive and I moved off sweating.
However it did occur to me that had the Murcielago a towbar and I could have at least shifted the Sport a few feet, I could have hooked up the trailer behind the Lambo and used it to drag the Range Rover. Made a great picture.
havoc said:
SuperchargedVR6 said:
Supercar parts prices always amuse me. You can buy a decent hot hatch for the price of one headlight!
I reckon the accountants just pick exorbitant prices out of a hat when pricing up spares.
It's largely down to the cost of tooling, divided by the number of parts produced.I reckon the accountants just pick exorbitant prices out of a hat when pricing up spares.
A Ford Focus headlamp tool is split over ~3-4 million (!) units at least, so even though they'll probably chew through 4 or 5 tools, the amortisation cost per headlamp is <£1.
A Murcielago headlamp tool is split over 4-5,000 units, so that amortisation element of the cost is over 200x as much.
Add in using a low-volume manufacturer not a big plant, plus more stringent QC, and the production cost could be 3-5x as much also.
...and then you have the supercar tax on top, as you point out...
Still, they must have giggled amongst themselves when they decided on £6000 for a headlight
Then again, Audi had taken the reigns at that point, and they are also rather fond of pricey spares.It's not enough that customers have to find £100+K to buy the car in the first place, they are then faced with £6K lights, £10K clutches (which are probably made a volume maker like Sachs or LUK), £1000 coilpacks etc etc.
Hand crafted body panels in CF, I totally get it. But mechanical parts, not so much.
I guess it's all part of the ownership 'experience' :-)
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff