Lamborghinis used as Covid-19 shopping trolleys
Discussion
rich 888. Thanks for your comments. You need to understand that it was a motorbike that got me into Lamborghini in 1972. If you read page 10 of 'My old lambo photos of the 90's' all will be revealed. I have had motorcycles since I was 16.
When having my chemo treatment I lost all strength and could not move my bikes around the garage. I decided to sell a couple thinking that I would never be able to ride again. Having got through the treatment I improved enough to buy a Honda Monkey 125, just to get me to and from the hospital because I hate being stuck in traffic!
At the beginning of March I was well enough to purchase a new Honda CB1000R, a naked slightly detuned fireblade. Then came the covid lockdown. The bike remained in the garage until a couple of weeks ago and I am now back on the road on two wheels. Bikes are in my blood and I am fortunate to have been trained to ride them.
Last Monday I rode the CB1000R to the Royal Marsden for my quarterly check up and 'touch wood' things are looking ok.
A couple of days later I was on a different bike at the top of the A23 near Coulsdon. I pulled into a garage behind a yellow Lamborghini. I am not that interested in the modern Lambo's. It was yellow had no roof and was probably a Huracan or something similar. I had a conversation with the Thirty something year old driver and told him that I had been brought up on Miura's, Espada and the like. We had a pleasant conversation and he said "I see that you are into bikes now" I chuckled inwardly and we said our goodbyes.
Please don't get me wrong I love cars but the modern stuff does not interest me too much. Give me an Espada or a Jarama and I am a happy boy. The other problem is the cars I like are now beyond my means !! Any one of you who own an Italian supercar from the seventies has my deep admiration, upkeep can drain the pocket but I am pleased that there are owners who are keeping the history alive.
When having my chemo treatment I lost all strength and could not move my bikes around the garage. I decided to sell a couple thinking that I would never be able to ride again. Having got through the treatment I improved enough to buy a Honda Monkey 125, just to get me to and from the hospital because I hate being stuck in traffic!
At the beginning of March I was well enough to purchase a new Honda CB1000R, a naked slightly detuned fireblade. Then came the covid lockdown. The bike remained in the garage until a couple of weeks ago and I am now back on the road on two wheels. Bikes are in my blood and I am fortunate to have been trained to ride them.
Last Monday I rode the CB1000R to the Royal Marsden for my quarterly check up and 'touch wood' things are looking ok.
A couple of days later I was on a different bike at the top of the A23 near Coulsdon. I pulled into a garage behind a yellow Lamborghini. I am not that interested in the modern Lambo's. It was yellow had no roof and was probably a Huracan or something similar. I had a conversation with the Thirty something year old driver and told him that I had been brought up on Miura's, Espada and the like. We had a pleasant conversation and he said "I see that you are into bikes now" I chuckled inwardly and we said our goodbyes.
Please don't get me wrong I love cars but the modern stuff does not interest me too much. Give me an Espada or a Jarama and I am a happy boy. The other problem is the cars I like are now beyond my means !! Any one of you who own an Italian supercar from the seventies has my deep admiration, upkeep can drain the pocket but I am pleased that there are owners who are keeping the history alive.
P5BNij................croissants and fuel...............good question.
If I remember correctly the Espada has two ten gallon fuel tanks. Depending on how the car was driven I recall between 10 and 15 mpg! Maybe a little more if you took things really easy.
Picking a car up from the factory was never simple. I would fly with Alitalia or BEA to Milan and hire a car to drive down to Sant' Agata. On arrival at the factory it was more often than not that the car was not yet ready. I would spend time at the factory, have lunch in the canteen and wait for the car.
Sometimes the car was ready the same day, sometimes I had to stay overnight in the Hotel Real Fini in Modena.
When the car was ready I would leave the hire car with the factory and set off on my journey in whatever model of Lamborghini I was collecting. You have to remember that this was 1972/1973 and the road system did not exist as it does today. The other issue is that there were currency restrictions in place and I recall that you could take no more than £30.00 cash out of the country at any one time. I got around this by applying for the new 'Access' card in 1972. Later it became known as the Mastercard and I have the same card with the same number to this day.
Anyway back to the drive to the UK. If the car was new with almost zero miles I would take it easy for the first couple of hundred miles. (If it was Andy-IM's Jarama that I brought back in 1972, it did not matter too much. It had miles on the clock and had been refitted at the factory.) My main route was Sant' Agata..Modena..Milan..Aosta..Mont Blanc..Bonneville..Annemasse..Nantua..Bourg en Bresse..Macon and then on to the Motorway to Paris. This was the only real stretch of motorway at the time and it stopped at Paris..around the perephique and on to Lille and then Calais. A distance of about 1000 miles. It would have been quicker to go up through Switzerland but restrictions by the Swiss deemed it not to be the best route.
If anyone knows the old road from Aosta to Macon you will be aware that it winds nicely and has some interesting bends and inclines. Parfect for running in a Lamborghini. By the time I reached the Motorway in France the car was happy to sit at 100mph sometimes more if I was paying cat and mouse with the Gendarmerie in their Citroen Maserati SM !!
If the car needed to be back in the UK quickly, I would do the journey in one hit. The best time I did from the factory to Calais was 12 hours. Otherwise I would drive to Macon, stay overnight in a hotel and continue the next day. The car would normally leave the factory with a full tank of fuel so I probably had four fuel and coffee stops on the way home.
I never had a mechanical issue on the way home and the nearest to it was when i drove the Jarama ELB420J back from the factory. Due to the weather I had to stay overnight in Aosta. the next morning the car would not start, it was eventually traced to the fuel filler cap that had iced over. Great days and at the time I probably did not realise how special it was.
If I remember correctly the Espada has two ten gallon fuel tanks. Depending on how the car was driven I recall between 10 and 15 mpg! Maybe a little more if you took things really easy.
Picking a car up from the factory was never simple. I would fly with Alitalia or BEA to Milan and hire a car to drive down to Sant' Agata. On arrival at the factory it was more often than not that the car was not yet ready. I would spend time at the factory, have lunch in the canteen and wait for the car.
Sometimes the car was ready the same day, sometimes I had to stay overnight in the Hotel Real Fini in Modena.
When the car was ready I would leave the hire car with the factory and set off on my journey in whatever model of Lamborghini I was collecting. You have to remember that this was 1972/1973 and the road system did not exist as it does today. The other issue is that there were currency restrictions in place and I recall that you could take no more than £30.00 cash out of the country at any one time. I got around this by applying for the new 'Access' card in 1972. Later it became known as the Mastercard and I have the same card with the same number to this day.
Anyway back to the drive to the UK. If the car was new with almost zero miles I would take it easy for the first couple of hundred miles. (If it was Andy-IM's Jarama that I brought back in 1972, it did not matter too much. It had miles on the clock and had been refitted at the factory.) My main route was Sant' Agata..Modena..Milan..Aosta..Mont Blanc..Bonneville..Annemasse..Nantua..Bourg en Bresse..Macon and then on to the Motorway to Paris. This was the only real stretch of motorway at the time and it stopped at Paris..around the perephique and on to Lille and then Calais. A distance of about 1000 miles. It would have been quicker to go up through Switzerland but restrictions by the Swiss deemed it not to be the best route.
If anyone knows the old road from Aosta to Macon you will be aware that it winds nicely and has some interesting bends and inclines. Parfect for running in a Lamborghini. By the time I reached the Motorway in France the car was happy to sit at 100mph sometimes more if I was paying cat and mouse with the Gendarmerie in their Citroen Maserati SM !!
If the car needed to be back in the UK quickly, I would do the journey in one hit. The best time I did from the factory to Calais was 12 hours. Otherwise I would drive to Macon, stay overnight in a hotel and continue the next day. The car would normally leave the factory with a full tank of fuel so I probably had four fuel and coffee stops on the way home.
I never had a mechanical issue on the way home and the nearest to it was when i drove the Jarama ELB420J back from the factory. Due to the weather I had to stay overnight in Aosta. the next morning the car would not start, it was eventually traced to the fuel filler cap that had iced over. Great days and at the time I probably did not realise how special it was.
Ha, what a great thread this is. I’m glad that you are on the road to recovery Bob and I have really enjoyed reading your stories in your picture thread. I love seeing older super cars on the road, but my favourite was seeing the then new Countach in a London street, it genuinely looked like it had been beamed down from outer space to my eyes. Many thanks to you and the other contributors to this nicely meandering set of memories. 
rat rod said:
Fessia fancier said:
P5B, I think modern day Maseratis do offer a lot. Quite a few Ferrari links, lots of go and quite rare. Still quite a special thing. We've had a ZF Quattroporte for 8+ years, and it has now done 117k, we're quite attached to it now as we've driven to Italy several times in it.
Bob the Cop, we'd love to hear some of your stories now you're well (for which congratulations).
Prompted by P5B's model comment, I just bought a green Jarama Minichamps model on eBay!
I don't understand why Maseratis are priced so low playing the underdog to Ferrari just like Lancia to Alfa , Not complaining as it makes them such a good buy.Nice to see someone actually drive and do some mileage in one and sounds like it's been reliable as well. As i've already said i have only owned 1 Maserati and that was 2000 Quattroport manual, I was surprised how fast it was but thought it was a bit twitchy on the limit and didn't think it would be on your side if things went pear shape. Could have been just my car as i have never driven another one. Sold it to a good friend who only bought it because his half French half Italian partner 's surname is Maserati (not sure if she's related)and thought she would love to drive a car with the same name as her but not being a car person she didn't quite get it. Same woman who after him buying a 1956 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 1 at a auction on impulse greeted him with "I didn't know we were going into the funeral business"it was stunning in velvet green (almost black) with traditional period white wall tyres to complement the dark paint , talk about deflate your bubble'she now drives a Peugeot 107 and is very happy in it. I would also love to hear some of Bob the Cop adventures driving Lamborghini's across Italy and France and getting paid for it. I've still got a copy of "CAR magazine" that has a article on Mel Nichols and other journalists driving 3 new Lamborghini's (a periscope Countach,a Urraco and a Silhouette all in gold) from the factory to London for the Earles Court motor show .It was that magazine that started me off on this obsession but don't buy it these days, I was going to do a road trip to Italy this spring and include some of the Mille Miglia but wasn't meant to be,still there's always next year, in fact we all got a lot of catching up to do .Bob the Cop, we'd love to hear some of your stories now you're well (for which congratulations).
Prompted by P5B's model comment, I just bought a green Jarama Minichamps model on eBay!
Edited by rat rod on Thursday 18th June 21:17
Edited by P5BNij on Friday 19th June 20:20
Bob the Cop said:
P5BNij................croissants and fuel...............good question.
If I remember correctly the Espada has two ten gallon fuel tanks. Depending on how the car was driven I recall between 10 and 15 mpg! Maybe a little more if you took things really easy.
Picking a car up from the factory was never simple. I would fly with Alitalia or BEA to Milan and hire a car to drive down to Sant' Agata. On arrival at the factory it was more often than not that the car was not yet ready. I would spend time at the factory, have lunch in the canteen and wait for the car.
Sometimes the car was ready the same day, sometimes I had to stay overnight in the Hotel Real Fini in Modena.
When the car was ready I would leave the hire car with the factory and set off on my journey in whatever model of Lamborghini I was collecting. You have to remember that this was 1972/1973 and the road system did not exist as it does today. The other issue is that there were currency restrictions in place and I recall that you could take no more than £30.00 cash out of the country at any one time. I got around this by applying for the new 'Access' card in 1972. Later it became known as the Mastercard and I have the same card with the same number to this day.
Anyway back to the drive to the UK. If the car was new with almost zero miles I would take it easy for the first couple of hundred miles. (If it was Andy-IM's Jarama that I brought back in 1972, it did not matter too much. It had miles on the clock and had been refitted at the factory.) My main route was Sant' Agata..Modena..Milan..Aosta..Mont Blanc..Bonneville..Annemasse..Nantua..Bourg en Bresse..Macon and then on to the Motorway to Paris. This was the only real stretch of motorway at the time and it stopped at Paris..around the perephique and on to Lille and then Calais. A distance of about 1000 miles. It would have been quicker to go up through Switzerland but restrictions by the Swiss deemed it not to be the best route.
If anyone knows the old road from Aosta to Macon you will be aware that it winds nicely and has some interesting bends and inclines. Parfect for running in a Lamborghini. By the time I reached the Motorway in France the car was happy to sit at 100mph sometimes more if I was paying cat and mouse with the Gendarmerie in their Citroen Maserati SM !!
If the car needed to be back in the UK quickly, I would do the journey in one hit. The best time I did from the factory to Calais was 12 hours. Otherwise I would drive to Macon, stay overnight in a hotel and continue the next day. The car would normally leave the factory with a full tank of fuel so I probably had four fuel and coffee stops on the way home.
I never had a mechanical issue on the way home and the nearest to it was when i drove the Jarama ELB420J back from the factory. Due to the weather I had to stay overnight in Aosta. the next morning the car would not start, it was eventually traced to the fuel filler cap that had iced over. Great days and at the time I probably did not realise how special it was.
Thanks for the reply Bob - what a life to have lived.... it all makes me wish I'd been born a few years earlier....! I don't think it would be too far fetched to imagine you crossing paths with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis at a hairpin bend somewhere up in the hills.... I dare say at the time those long jaunts were all just part of the job, but to my mind it's part of the glamour and desirability that those cars were (and still are) all about. Seeing an exotic like an Espada or a Miura in the metal really was an event in those days, even as a nipper I was well aware of what they represented. My first memory of anything like this was seeing a white Miura S from the top deck of a double decker bus in Kensington High St in 1972, I was told a little later by my uncle that it was Rod Stewart's. Almost fifty years later I found myself chatting on facebook with the owner around the time he'd had it returned to the same spec it was in when Rod bought it brand new....If I remember correctly the Espada has two ten gallon fuel tanks. Depending on how the car was driven I recall between 10 and 15 mpg! Maybe a little more if you took things really easy.
Picking a car up from the factory was never simple. I would fly with Alitalia or BEA to Milan and hire a car to drive down to Sant' Agata. On arrival at the factory it was more often than not that the car was not yet ready. I would spend time at the factory, have lunch in the canteen and wait for the car.
Sometimes the car was ready the same day, sometimes I had to stay overnight in the Hotel Real Fini in Modena.
When the car was ready I would leave the hire car with the factory and set off on my journey in whatever model of Lamborghini I was collecting. You have to remember that this was 1972/1973 and the road system did not exist as it does today. The other issue is that there were currency restrictions in place and I recall that you could take no more than £30.00 cash out of the country at any one time. I got around this by applying for the new 'Access' card in 1972. Later it became known as the Mastercard and I have the same card with the same number to this day.
Anyway back to the drive to the UK. If the car was new with almost zero miles I would take it easy for the first couple of hundred miles. (If it was Andy-IM's Jarama that I brought back in 1972, it did not matter too much. It had miles on the clock and had been refitted at the factory.) My main route was Sant' Agata..Modena..Milan..Aosta..Mont Blanc..Bonneville..Annemasse..Nantua..Bourg en Bresse..Macon and then on to the Motorway to Paris. This was the only real stretch of motorway at the time and it stopped at Paris..around the perephique and on to Lille and then Calais. A distance of about 1000 miles. It would have been quicker to go up through Switzerland but restrictions by the Swiss deemed it not to be the best route.
If anyone knows the old road from Aosta to Macon you will be aware that it winds nicely and has some interesting bends and inclines. Parfect for running in a Lamborghini. By the time I reached the Motorway in France the car was happy to sit at 100mph sometimes more if I was paying cat and mouse with the Gendarmerie in their Citroen Maserati SM !!
If the car needed to be back in the UK quickly, I would do the journey in one hit. The best time I did from the factory to Calais was 12 hours. Otherwise I would drive to Macon, stay overnight in a hotel and continue the next day. The car would normally leave the factory with a full tank of fuel so I probably had four fuel and coffee stops on the way home.
I never had a mechanical issue on the way home and the nearest to it was when i drove the Jarama ELB420J back from the factory. Due to the weather I had to stay overnight in Aosta. the next morning the car would not start, it was eventually traced to the fuel filler cap that had iced over. Great days and at the time I probably did not realise how special it was.
Some fascinating stories in this thread. The Espada particularly resonates with me as it was the first supercar I set eyes on as a kid back in the 70's.
My parents had a small craft Pottery in remotest Cornwall and as you can imagine we were barely in the 20th century let alone likely to see a supercar! So when a white (I think) Espada pulled up in our small carpark you can imagine my reaction. It was as if a spaceship had landed!
My Dad wrote its registration number in my 'Observers book of Automobiles', and what a great number it was - '2 FAR'. It must have been about '74 or' 75.
My parents had a small craft Pottery in remotest Cornwall and as you can imagine we were barely in the 20th century let alone likely to see a supercar! So when a white (I think) Espada pulled up in our small carpark you can imagine my reaction. It was as if a spaceship had landed!
My Dad wrote its registration number in my 'Observers book of Automobiles', and what a great number it was - '2 FAR'. It must have been about '74 or' 75.
I wonder where that Espada is now...?
This gorgeous Jarama S is about half an hour's drive from me, it's been for sale for a while and I think the first owner was Clay Regazzoni....
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1234906
This gorgeous Jarama S is about half an hour's drive from me, it's been for sale for a while and I think the first owner was Clay Regazzoni....
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1234906
P5B, that is indeed a v nice Jarama. You got me looking at the one in the US for $89k with smoking and engine ticking issues......I think your one is better. There is also a Jarama on car and classic which seems to me to be the same colour as the Espada at Iain Tyrrells. What a pair those would make....
I quite like the QP IV styling, Gandini did that if I recall correctly, "slash" rear arch and all, and he has a pretty good back catalogue. I think parts supply can be patchy but I would suggest checking with those who know.
Our QP V lives outside, and shows no rust at all so that isn't a problem I don't think. I believe the boot and bonnet are ali. The only corrosion problem I've heard of is the subframe, which is important to check.
Rat rod, I omitted to reply to your John Swift question, I don't know him because he races in the FOC series and I occasionally race in the HSCC but I've certainly read about his car and spoken to him. It is blue, I think, and has been raced forever in his ownership, which is nice to see.
Bob the Cop, lovely story about coming back in those cars. My recollection of 2x 10 gallon tanks chimes with yours. We have come back from Como area to Calais about five times in our QP and managed that in about 10/11 hours but that is switching drivers and more or less all motorway apart from the Alps. To do it from the factory, which is much more south, and without much in the way of motorway, must have been some going. I doubt you got overtaken much....
I quite like the QP IV styling, Gandini did that if I recall correctly, "slash" rear arch and all, and he has a pretty good back catalogue. I think parts supply can be patchy but I would suggest checking with those who know.
Our QP V lives outside, and shows no rust at all so that isn't a problem I don't think. I believe the boot and bonnet are ali. The only corrosion problem I've heard of is the subframe, which is important to check.
Rat rod, I omitted to reply to your John Swift question, I don't know him because he races in the FOC series and I occasionally race in the HSCC but I've certainly read about his car and spoken to him. It is blue, I think, and has been raced forever in his ownership, which is nice to see.
Bob the Cop, lovely story about coming back in those cars. My recollection of 2x 10 gallon tanks chimes with yours. We have come back from Como area to Calais about five times in our QP and managed that in about 10/11 hours but that is switching drivers and more or less all motorway apart from the Alps. To do it from the factory, which is much more south, and without much in the way of motorway, must have been some going. I doubt you got overtaken much....
Bob the Cop said:
rich 888. Thanks for your comments. You need to understand that it was a motorbike that got me into Lamborghini in 1972. If you read page 10 of 'My old lambo photos of the 90's' all will be revealed. I have had motorcycles since I was 16.
When having my chemo treatment I lost all strength and could not move my bikes around the garage. I decided to sell a couple thinking that I would never be able to ride again. Having got through the treatment I improved enough to buy a Honda Monkey 125, just to get me to and from the hospital because I hate being stuck in traffic!
At the beginning of March I was well enough to purchase a new Honda CB1000R, a naked slightly detuned fireblade. Then came the covid lockdown. The bike remained in the garage until a couple of weeks ago and I am now back on the road on two wheels. Bikes are in my blood and I am fortunate to have been trained to ride them.
Last Monday I rode the CB1000R to the Royal Marsden for my quarterly check up and 'touch wood' things are looking ok.
A couple of days later I was on a different bike at the top of the A23 near Coulsdon. I pulled into a garage behind a yellow Lamborghini. I am not that interested in the modern Lambo's. It was yellow had no roof and was probably a Huracan or something similar. I had a conversation with the Thirty something year old driver and told him that I had been brought up on Miura's, Espada and the like. We had a pleasant conversation and he said "I see that you are into bikes now" I chuckled inwardly and we said our goodbyes.
Please don't get me wrong I love cars but the modern stuff does not interest me too much. Give me an Espada or a Jarama and I am a happy boy. The other problem is the cars I like are now beyond my means !! Any one of you who own an Italian supercar from the seventies has my deep admiration, upkeep can drain the pocket but I am pleased that there are owners who are keeping the history alive.
Wow, you've done it now, I've just re-read the first few pages inc page 10 of the thread you mentioned https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... absolutely stunning. When having my chemo treatment I lost all strength and could not move my bikes around the garage. I decided to sell a couple thinking that I would never be able to ride again. Having got through the treatment I improved enough to buy a Honda Monkey 125, just to get me to and from the hospital because I hate being stuck in traffic!
At the beginning of March I was well enough to purchase a new Honda CB1000R, a naked slightly detuned fireblade. Then came the covid lockdown. The bike remained in the garage until a couple of weeks ago and I am now back on the road on two wheels. Bikes are in my blood and I am fortunate to have been trained to ride them.
Last Monday I rode the CB1000R to the Royal Marsden for my quarterly check up and 'touch wood' things are looking ok.
A couple of days later I was on a different bike at the top of the A23 near Coulsdon. I pulled into a garage behind a yellow Lamborghini. I am not that interested in the modern Lambo's. It was yellow had no roof and was probably a Huracan or something similar. I had a conversation with the Thirty something year old driver and told him that I had been brought up on Miura's, Espada and the like. We had a pleasant conversation and he said "I see that you are into bikes now" I chuckled inwardly and we said our goodbyes.
Please don't get me wrong I love cars but the modern stuff does not interest me too much. Give me an Espada or a Jarama and I am a happy boy. The other problem is the cars I like are now beyond my means !! Any one of you who own an Italian supercar from the seventies has my deep admiration, upkeep can drain the pocket but I am pleased that there are owners who are keeping the history alive.
What a life you have led, we need more tales from the past what with mixing with rock stars, driving Lamborghini's at 23, and the fateful day you met that Honda 750 and your life changed for ever, just wow...
It does sound like you enjoy your bikes and agree that they give you an adrenalin rush that few cars can match, the CB1000R sounds like an animal, detuned or not it's still going to be bl**dy fast.
In terms of Lamborghini models I must admit that I do like the older classics such as the Countach and Silhouette (loved the Bravo prototype) and although the latest cars are undoubtedly easier to drive, faster and better finished, the earlier models are just more raw, this is one of the reasons I've always preferred Lamborghini over the likes of Ferrari, though do like those as well such as the 512BB or 308GTB. The new stuff just seems to be mass produced for sheer corporate profit, whereas the old cars were more hand built and came off the production lines at a far more leisurely pace. Seem to recollect the production rate of Countach models averaged about one per week. Throw me the keys to an Aventador or Huracan and I wouldn't say no for a drive, and I do appreciate that they are still able to be designed and manufactured in this ever increasing namby pamby politically correct and easily offended world, but still think the earlier stuff has more character. Apologies in advance to any snowflakes reading!
I think my love affair with Lamborghini started with seeing a photo of a red Countach with black flared wheel arches and P7 tyres on the front of CAR magazine in the local newsagents, I must have read the article hundreds of times and imagined what it must have been like to be the passenger, as a teenager it was awesome reading and stuff that dreams are made of.
In the 1980s I push biked all the way from Nottingham to Syston near Leicester to take a look at a new silver Countach LP400S that was on display in the Cooper Cars showroom, who in those days sold a mixture of BMW, Ferrari, Range Rover and a few other brands of cars. Seeing a Countach in the flesh for the first time had me drooling, and a customer even lifted one of the doors for me so that I could take a few pics of the interior much to the annoyance of the stroppy receptionist.
I think the first time I saw a Lambo on the road was back in the mid 1980s when I chased an Orange Urraco on my Kawasaki Z500 towards the Motorway near Annesley in Nottinghamshire, in those days the main road to the motorway was quite twisty so was damn good fun, and as SS has pointed out, that particular Urraco is one of the first pics shown on the 'Old Lambo photos of the 90s' thread you mentioned, 698R was the reg number. I was well impressed with the way it went!
And then I drove down to attend a few supercar test days at Goodwood which were organised by Mike Pullen in the mid and late 1980s, and my love affair with Lambos started, so when I read your exploits it really does make my day.
As for the Covid-19 shopping trolleys, let's see a few more Lamborghinis out on the road, I've seen one this year (coincidentally last Sunday) a lime green Aventador, and must confess it looked and sounded awesome.
BTW, by my calculations you must be approaching 70, so when's the grand party taking place?
P5BNij said:
Funny you should mention the 2000 Quattroporte as I've currently got my eye on a couple of what appear to be very nice examples, both are RHD V8 Evoluziones, one is a manual with 88k miles the other an auto with 34k miles. I know know how rare they are in either guise, I've always liked these despite them being an acquired taste, some folk just don't 'get' the styling but I love it, it seems to occupy it's own little corner of the Maserati back catalogue and has a charm all its own. My head and heart are both telling me to go for a good QPV but I'm really drawn towards the IV. Whichever I go for would definitely be used as much as possible, a QPIV would easily go in my garage but a QPV would have to live on the drive. Another Maserati book arrived in the post when I got home from work this afternoon, can't decide if it's a good sign or a bad one...!
Apart from my yanks i like compact cars as there's only me in the car most of the time(Billy no mates) and usually more agile to place on our smaller roads so i would go for the QPIV on size but for me it has to be a manual ,I would avoid a auto on this model and i would imagine a manual will be a better investment long term.I loved my car,it was so fast especially mid range, one minute you are at 80 the next at 130 and still pulling like a train,you have to be hauling it in all the time ,hard to believe you are in a 5 seater 4 door saloon. Can't comment on how a QPV drives as l've never driven one but being more modern it should handle well for such a large car . Are they only available in automatic with paddle shift if so you will have the best of both worlds . I love the looks of the OPV over the QPIV ,visually more impressive especially in Mafia black . I would never leave either of these cars outside especially with our winters but the QPV should withstand being in the elements better than the QPIV being newer. Now you finished the house maybe you could extend your garage ,might make the decision easier for you. classic or modern classic that is the question, i'd say go with your heart as you buy these cars with your emotions rather than your head . PS .sounds like you are getting worse ,you are on a lost cause fighting it ! . Edited by P5BNij on Friday 19th June 20:20
Edited by rat rod on Saturday 20th June 00:57
P5BNij said:
I wonder where that Espada is now...?
This gorgeous Jarama S is about half an hour's drive from me, it's been for sale for a while and I think the first owner was Clay Regazzoni....
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1234906
I don't know if anyone noticed but there was a yellow Jarama similar to Andy-IM car on Car and Classic at the beginning of the week, R.H.D ,no bumpers, very sensibly priced at £85k, had a look yesterday to see if it was the same car but it's been removed so either sold or owner changed his/her mind about selling it. done that a few times myself.This gorgeous Jarama S is about half an hour's drive from me, it's been for sale for a while and I think the first owner was Clay Regazzoni....
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1234906
Edited by rat rod on Saturday 20th June 01:18
rich888 said:
Wow, you've done it now, I've just re-read the first few pages inc page 10 of the thread you mentioned https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... absolutely stunning.
What a life you have led, we need more tales from the past what with mixing with rock stars, driving Lamborghini's at 23, and the fateful day you met that Honda 750 and your life changed for ever, just wow...
It does sound like you enjoy your bikes and agree that they give you an adrenalin rush that few cars can match, the CB1000R sounds like an animal, detuned or not it's still going to be bl**dy fast.
In terms of Lamborghini models I must admit that I do like the older classics such as the Countach and Silhouette (loved the Bravo prototype) and although the latest cars are undoubtedly easier to drive, faster and better finished, the earlier models are just more raw, this is one of the reasons I've always preferred Lamborghini over the likes of Ferrari, though do like those as well such as the 512BB or 308GTB. The new stuff just seems to be mass produced for sheer corporate profit, whereas the old cars were more hand built and came off the production lines at a far more leisurely pace. Seem to recollect the production rate of Countach models averaged about one per week. Throw me the keys to an Aventador or Huracan and I wouldn't say no for a drive, and I do appreciate that they are still able to be designed and manufactured in this ever increasing namby pamby politically correct and easily offended world, but still think the earlier stuff has more character. Apologies in advance to any snowflakes reading!
I think my love affair with Lamborghini started with seeing a photo of a red Countach with black flared wheel arches and P7 tyres on the front of CAR magazine in the local newsagents, I must have read the article hundreds of times and imagined what it must have been like to be the passenger, as a teenager it was awesome reading and stuff that dreams are made of.
In the 1980s I push biked all the way from Nottingham to Syston near Leicester to take a look at a new silver Countach LP400S that was on display in the Cooper Cars showroom, who in those days sold a mixture of BMW, Ferrari, Range Rover and a few other brands of cars. Seeing a Countach in the flesh for the first time had me drooling, and a customer even lifted one of the doors for me so that I could take a few pics of the interior much to the annoyance of the stroppy receptionist.
I think the first time I saw a Lambo on the road was back in the mid 1980s when I chased an Orange Urraco on my Kawasaki Z500 towards the Motorway near Annesley in Nottinghamshire, in those days the main road to the motorway was quite twisty so was damn good fun, and as SS has pointed out, that particular Urraco is one of the first pics shown on the 'Old Lambo photos of the 90s' thread you mentioned, 698R was the reg number. I was well impressed with the way it went!
And then I drove down to attend a few supercar test days at Goodwood which were organised by Mike Pullen in the mid and late 1980s, and my love affair with Lambos started, so when I read your exploits it really does make my day.
As for the Covid-19 shopping trolleys, let's see a few more Lamborghinis out on the road, I've seen one this year (coincidentally last Sunday) a lime green Aventador, and must confess it looked and sounded awesome.
BTW, by my calculations you must be approaching 70, so when's the grand party taking place?
Most buyers of modern Lamborghini's wouldn't be able to drive a classic one, with no a. b.s ,traction control or p.a.s add a heavy clutch and a gear change that you have to be a little heavy handed and precise with they would crash on the first corner.What a life you have led, we need more tales from the past what with mixing with rock stars, driving Lamborghini's at 23, and the fateful day you met that Honda 750 and your life changed for ever, just wow...
It does sound like you enjoy your bikes and agree that they give you an adrenalin rush that few cars can match, the CB1000R sounds like an animal, detuned or not it's still going to be bl**dy fast.
In terms of Lamborghini models I must admit that I do like the older classics such as the Countach and Silhouette (loved the Bravo prototype) and although the latest cars are undoubtedly easier to drive, faster and better finished, the earlier models are just more raw, this is one of the reasons I've always preferred Lamborghini over the likes of Ferrari, though do like those as well such as the 512BB or 308GTB. The new stuff just seems to be mass produced for sheer corporate profit, whereas the old cars were more hand built and came off the production lines at a far more leisurely pace. Seem to recollect the production rate of Countach models averaged about one per week. Throw me the keys to an Aventador or Huracan and I wouldn't say no for a drive, and I do appreciate that they are still able to be designed and manufactured in this ever increasing namby pamby politically correct and easily offended world, but still think the earlier stuff has more character. Apologies in advance to any snowflakes reading!
I think my love affair with Lamborghini started with seeing a photo of a red Countach with black flared wheel arches and P7 tyres on the front of CAR magazine in the local newsagents, I must have read the article hundreds of times and imagined what it must have been like to be the passenger, as a teenager it was awesome reading and stuff that dreams are made of.
In the 1980s I push biked all the way from Nottingham to Syston near Leicester to take a look at a new silver Countach LP400S that was on display in the Cooper Cars showroom, who in those days sold a mixture of BMW, Ferrari, Range Rover and a few other brands of cars. Seeing a Countach in the flesh for the first time had me drooling, and a customer even lifted one of the doors for me so that I could take a few pics of the interior much to the annoyance of the stroppy receptionist.
I think the first time I saw a Lambo on the road was back in the mid 1980s when I chased an Orange Urraco on my Kawasaki Z500 towards the Motorway near Annesley in Nottinghamshire, in those days the main road to the motorway was quite twisty so was damn good fun, and as SS has pointed out, that particular Urraco is one of the first pics shown on the 'Old Lambo photos of the 90s' thread you mentioned, 698R was the reg number. I was well impressed with the way it went!
And then I drove down to attend a few supercar test days at Goodwood which were organised by Mike Pullen in the mid and late 1980s, and my love affair with Lambos started, so when I read your exploits it really does make my day.
As for the Covid-19 shopping trolleys, let's see a few more Lamborghinis out on the road, I've seen one this year (coincidentally last Sunday) a lime green Aventador, and must confess it looked and sounded awesome.
BTW, by my calculations you must be approaching 70, so when's the grand party taking place?
Edited by rat rod on Saturday 20th June 02:51
Fessia fancier said:
P5B, that is indeed a v nice Jarama. You got me looking at the one in the US for $89k with smoking and engine ticking issues......I think your one is better. There is also a Jarama on car and classic which seems to me to be the same colour as the Espada at Iain Tyrrells. What a pair those would make....
I quite like the QP IV styling, Gandini did that if I recall correctly, "slash" rear arch and all, and he has a pretty good back catalogue. I think parts supply can be patchy but I would suggest checking with those who know.
Our QP V lives outside, and shows no rust at all so that isn't a problem I don't think. I believe the boot and bonnet are ali. The only corrosion problem I've heard of is the subframe, which is important to check.
Rat rod, I omitted to reply to your John Swift question, I don't know him because he races in the FOC series and I occasionally race in the HSCC but I've certainly read about his car and spoken to him. It is blue, I think, and has been raced forever in his ownership, which is nice to see.
Bob the Cop, lovely story about coming back in those cars. My recollection of 2x 10 gallon tanks chimes with yours. We have come back from Como area to Calais about five times in our QP and managed that in about 10/11 hours but that is switching drivers and more or less all motorway apart from the Alps. To do it from the factory, which is much more south, and without much in the way of motorway, must have been some going. I doubt you got overtaken much....
Yes Azzorro blue ,I sold him the car in the winter of 1983 i think, i remember it was winter as i arranged to meet him at a half way point to where we both live but little did we know that there was the worst snow storms on record on that day,we must have been bonkers not to cancel the meeting, By the time we met in Coventry the blue GTB was white with salt along with my red GT4 that we took to come home in. I paid from memory £8k for it and sold it to him for £8.5k a year or so later, yes that's wright it's not a misprint. had 2 glass cars after that ,one in blue Chiaro and the other in red with gold wheels. The red car never had air conditioning fitted from the factory and one of the electric windows didn't work,i drove it into central London on a very hot day left it parked in the sun most of the day and on our return was horrified to find the other electric window had ceased to function . So there was us in central London with no air conditioning,both windows stuck closed on one of the hottest day of the summer, the black leather interior didn't help either.There's me and my wife in a Ferrari trying to look cool (not much chance of that) in heavy traffic literally melting . Looking on the positive side we both lost more weight in one afternoon than the last time we went on a punishing diet.I quite like the QP IV styling, Gandini did that if I recall correctly, "slash" rear arch and all, and he has a pretty good back catalogue. I think parts supply can be patchy but I would suggest checking with those who know.
Our QP V lives outside, and shows no rust at all so that isn't a problem I don't think. I believe the boot and bonnet are ali. The only corrosion problem I've heard of is the subframe, which is important to check.
Rat rod, I omitted to reply to your John Swift question, I don't know him because he races in the FOC series and I occasionally race in the HSCC but I've certainly read about his car and spoken to him. It is blue, I think, and has been raced forever in his ownership, which is nice to see.
Bob the Cop, lovely story about coming back in those cars. My recollection of 2x 10 gallon tanks chimes with yours. We have come back from Como area to Calais about five times in our QP and managed that in about 10/11 hours but that is switching drivers and more or less all motorway apart from the Alps. To do it from the factory, which is much more south, and without much in the way of motorway, must have been some going. I doubt you got overtaken much....
Edited by rat rod on Saturday 20th June 03:22
rat rod said:
P5BNij said:
I wonder where that Espada is now...?
This gorgeous Jarama S is about half an hour's drive from me, it's been for sale for a while and I think the first owner was Clay Regazzoni....
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1234906
I don't know if anyone noticed but there was a yellow Jarama similar to Andy-IM car on Car and Classic at the beginning of the week, R.H.D ,no bumpers, very sensibly priced at £85k, had a look yesterday to see if it was the same car but it's been removed so either sold or owner changed his/her mind about selling it. done that a few times myself.This gorgeous Jarama S is about half an hour's drive from me, it's been for sale for a while and I think the first owner was Clay Regazzoni....
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1234906
Edited by rat rod on Saturday 20th June 01:18
Regards Andy
Luckily nobody hurt.
Andy, sorry to learn of the incident with the Jarama. I have sent you an email.
Fessia fancier. Good to learn about your journey times back to Calais. I have to correct what I said. Although I once did it in 12 hours the distance was incorrect. From the factory to Calais was 925 miles by my route, the other 75 miles to make it 1000 was the distance from Dover to Alie street where the car received it's first service.
That would work out at an average of 77mph which would be correct as there were no speed limits on the French autoroute at that time and there was a lot less traffic than today!
The shorter route via Switzerland was not an option for me, the Swiss were a lot more strict and the customs officers were very vigilant. I recall a stretch of road just after Annemasse when I got stopped by the Swiss Customs. To this day I believe that I was still in France. All they wanted to know was if I had purchased any swiss time pieces. A short conversation later and I was on my way.
I have since done a bit of driving and motorcycling in Switzerland. I took an old Goldwing over the Simplon pass, the old girl did not like it and was puffing a bit due to the altitude. But the scenery was amazing.
Fessia fancier. Good to learn about your journey times back to Calais. I have to correct what I said. Although I once did it in 12 hours the distance was incorrect. From the factory to Calais was 925 miles by my route, the other 75 miles to make it 1000 was the distance from Dover to Alie street where the car received it's first service.
That would work out at an average of 77mph which would be correct as there were no speed limits on the French autoroute at that time and there was a lot less traffic than today!
The shorter route via Switzerland was not an option for me, the Swiss were a lot more strict and the customs officers were very vigilant. I recall a stretch of road just after Annemasse when I got stopped by the Swiss Customs. To this day I believe that I was still in France. All they wanted to know was if I had purchased any swiss time pieces. A short conversation later and I was on my way.
I have since done a bit of driving and motorcycling in Switzerland. I took an old Goldwing over the Simplon pass, the old girl did not like it and was puffing a bit due to the altitude. But the scenery was amazing.
Andy-IM said:
rat rod said:
P5BNij said:
I wonder where that Espada is now...?
This gorgeous Jarama S is about half an hour's drive from me, it's been for sale for a while and I think the first owner was Clay Regazzoni....
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1234906
I don't know if anyone noticed but there was a yellow Jarama similar to Andy-IM car on Car and Classic at the beginning of the week, R.H.D ,no bumpers, very sensibly priced at £85k, had a look yesterday to see if it was the same car but it's been removed so either sold or owner changed his/her mind about selling it. done that a few times myself.This gorgeous Jarama S is about half an hour's drive from me, it's been for sale for a while and I think the first owner was Clay Regazzoni....
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1234906
Edited by rat rod on Saturday 20th June 01:18
Regards Andy
Luckily nobody hurt.
Edited by rat rod on Saturday 20th June 12:06
rat rod said:
Most buyers of modern Lamborghini's wouldn't be able to drive a classic one, with no a. b.s ,traction control or p.a.s add a heavy clutch and a gear change that you have to be a little heavy handed and precise with they would crash on the first corner.
As Paddy McGuiness found. Edited by rat rod on Saturday 20th June 02:51
They wanted to use my early Diablo.
Though my kids were keen, for obvious reasons, I felt uneasy about the track use.
I didn’t think he’d crash going in a straight line!
They are lively in the wet.
This thread keeps on giving!
Andy - glad you're not hurt and that the Jarama is repairable, it could have been a lot worse and your sense of relief must've been very high.
Fessia Fancier - I've been looking into the QP IVs and Vs in great detail, more so the latter as they're obviously more recent and there's far more information and owner's experiences to pick up on. The IV is quite a niche car with so few in number being built and even fewer around now, but there is a fairly good spares back up via one of the facebook groups which is populated by some very knowledgable people scattered all around Europe and further afield. The later Evo QPIVs are definitely the ones to hone in on, I've read every period review I can get my hands on and they're much improved over those that were built before the Maserati factory was revamped in '97 / '98.
Rich888 - You mentioned the old dealer in Syston, I drive trains through there and occasionally have to drive one of the staff cars to get to the station when relieving trains, next time I do I'll see if the premises is still there, it may will be just an MOT station now.
Rat rod - The RHD manual QPIV I'm eyeing up is currently Sorned, but thanks to a poster on the Sportsmaserati forum who has owned a few I now know that it is a 'known' car with at least one of the previous owners being in the Maserati Club and it has been seen at various shows not that long ago. All good stuff but we'll see what transpires. There may well be a few gremlins waiting to appear for the next owner if it hasn't been started up and moved around but it isn't putting me off, the automatic one for sale is on the button but I'd prefer a manual if at all possible.
The glass bodied 308GTB you mentioned reminds of the one I saw down at the workshop where my Mk2 Cooper S was being restored a few years ago, it was a yellow one with a black interior and had a private plate containing the number '308', it was in for some tidying up around the rear where the paint had been badly scuffed, if memory serves it was a RHD car, it looked fantastic under the flourescent lighting in the workshop. My car was there for fourteen months and every time I went down to see how it was progressing there'd be something special to look at, on one occasion there was a metallic green RHD Alfa Montreal in for some paintwork which took my breath away.
I posted these elsewhere on PH a while ago but thought why not post them here - some casual shots of exotica parked up in London back in the '70s...
When was the last time you saw a Monteverdi parked up by the kerb....?
Andy - glad you're not hurt and that the Jarama is repairable, it could have been a lot worse and your sense of relief must've been very high.
Fessia Fancier - I've been looking into the QP IVs and Vs in great detail, more so the latter as they're obviously more recent and there's far more information and owner's experiences to pick up on. The IV is quite a niche car with so few in number being built and even fewer around now, but there is a fairly good spares back up via one of the facebook groups which is populated by some very knowledgable people scattered all around Europe and further afield. The later Evo QPIVs are definitely the ones to hone in on, I've read every period review I can get my hands on and they're much improved over those that were built before the Maserati factory was revamped in '97 / '98.
Rich888 - You mentioned the old dealer in Syston, I drive trains through there and occasionally have to drive one of the staff cars to get to the station when relieving trains, next time I do I'll see if the premises is still there, it may will be just an MOT station now.
Rat rod - The RHD manual QPIV I'm eyeing up is currently Sorned, but thanks to a poster on the Sportsmaserati forum who has owned a few I now know that it is a 'known' car with at least one of the previous owners being in the Maserati Club and it has been seen at various shows not that long ago. All good stuff but we'll see what transpires. There may well be a few gremlins waiting to appear for the next owner if it hasn't been started up and moved around but it isn't putting me off, the automatic one for sale is on the button but I'd prefer a manual if at all possible.
The glass bodied 308GTB you mentioned reminds of the one I saw down at the workshop where my Mk2 Cooper S was being restored a few years ago, it was a yellow one with a black interior and had a private plate containing the number '308', it was in for some tidying up around the rear where the paint had been badly scuffed, if memory serves it was a RHD car, it looked fantastic under the flourescent lighting in the workshop. My car was there for fourteen months and every time I went down to see how it was progressing there'd be something special to look at, on one occasion there was a metallic green RHD Alfa Montreal in for some paintwork which took my breath away.
I posted these elsewhere on PH a while ago but thought why not post them here - some casual shots of exotica parked up in London back in the '70s...
When was the last time you saw a Monteverdi parked up by the kerb....?
Edited by P5BNij on Saturday 20th June 14:57
Edited by P5BNij on Saturday 20th June 15:00
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