The Taste For Speed

Lamborghini

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have long had a love affair with cars. In fact, if money were no object I am sure my garage would be bigger than my house. How lucky for me then to be, not only in the land of great food but in the land of world famous car makers. Ferrari, Ducati (motorcycles), Pagoni and of course Lamborghini.

Like many young men, I remember having a poster of a white Lamborghini Countach, on the wall of my first apartment. I would stare at it while lying in bed dreaming of flat out drives down ribbons of perfect highways.

The original supercar

The original supercar, Lamborghini has always been at the cutting edge of automotive imagination. So, when the opportunity for us to tag along with a fellow blogger (Sara Näse of @getpalmd) on a private tour of the Lamborghini factory came along, we jumped at the chance.

Bus ride

Ironically, we would take a 45 minute, €3 bus ride from Bologna to the factory in Sant’Agata but we all knew it would be well worth the ride.
We arrived a little early for our tour so we popped across the road to the Bull Bar for a coffee. A modern restaurant bar that not only serves up food and drink but also sells time behind the wheel of one of three of their own Lamborghinis that sit in front and amongst the tables. Unfortunately at €100 for ten minutes of driving, I would have to settle for a fast cup of espresso.

Many concept cars

Returning to the factory museum we spent some time checking out perfect specimens of both Lamborghini production models and many concept cars.

They also had one of two actual police Lambos and examples of all of their engines, which are works of art on their own.

The tour

Finally, the time came for our tour and we were greeted by a lovely woman who led us to the factory floor along with their social media liaison. We were also extremely lucky to be cleared to take pictures inside the factory since cameras are normally forbidden to protect any manufacturing secrets they may have.

Walking down the production line we saw every step of the building of their two current models the Gallardo and their newest and most extreme Lamborghini so far the Aventador.

Level of detail

As you would imagine the level of detail and precision were unbelievable. We watched in awe as they swung the whole (750 hp) drive train into place and as a computer cut a whole cowhide into the pieces to stitch together an interior. In the upholstery department, their attention to detail was exemplified by the racks of perfectly died cow hides that come from more northern and cold climates where the cows would have fewer insect bites that would create imperfections in the hides.  

Dyno test

Towards the end of the line, our hearts skipped a beat as we heard them fire up a new car on a rolling road and wind it up to a virtual 200 kph. After their dyno test, the car was then put through a special light tunnel that would show any minor imperfection in the finish that could be dealt with so the car was perfect for its delivery. From there the car would be taken on a test drive on the streets around the factory (no test track here) for a real-world shakedown before it would be ready for its eagerly awaiting customer.

Gallardos

Gallardos at a brisk 1200 cars built per year will not keep you waiting too long if you have the cash but the €360 000 Aventador has a 2-year waiting list.
At the end of our 1 1/2 hour tour, I was spent like a kid after a day at Disneyland. Our gracious hosts bid us a “buona giornata!” and we headed for the front door as an Aventador cruised passed us out the gates for its test drive.

Back to the Bull Bar

Recounting the tour as we headed back to the Bull Bar for another coffee I remarked to Nat that the only thing missing from the tour was the chance to sit in a car and fantasize what it would be like to be a Lamborghini owner. At the bar enjoying my machiatto and staring at the open door of the Aventador in front of me I said to the bar owner “How much does it cost to sit in that car?”  “Sit in it? That’s free!” he said waving me towards the driver’s seat. Sliding behind the wheel I was as giddy as a school girl.

In the passenger seat

The owner, now sitting in the passenger seat, explained all of the controls and driver options available while pointing out that this was the second most powerful car (next to the Bugatti Veyron) ever made. Then he flipped up a cover exposing the starter button and said “Press that!” without hesitation, I pushed it and listened as the computers prepared the motor to fire.  There was about a five-second delay and then I felt the beast come to life and the dash fill with information. Covered in goosebumps I turned to my new best friend and said: “Can I give it a shot?”.  He gave me a nod and a smile, seeing he was fulfilling a childhood fantasy. A blip of the throttle got the attention of all of the patrons at the bar but the second and third shots stopped them in their tracks with a sound not too far off of a formula one car. Never have I had such a thrill in a car without moving.

A taste of the fantasy

It took all of Nat’s strength to stop me from slapping down my credit card for a test drive but in the end, she won. Back at the bus stop, with reality starting to creep back in, a snow white Gallardo downshifted and accelerated past us out on its test drive. As it rounded the corner out of sight our bus arrived with squealing brakes, full of people crammed into plastic seats.  Reality can be a bitch but at least I had a taste of the fantasy.

* We visited Lamborghini as part of Blogville Emilia-Romagna for more information please visit their website. The opinions in this post are our own.