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Ramy

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  1. Ramy

    Urus

    More so than the styling, Jalopnik's article "All The Crazy Engineering Details That Make The 2019 Porsche Cayenne Actually Fascinating" whetted my appetite in the hope that the Urus' 6+ year dev-cycle yields some solid r&d yields category redefining dynamics. Article summarizes the Cayenne's new tech - fully electric sway bars, triple-chamber air suspension, rear-wheel steer, etc.. - and has me excited in the hope that the Urus' development equals or exceeds Porsche's. Unsure how much inter-brand collaboration occurred within VW group's engineering teams over the past 6+ years, but imagining the Urus as a deeply engineered 'Super' SUV with surprisingly Lamborghini focused dynamics does make me happy. Assuming factory equipment modules based on the Anima lever where this car may exceed competitor's dynamic abilities - with versions of stock, super (strada/sport/corsa), sand, and snow geared Uruses. An SV/Performante variant. Terra not so much. A 'Sabbia' (sand) equipment module with wheels, tires, and kit may be a few hundred unit a year guaranteed order in Gulf countries as a sand-dune speed surfer. Here's to selling out (no pun intended) 3,500 units per year and and being a tremendous drive. I believe she will.
  2. Mis-revived this dead Urus thread instead of the active URUS thread. Excuse the mis-post and see you in the other thread.
  3. Five years from concept to production is a relatively long development process. Curious to see the final styling. I wonder how the design process evolved since the concept unveiling at Shanghai in April 2012. To those that have seen production spec how does it compare to concept, and to what depth are the design changes? Wondering if production styling is going to be the equivalent of the concept's "mid-cycle refresh", and if the Urus will look dated on arrival.
  4. Pleasure's mine, gents! A golden era. Will do! The seventies were a decade before my time, but also my favorite. The father's expression still warms into a fond smile when he speaks of his experiences with his 'babies'. Forty years on, he remembers vividly the carburated purr of his 'Daytona' that stylistic "!" the Countach was introduced into the era's design consciousness. (And causing some of the city's first traffic jams when they'd overheat in the desert climes. "Why doesn't your bird fly" is the approximate translation of one he'd hear when stranded on the highway, doors up.)
  5. Pleasure's mine, gents! I'm glad they were enjoyed. Do hope to find more as days pass and coax the father into sharing a few more stories. Thank you!
  6. My pleasure! Papa says they were a pain to drive and maintain within those desert conditions. That, and due to a lack of appreciation for their astronomical future monetary and sentimental value is one of the primary reasons those cars have rarely remained in the Kingdom or in the hands of their original owners. What a pleasure it would've been had he kept a Daytona or Countach in the garage. I always get a laugh by sending him his pictures of his automotive babies with the current six and seven digit auction values attached. I'm glad you've enjoyed a glimpse into those golden days.
  7. Unfortunately some of the dates were from the father's memory. I'd peg the dates as later 70's or early 80's?
  8. On dealer practices: Replied: "Although META did not have a brick & mortar dealership in Jeddah, the port city was, and still is, the main point of entry of imported goods. The cars would be shipped from Italy to the Kingdom via the Suez Canal. They agency relied on advertisements in nationally circulated newspapers for sales. The FIAT adjusted quota was $11,000 in 1975, or an inflation adjusted $46,600 in 2012. Orders and specifications would be relayed via Telex. Upon arrival in Jeddah, META would then clear the car at customs and traffic police. Jeddah customers would then pick up their car outside the traffic department or have the cars delivered to their house. The agency would have the Riyadh and Eastern province cars transported or driven to the respective cities. A few of the sportier-engined owners from Riyadh would pick up the car from Jeddah to enjoy the stretch of highway and 'break-in' on the way back. The cars would be stored at the workshop or in covered parking at HRH's residence in Riyadh. Storage was kept in the Capital due to proximity of operations and bulk of sales. The luxury sales ratio of Riyadh to Jeddah was around 9:1. As for long-term storage, I would think Riyadh's average humidity level of ~30% might be friendlier than Jeddah's ~50%?" And do excuse the lack of Lamborghini pictures from the dealership. All that remain are the posted P400 photo and father's story about his Verde "Periscopo".
  9. Here's a tour of of the META dealership Riyadh circa mid-to-late 1970's: Ferrari/Lambo Saudi Arabia: Client area and Quattroruote magazines Ferrari Saudi Arabia: Alfa & Fiat section Ferrari Saudi Arabia: GM's desk with 365 GTB/4 'Daytona' calendar Ferrari Saudi Arabia: Secretary's desk with 308 & Formula 1 312 T2 sales poster 512BB 512BB at the workshop Ferrari Saudi Arabia: Nero 365 BB & 365 GTC/4 Ferrari Saudi Arabia: diagnostics terminal
  10. Hello, LamboPower members. I thought I'd repost a thread on history of Italianissimo and Lamborghini in the Kingdom as a warm "hello" and introduction: (Do excuse the Ferrari biased pictures.) These are based on the vague recollections of my father, who worked in the dealership/workshop as manager from 1973 until 1978. Ferrari, as part of the Fiat umbrella, entered the Middle East region the in the late 1960's under the agency of Meta Automotive. META Automotive was a company under the ownership of the late HRH Abdullah bin Saud, the fourth son of the late King Saud, who held the office of Minister of Agriculture and then Governor of the Western Province until the early 1960's. META Automotive was a subsidiary of META (Middle East Trading Agency Holdings) established by the Prince after his retirement from government office. They served as the sole agent in the ME region for the four Fiat brands: Autobianchi, Lancia, Maserati, and Ferrari in addition to Lamborghini. Autobianchi and Lancia comprised the bulk of sales, between 50 to 80 cars per month, while Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini sold a total of one to three cars per month. Sales of luxury cars were primarily to the Saudi and Lebanese markets. The entire non-Saudi Gulf market would account to one or two cars per year. The workshop consisted of six to eight mechanics with European and Lebanese experience. The sales of sports cars during the era was limited by a relatively undeveloped road system. There was only one strip within the city that allowed owners to extract any semblance of speed from their high-performance machines. Operations ceased in 1978, when the Prince closed the automotive subsidiary for personal health reasons. Fast Auto Technic reestablished the Ferrari agency in 1998, and Al Ghassan Motors acquired Lamborghini. I'm unsure as to who held the agencies within that 20 year gap. Unfortunately, sales and vehicle details are non-existent. It would've been nice to retroactively track down the VIN and title numbers of the cars sold within the era. All that remain are a few pictures taken sometime between 1975 and 1978. Feel free to ask any questions that you might have. I hope you enjoy, Ramy. Malas Street, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the summer of '76. Father, head mechanic, protruding 308, 512BB, and a De Tomaso Pantera. Riyadh, 1977. Head mechanic and a 308. Head Mechanic and a 512BB. Friends posing with Papa's Daytona. Riyadh, 1975. Papa and his baby, 1975.
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