TommyJames

Sounds like a clutch adjustment to me. I had a similar problem with my LP640 and they solved it with some minor tweaks. Has anyone looked at the overheat seconds on the clutch? I'm wondering if you've polished it a bit, which can still be worked out with driving. How many miles on the car? I know when my SVs clutch was out of adjustment, I'd get the same thing, but we fooled around with it and got it just right for my driving style.

I'd love to see the latest complete list somewhere. Rumor is we're down to 31 SVs in the US. About ten or eleven have left the US? Anyone keeping track?

Anthony did his best to make the video authentic, and didn't use any canned sounds. In fact, he spent more time working on getting the sounds recorded properly than anything, sometimes recording the cars at different times until he got what he wanted. Finding locations free of ambient noise where you can get the right sounds proved to be a lot harder than we all expected. When he shot "The sound of Mike's Gallardo..." the police received a complaint from someone about a speeding car.

The biggest single issue is the magazines need it if the issue is to come out at the same time the car is revealed. It can take months. I thought that was a very decent thing Lamborghini did by allowing customers, especially through dealers to see the car in preview. This serves two purposes, one is to treat their customer base with some respect for writing checks, especially on the new cars, and second, to allow that same customer base some time to make arrangements with regard to their current car. I did consider the event a gesture in good faith on their part. I wish more could have seen it.

Depends on what their NDA says. Not all are the same.

What's the BlackDuckie?

No comment.

I was just looking in the the NDA to see if it had the same clause as yours must have where you get to decide what is and isn't confidential. It's missing from mine.

Manfred Fitzgerald was the one pulling out the driver. I asked Manfred how the driver was doing about two months ago. He said the injuries to the driver's legs were very severe. At the time he was moved from one hospital to another. I've not heard anything since.

You signed an NDA. Did you honor it?

I know a lot of people here focus on Winkelmann but keep in mind he's running the whole company, not just the physical product side of the business. This means he's got to deal with Audi/VW's two boards, unions, regulations, factory issues, and the list goes on and on. The production side and where they are going is really the result of two absolutely amazing guys, one is Maurizio Reggiani and Manfred Fitzgerald working together. Winkelmann should be given credit for letting them run with the ball and they have done some amazing things over the past few years, especially with the new technology in the new car. I was very sorry to hear that Manfred has recently departed from Lamborghini. I think he did a terrific job managing his design team and more of his work is still underway, even after his departure. When you look at all that incredible new technology coming out of the car, that's all Maurizio's department and he too doesn't get the credit he deserves. If you're wondering who's really behind these cars, it was those two guys working together. I'm sorry Manfred won't be around to experience customer's reaction to the Murcielago replacement.

More than one dealer told me they were specifically told ten people each, but some dealers took it upon themselves to invite more, only to be told that Lamborghini was holding them at ten.

You could be right. We've had a horrible market over the last two years and that's had a huge impact on owner's plans regarding what they do with their cars- keep, trade, or just get out of exotics entirely. So much depends on what's happening next. Also with the financing climate, some buyers want lead time to make plans, etc.

I have to disagree with you on this one. For as long as I've been reading these forums, people have bitched about Lamborghini's secretive nature and how they suddenly spring new products on customers without communicating with them in any way. I too have been a big part of that bitch. I hate it. Customers, including me, complained about the lack of connection and how customers were disregarded are treated like anyone else at any other car show when the wraps suddenly come off, when we're the customers willing to step up and write a check. Lamborghini then decides to do a very nice thing for customers. If you think this is about financial desperation, you're not reading the VW annual report. If anyone says they actually placed an order, my dealer said it's not possible yet and won't be for another month, so toss that desperation theory out the window entirely. Sure they want to sell cars, but it's also critical that they remain far ahead of their competition and the longer they maintain their secrets, the better off they are. The automotive industry is moving much like tech where you have to keep secrets or you never jump ahead. Look at how far Apple is now ahead of everyone else and for a long time people made fun of their secrecy. Looking back, it all makes sense now. Not one company has every caught up to Apple as a result. Break their NDA and they will make an example out of you without the slightest hesitation. I'm very disappointed by how this event has been treated on the forums and how much disrespect has been shown to that factory's attempt to keep a lid on things for now. Look back at the SV and how that was previewed by comparison and how much more respectful customers were then, not in every case, but it was more civil. Yea, there is always someone who's going to grandstand for personal gain and post everything there is about the car while under NDA. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the last preview because of that. The factory has agreements with various publications concerning first photos, etc., to ensure the best possible coverage of the car, including negotiations for cover shots, interviews, distribution, access, and the list goes on and on. Then you have media rankings, etc., and all of that has to be coordinated prior to a car's debut. It takes a very long time to coordinate these agreements and they are serious, and spy shots can null some of those agreements that aid in the success of the car. I'm left wondering if people want to see Lamborghini succeed or fail? Some of these people working on these previews have their careers on the line. This is a very cool car and it will sell just fine. I have no doubts. I don't think Lamborghini is worried either. This isn't the LFA or the McLaren where they seem downright desperate with their media saturation. This is different. As for those who were disinvited, I'd bring it up with the dealers. Blame them. From everything I've heard in talking to a few, they were limited to ten people each and no one dealer had the hour to themselves so in our case, a lot of us came a long way for about 60 seconds of seat time. I'd have been pissed if that was 30 seconds. On the flip side, Lamborghini knows that the more the car is exposed the more likely they are to have leaks so I can't blame them for wanting to set limitations. I'm sorry that some didn't get to see it, but I get tired of the factory getting blamed for everything.

I need to remind you guys that you're under NDA.

Really good question Rob. I didn't like the SSC at first glance. It took me a while to warm up to it because it's so different. The Lamborghini on the other hand at first sight really grabbed me, in part because there is something familiar about it, something that still says Lamborghini to me. I was one of the first to see the SV when I was in Italy and it made an instant positive impression on me. This car did the same thing. Did it blow me away? Not really, but but that's me. Meanwhile the SSC model is stored not that far from my house and I've had some time to look at it and it's really grown on me. The two will be so different from each other. SSC has not designed the interior and that's a big part of it for me. I was very impressed by all the effort Lamborghini went through to preview the car for customers. This was not a simple undertaking and tremendous care went into security, and the overall management of the event. It's a shame the number had to be paired down, but in our group, you still didn't get enough time to sit in the car and really study the functions of the interior. We never reached the point where everyone was done looking at the car.

I was impressed by the car and if we can reach terms that work for me, I'll buy one. As for what happened, according to my dealer, some of the dealers overbooked people. Their lists were too long and were asked to cut back to those most likely to buy. It was nothing more than that. It was a dealer issue and not the factory. I guess some dealers apparently got carried away with the invites. The factory was relying on the dealers to send in their most serious of customers as they are doing all they can to minimize leaks about the car. They are VERY serious about keeping the lid on this car and are not taking chances. They will absolutely go after anyone who violates the NDA.

My dealer told me that no last minute names were allowed as I was working to firm up the list of possibles from Seattle. I know that security is going to be tight. This isn't at all the same as seeing the first Bentley which had renderings out months before the car was released. Lamborghini has done a terrific thing by allowing serious customers an opportunity to preview the car, and I'm not going to be disrespectful to their efforts. These individuals responsible for this event have their jobs on the line if something gets out. I posted earlier that if you truly wanted to see the car, contact a dealer and get on the list. No, they don't expect it to be packed. In fact that's not at all what they want because then serious customers can't spend time with the car. I attended the Rapiede event and they allowed 350 people in to see the car all at once. Everyone was there for the free food and those who actually had a serious interest couldn't even get close enough to see it, let alone sit in it and it pissed a lot of people off who went through a lot of trouble to get to the event. I wouldn't have made the trip down from Seattle if it was going to be a packed room. I'd rather just wait if that was the case. When I see posts like the address of the event, I can't help but think that LamboPower shot itself in the foot one more time with Lamborghini, something it has a habit of doing. It's one thing to be critical of a brand's merits, it's another thing to undermine their rollout plans. Sorry if that's an unpopular statement here.

Something is fishy and not on the SSC side. What car number does he have? I'll ask SSC. Any pictures?

They are being very careful about who's going and where they are coming from- wanting to have it vetted by dealers it seems. I suggest if anyone wants to go, that they contact their closest dealer ASAP. According to our dealer, each one is given a time slot to bring a fixed number to see the car. I know that some that were coming from our list won't be able to make it down, and other dealers may be in the same situation so contact them. Each dealer has their own criteria of who they invite. I know it's not limited to early buyers or existing customers as a know of a couple of people going who will never ever buy a new Lamborghini. I also think security will be tight. Keep in mind that the consequences of sneaking out a few shots amounts to millions of dollars in lost marketing punch and it would be a disaster for Lamborghini so I don't think anyone who cars about the success of the car will be amused if shots get out prematurely.

Yea, I'd love to see him do something. We're traveling now. Anthony is in far northern CA and I'm in San Francisco. I hope to make it out to Cars and Coffee on Saturday.

To make any successful sustainable product you have to have authenticity as a core ingredient. Fake it in any way and consumers notice, sometimes it takes a while, but they wise up. What's wrong with this show is that it lacks core honesty. If you have a host faking enthusiasm, the audience notices and you suddenly have a credibility problem to overcome. I don't think I'd need a stellar resume to hold my interest, but instead I want to see the right personality. It's not like I cared about the bios of the UK hosts. They were fun to watch from the first time I ever saw the show. I got a call from Top Gear in August about using my SV when Lamborghini US turned them down. I called corporate and they soon changed their mind. I'm glad they did. I'd freak out if my SV was driven around in the dirt like that. It's not just the paint damage at the intakes, but the lack of clearance between the calipers and rims that have a tendency to badly score with even the smallest stones.

In only five days as of about 1:00 PM today.

It will cross a million hits sometime in the next 12 hours or so. The video is doing extremely well.

We're both strongly considering the new SSC and we've been out to the factory a few times. While the current one definitely was in need of a style update, it has an incredible ride and it's ridiculously fast. We did a run back in March and the Ultimate Aero flew away from me in my SV like I was in a Prius. If the new car has the fit and finish of the last two cars that came out of SSC, and has all the updates they promise, I think it will be a very cool car to own. I'm heading down next week to see the new Lamborghini.