Machine Head

Haha! What an embarrassment! I meant the MP4-12C of course. I don't know why they named it like that, no one can remember. Anyway, after test driving the 12c again I decided I didn't like it. Interior felt like plastic, very uninspired. The shape of the car is like an elaborated lotus exige. The ride is very nice and it's pretty fast but.. no... I hear the new 650S is a much better car but a little too much for a daily for me right now. Any recommendations for a good daily that's also exotic and fun, that I can beat on and not worry too much about things breaking constantly?

I realized today, browsing through an Audi R8 thread of all places, that some people just seem to find their perfect car, as many of us have here with the Aventador. Reading the love for the R8 on that forum made me realize how we all appreciate different things with the same amount of passion. I'm not an R8 guy at all, but recognized the excitement in the discussions of their car of choice. The Huracan is a great daily driver, and a wonderful car throughout, I don't think anyone here would disagree. The dual clutch is what makes it less exciting to me. All the dual clutch cars feel the same, somehow. From the 458, Huracan, mclaren, r8's etc. they just seem a little less involving, a little smoother, a little less like you're trying to tame a bull. Maybe that's why I like older cars? The faint smell of fuel, heavy pedals, rough suspension, a raw quality to the ride? Newer cars are amazing GT cars. They are smooth like butter, feel so well built and luxurious, like something you could take your wife in without getting a barrage of complaints about the stiff ride and the noise... but I wonder if somewhere along the road in our search for a more civilized supercar we may have lost some of those very qualities that used to make these cars so unique? I'm looking for a new daily driver and think I've decided on an MC12. It's fast like the Huracan, has the civilized dual clutch gear box, the comfortable ride, the practicalities for daily use, a decent sized trunk etc. but it doesn't have the beauty, the excitement and the presence of the Aventador. At all.

I'm glad you enjoyed it guys! I was driving it the other day when I had a bit of a realization, and that's when I decided to write this review; the car is everything I ever wanted in a supercar. It checks all the boxes for me. I know it's not going to be a lasting affair with this particular car (Arancio Atlas by the way) but I know it will be with Lamborghini. It fits my eccentric personality so well. I have always enjoyed standing out and being different in life. Not necessarily in a way that portrays success, but in a way that shows that I am not afraid to do my own thing. Not conforming to rules and social norms. I'm a free spirit and a free thinker. Ferrari seems to be a better fit for people who enjoy a little more conformity. Lambos are for those of us who want to show the world that rules are there to be broken. It might be a strange and bold statement, but artistic, creative, eccentric and unique/colorful people seem more in tune with the philosophy of the Lamborghini marque. Just a personal observation. I am excited to get the roadster next, but I am having so much fun in the coupe at the moment it's honestly not on my mind that much. Probably will upgrade in a year or so, or when I get the itch. Whichever comes first! Deciding between the v10 and v12 is not easy as they are both great cars. The Huracan is without doubt a more usable car on a daily basis, with smoother shifts and smaller frame. You cannot go wrong with either one, but the v12 captured my heart with its over the top brutality, looks, presence and ... I think the perfect descriptor is Dominance.

Some of you might remember my first couple of posts debating whether or not to pull the trigger on an Aventador. I used to drive a 458 which is an amazing car but not the perfect fit for me. Like a woman that you can appreciate for her beauty and class, but can't seem to connect with on an emotional level. Fast forward 4-5 months or so and the Ferrari is history. Replaced by a 2012 Aventador, my garage is now a place to behold, and the highlight of my personal possessions. I could not be happier with this car. I am so happy with it, in fact, that I have decided that my next car is also going to be an Aventador. The roadster. And then, when Lamborghini comes out with its successor, that too will be mine. Handling: The car is rock solid, feels safe on the road, not like a skittish grasshopper (458). It commands respect, and urges you to engage with the car and wrestle it a little. I love that. I took it to the canyons for a run but quickly decided it's not where it belongs at all. It was a decent trip but I won't be taking it up in the mountains again. It's too wide, the 4x4 makes it rough around corners. It seemed more annoyed by the twisties than anything. Still, I don't care. I can always pick up a 360 spider for some canyon fun. Power and sound: I can't get enough of the power in this car. 2nd gear is brutal. It's so strong, and corsa mode has yet to leave me anything but absolutely floored. Every time I go through a heavy acceleration run I am as surprised by its brutality as the last time, and I'm running out of words to describe the euphoria that it induces. It doesn't hurt that it sounds incredible to boot. I have a Kreissieg exhaust on mine that I love. It doesn't sound quite as refined and musical as the 458 4.5l v8, but it makes up for it in just about every other area. Gearbox: At first, coming from the dual clutch gearbox in the 458 I was disappointed. That was until I realized that it's not about smooth snappy shifts. It's about brutal spine tingling kicks in the back that'll make you feel like you're part of something far more powerful than your average car. It is nothing short of amazing, and I have fallen in love with the gearbox in the aventador. I don't miss the 458 at all, and the shifts in corsa mode are more than fast enough. Looks and presence: It's a show stopper. Everywhere I go people line up for pictures and a conversation. I don't mind the attention because most of the time it's people who love cars. I get the occasional asshole who flips me off. Doesn't really bother me anymore. Jealousy is a bitch. I honestly think it's the best looking car on the road. ThethetheFerrari, Huayra, Veyrons etc. included. I am in love with it and don't find myself looking at any other cars anymore. Maintenance: Only 3 months in but it's been problemfree for me. I expect there to be some issue at some point but when that time comes I'm happy to take care of it and continue to drive the heck out of it. I have a few squeaks inside the cockpit. They seem to come from the doors (maybe rubber rubbing against rubber). No squeaky breaks which is the first time ever in the history of my owning supercars. It doesn't drink much more gas than the 458 either. In fact I feel like I found myself filling up the Ferrari more often. The bad stuff: I am honestly struggling here. I can't think of much. If I am going to nitpick I would say there are a couple of quirks such as the parking camera not alerting you to obstacles unless you specifically turn it on first. This seems like a design flaw. I also can't get Bluetooth to work with music on my iPhone. The car is big and can be a bit tricky to park sometimes, and it's nerve wracking to drive around in during busy times of the day. People don't pay attention so you have to be on double alert. Overall that's about it, though. I wish there was a button on the key fob to open the scissor doors automatically and remotely. The car is all about show, and that would have been the icing on the cake. Overall: I have found my dream car and I'm sticking to these from now on. I always knew I was a Lamborghini guy but had to venture into Ferrari territory a bit to be sure. It's lambo all the way from now on for me. What an amazing machine and what an incredible feeling it is to own this car. It makes me feel like a superstar whereeever I go, and it makes me feel masculine and in charge when I'm behind the wheel. The Ferrari was almost a little effeminate. Anyway, if you're on the fence like me, just do it. You will love the car.

Good luck and be safe!

It's definitely annoying that the car defaults to "auto". I don't understand why. The automatic mode is completely useless. My 458 defaulted to auto mode as well. I don't get it.

Also make sure the oil temperature is good before you rev the engine. The rev limiter will increase as the oil gets warmer. Look for the red line to hit the 8500 rpm mark before doing heavy acceleration.

1) no one drives this car in automatic. That's a last resort setting if you need your hands free. Seriously, just don't. 2) always drive it in corsa for the full performance. Full throttle shifts in corsa will give you the 50ms gear changes you are looking for. 3) if this is not to your taste, consider a civilized car like a Ferrari 488, Aston Martin, Maserati, Bentley or Porsche. Lamborghini's flagship is all about drama and all about "corsa mode". If you want smooth with creature comforts look at the Huracan. It is smaller, weighs less, better visibility, easier to drive and has a dual clutch transmission. You lose just about all the soul of the big bull, though.

The Huracan simply doesn't look as good as the Aventador. Not even close. For me there's already plenty of performance in the Avvy, and I don't care about lap times at all. A resounding NO from me.

Cool, I'll keep abusing her then. I believe the reason why they deleted the rev blips in corsa mode during downshift is because they wanted faster shifts and obviously the rev blip will add to the time it takes to settle into the new gear, but I'm definitely with you. I love downshifts in sport, which is why I'll do sport when I'm cruising around town, and corsa when I'm on longer stretches of road. Sounds like the Ego mode in the S will take care of our wishes

So based on the lack of response I guess it's safe to say corsa mode does not hurt the car in any way. Thats good, I love how brutal it feels in corsa. Strada is a complete waste.

You may want to get them checked. The brakes on my '12 Aventador grab really hard here.

I never drive mine in automatic unless I'm holding on to a cup or something. Back in the days when I had a gallardo I was told to not take my foot off the pedal when shifting as it would engage the new gear quicker and safe clutch life. I was also told to keep it in gear at stop lights but sometimes when I would linger in 1st gear it'd flip to neutral after a while. Don't think the Aventador has done that yet.

Hey guys, I love my new Aventador and especially in corsa mode. It is absolutely insane and I can't get enough. I'll drive the car in sports mode while it's warming up and then switch to corsa. It feels like the car is shifting so violently I can't help but think it's gonna take a toll on the gearbox and everything else that connects to it. Have you guys had the same feeling? Any expensive repairs as the whole thing disintegrated in a burst of corsa-bliss? I'm hoping it'll hold together. My mechanic told me these things are BEEFY and that if anything they've been over engineered to stay on the safe side. Still I can't help but worry about it a little bit. What are you guys' thoughts and experiences?

When the Aventador was unveiled I was floored. I have never been so positively surprised by the design of a car ever. While I am very optimistic that Lamborghini will hit it out of the park again, it's just hard to envision how. I thought the SV and S were a step back design wise. The SV has too much stuff going on, including a pretty overstated rear wing, and with the S they messed up the beautiful rear. I do like the front of both the SV and S, though. The murcielago never looked quite right to me, and I could never get used to the nose of the gallardo (which was similar). Somehow the murcielago felt too long, and a little featureless. Loved the 430, but liked the back of the 360 better. The cgt was beautiful except the interior. In fact the only Porsche I could ever like (before the 918 came along). Yes, it's all subjective very subjective.

Yes, "techno car" is a good term for the dual clutch cars. It feels a little disconnected to drive. The avvy in corsa mode is pure bliss and the shift times are on par with dct cars. I love the car. Someone here said the avvy is too big. I disagree. I think its size adds to the awesome presence of the car. The gallardo always felt too small for me. With the Aventador I feel they got it right. It has to be that wide and long to have that distinct look. Putting an Aventador shell on a Huracan would be pointless. They are different cars altogether and need to feel different from each other. I'm mildly excited to see what Lamborghini comes up with for its successor, but whatever it is I have a feeling nothing's ever gonna look quite as perfect as what they achieved with the Aventador.

Agreed 100%. I have owned a bunch of ferraris (including the 458), and a gallardo. Just got an Aventador. In non exotics I have owned the merc sl's, BMW m3, Nissan 370Z and an assortment of trucks and suvs. Out of EVERYTHING I've driven and owned (and I'm like you, I have driven a lot of cars), the Aventador is by far my most favorite car of all times. At first, coming from a 458 I had some issues because it felt a little less refined and not as smooth and put together. The lack of a dual clutch bothered me at first. I didn't realize at the time that those were the exact traits I would come to appreciate and fall in love with. Anyone who says the shifts in an Aventador are not brutal have not been driving it in corsa mode. Show me ANY other car with that sort of chiropractic jolt. There's nothing out there. Not to mention it looks absolutely stunning from every angle. For canyon runs my all time favorite was the 360 spider followed by the m3. I haven't done a canyon run in the Aventador yet.

I've had several ferraris including a 458 that I recently sold to buy an Aventador. I originally wanted a roadster but got a good deal on a coupe so I figured I'd enjoy the coupe until the roadsters come down a little more. The Ferrari is nimble, precise, vigorous and twitchy. It feels a little nervous and restless but it's very responsive and fun to drive. It feels like a stallion that has been tamed. I was never in love with the looks of the 458. I'd go in the garage and look at it and while I thought it was pretty it had angles that weren't entirely satisfactory. The Aventador is just a completely different car altogether. It looks absolutely insane. It's absolutely stunning from every angle and a show stopper wherever I go. It makes me excited to look at and get into. The car feels really masculine and brimming with confidence. It's a proper supercar. If you're an eccentric person it will fit you better than the Ferrari. It's more for people who enjoy being different in life. The power is simply brutal and in corsa mode it will blow you away every time. In the Ferrari I would laugh a little when I floored it and went through the first couple of gears. In the Aventador, when doing a run through the first couple of gears I am struck with a sense of thrill and excitement that is closer to a rollercoaster ride than the Ferrari. The single clutch gear box which I thought I would dislike actually makes me appreciate the car's brutal power even more. You really feel like you're trying to tame a bull. I am in love with my Aventador.

I got this kit to keep me excited while searching for a real Aventador. I'm about halfway through after spending something like 10 hours on it. It is a constant source of frustration for me. A LOT of stuff needs to be glued which I hate. The million different screws are all tiny. I just don't understand why they couldn't just use one screw size for everything. About 80% of the time the screws don't seem to fit properly, causing the screw driver to jump out of the screw head while you're applying pressure, and thus slicing your hand. The kit comes with NO tools. Thankfully I happened to have everything I needed in the garage. Would I recommend it? Sure, if you like fiddling with tiny parts, gluing and screwing stuff together you will probably find this kit satisfactory. If you're anything like me you'll hate it and it'll be a fight from beginning to end. I'm only persevering because I want to see the end product. On a positive note the detail and quality of the metal pieces in this kit blows me away. It's really quite cool to see it all come together. I just don't have the patience it takes I think.

Hahaha that's that's pretty bad! One of my buddies growing up had a stepdad like that. He made him keep a log book in the family car and he had to write down the start and end time of each trip as well as the odometer reading. Poor kid. Happy to take some pictures of my 458 when I get back home over New Years. It's a white coupe 2013. I should probably get some nice shots of it before the Aventador replaces it anyway. Exciting times!

Right on! I like your thinking. Didn't mean to imply that anyone here didn't work hard for their money, just explaining where I was coming from. Regarding the $100 bill in the hands of a homeless vs. me if you're not talking about value but relative value it is far more worth to him than most. We are indeed lucky ones for having been born in the right time and place.

I've always loved the Verde Ithaca color since I first saw a murcielago in it. What a looker!

Wonderful to hear! I would assume that ownership would attract a certain type of "friend" but I'm glad to hear that's not necessarily the case. In a world where humility is in short supply, true friends can be hard to find. Cheers!

It is true that one becomes desensitized to a certain degree, but for me it doesn't quite work like that. Because the money I've made and make comes from very hard work I place great value on it. The amount of work I've had to do to get there is always in the back of my mind. When one has $100, as may be the case with a homeless person after a day of begging at the corner of an intersection, I am pretty sure he will be careful with how he spends it. That's why you often see people who come into money over night go on a shopping spree and wake up to find themselves broke very soon thereafter.

This hit home. As I have already alluded to I have a threshold for depreciation that I am starting to realize might be a tad too conservative. If one views the purchase as consumption as opposed to an investment with very minimal chance of anything but a loss, then it becomes the price to pay to achieve the dream as you say, and for me that's a very compelling argument. Thank you! A big thanks to all those of you who have offered your 2 cents. Your collective opinions have swayed me and I have decided to just go for it. I hope to get a basic one for around $330-350K + tax. I will start shopping in January and let you know what I end up with. Life is indeed too short and this is a milestone that somehow solidifies success on a personal level. Not that this is the main reason I'm getting one. I think the Aventador is the most stunning car on the road today and I always find myself admiring it whenever I see one. I don't think there are many other cars out there that get me all excited like that. The lp640 does too, but I think I'd find myself wanting the Aventador at some point if I got it. Regarding the scale of income to car purchases I would say there's no real formulae to go by. You will find more people stretching themselves in the lower income brackets. It doesn't quite scale the way it was suggested by one poster here. An exotic does not have utility value. You don't transport your family around or run errands in it (most of the time anyway). It is purely a luxury toy, and all financial advisors would recommend against a purchase unless you have a true passion for it and it makes you really happy. As someone else suggested here, you have to really want it. Yes I make pretty good money by the national standard, but I have a big monthly nut, with several homes, maintenance, 4 cars, insurance, two kids, a wife and perpetually broke family members it's a luxury problem for sure, but I know that nothing is forever and I save for the future. I am sure there are others on this forum who can relate. Living in California has gotten extremely expensive and keeps getting more expensive by the day.