Call of the Wild
new drivers give high performance a new meaning
2007-09-04
Terry Glover
File “Lamborghini” under “Dubious Associations” along with Cristal, Tommy Hilfiger and DeBeers. The manufacturer of the six-figure exotic cars has had a bad run – make that run-ins -- with the law as of late, run-ins not likely to endear the cash mo-ney set to the purveyor of luxury rides. Whoever said any publicity was good publicity clearly did not anticipate the spate of celebrity headlines prominently featuring the Lambo legacy. Let’s review:
August 27: Police found a 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago wrecked and abandoned along a Chicago expressway at 3 a.m. Temporary Texas plates and registration inside the car indicated it belonged to Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs. Briggs later turned himself in and admitted owning the car. Though elevated alcohol levels were suspected, Briggs will likely walk away with a $2,500 fine for the Class A misdemeanor of leaving the scene of an accident.
August 31: Lil Kim put another notch in her rap sheet when she was pulled over for driving a black Lamborghini without plates. The fact that she had neither plates nor drivers license pales in comparison to the fact that she thought she could negotiate Manhattan in a $350,000 car designed to travel at speeds of 100 mph or more.
September 1: Nick Bollea, the 17-year-old son of Hulk Hogan, and a passenger had to be pried free when the car in which they were traveling fishtailed and slammed into a Florida palm tree. The car in question was a Toyota Supra, but Bollea earns a mention for his fiery crack up 10 months earlier when he totaled a Lamborghini VT.
The board of directors cannot be happy about the kind of publicity that could easily turn against them, finding fault with the product, not the end user. And though Lamborghini has been in the spotlight of late, other luxury cars have suffered the same fate.
The Wall Street Journal reports the total number of accidents involving Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Lotuses and Maseratis rose to 141 last year, an 81% increase from 2002, while overall crashes declined statewide during that period. Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which sell a wider range of models, saw a 22% increase during that time frame. Partly to blame is an increase in the number of these cars on the road. Market research indicates an estimated 8,400 “super cars” purchased last year, more than three times the number bought the four previous years. Add to this equation the fact that purchasers of these cars are getting younger – the median age dropped from 56 to 47 within the last year – and, anecdotally, more aggressive on the road, and you have a recipe for headlines.
It is time for an intervention. Short of confiscating licenses or turning down a sale, preemptive measures are in order and luxury automakers are a lap ahead.
Manufacturers are rolling out driver-education programs. Porsche offers one. So do Hummer, Land Rover and Bentley. Lamborghini has long held informal classes through its dealers. It formalized those classes early this year. Included in such courses are instruction on braking and obstacle avoidance; over-steering and under-steering with and without Electronic Stabilization; wet surfaces; pendulum turns and correct “cornering lane” techniques that could, presumably, keep a Porsche-totaling Eddie Griffin on course.
Most critical are the “Hot Laps,” given to all participants at the end of the session which demonstrate how to take a 500 horse-power vehicle boasting 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds, to the limit and back without taking out half a neighborhood in the process.
Although, sometimes, even the most seasoned gearheads get busted over speed. Xzibit, host of MTV’s car makeover show “Pimp My Ride,” reportedly had his license confiscated in Holland during his participation in the Gumball Rally earlier this year. The rally, an international 3,000-mile run across Europe on public courses, usually draws celebrities and the super rich as participants. Xzibit’s license was confiscated for reportedly driving 100 mph in a 60 mph zone. What was he driving? You guessed it – a Lamborghini.
Terry Glover is senior editor at ebonyjet.com. She writes about current trends and pop culture.
