Automotive

On an overcast Saturday morning during Pebble Beach weekend, I joined the PuristSPro Team to take part in the Lamborghini Drive Experience held at the Point Lobos Ridge Estate.
After a long wait we were chauffeured up the narrow and winding road to the peak of the estate where we were greeted by several of Lamborghini's staff. 




On display was the Lamborghini Veneno, a supercar designed to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Automobili Lamborghini.  Only 3 of these exotic machine will be made so it was a treat to see such a rare sports car.  The Veneno is built on the Aventador chassis and is paired with a 6.5 liter V12  740hp powerplant and a 7 speed automated manual transmission.  The Veneno also has permanent four wheel drive to go along with it's 220 mph top speed and impressive 0 to 60 in less than 3 seconds.  3 of these Veneno's are already spoken for, while this one here is the prototype that will stay in Lamborghini's ownership.  Rumor has it that a Veneno Roadster is in the works and possibly made in a limited production of 9 cars. 

There were scheduling delays for our early afternoon driving appointment, so we took the opportunity to enjoy the friendly hospitality and have a lunch break before getting behind the wheel of the Aventador and the Gallardo Supertrofeo Stradale.

Lunch was fantastic, a perfect match for Lamborghini to have the talented chef Michael Voltaggio of Ink Restaurant from Los Angeles catering the event.  A wonderful smelling bbq grill was set up in the outdoor patio where the catering staff were grilling veggies, chicken and lamb and also serving guests custom made salads. 

In my opinion this was one of the best meals during the event and particularly the grilled lamb and accompanying veggies.  I'll have to be sure to check out their restaurant in the near future.



After meeting some new friends during lunch were informed that we're ready for the test drives and a group of us moved back down the hillside and onto the lower ranch waiting area.  It took a long time between waiting and actual driving so I walked around to view some of the Lamborghini's on display.  One of them was the new 50th Anniversary Aventador LP720-4 Roadster. 

The 6.5 V12 engine has been tweaked by the Lamborghini engineers to generate an extra 20hp for a total of 720hp.  Carbon fiber is everywhere including the rear engine bay. 

Besides the special edition paint color scheme and badging, I noticed the slightly redesigned front splitter.  The rear is treated with an enlarged diffuser and if you look really closely you can see that the rear meshwork is slightly wider than the standard Aventador. 

The Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale is basically a road legal version of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo race car.  This is definitely a race car, everything is wrapped in carbon fiber and little details were made to race specifications. On the exterior, the rear spoiler/wing was taken directly from the race car version and supposedly produces 3 times the downforce compared to a standard Gallardo.  This additional downforce helps with cornering and high speed stability.  

I didn't have an opportunity to drive the Gallardo Super Trofeo but did ride along as a passenger of a well experience Lamborghini owner.  The Gallardo is fitted with a V10 570hp engine with the Lamborghini e-gear single clutch automated manual transmission.  Upshifts felt quick as we accelarated around the Carmel Valley roads during the test drive.

The interior doors were crafted in lightweight carbon fiber and thick leather handles to reduce weight.  Overall with the upgrades to carbon fiber and aluminum trims brought the weight down to approximately 3350 pounds. 

As we made our way back from the test drive I spotted the Veneno making it's grand exit as the parade of Gallardo's and Aventadors drove by. 

Thanks for reading this post, if you want to hear more about the actual driving impressions of the Aventador, please see the previous post by my fellow moderator PatrickY.

Regards,
ED-209

 

.. of details on the cars !

Thanks Bim, there's so many neat details on the Lambo's.  Lot's of buttons, carbon fiber, etc that it's a mechanical marvel.

Regards,
ED-209

Fantastic report from Point Lobos!  Thanks for sharing and taking us along on the ride in the Lambo.

-MW

It was a fun experience, thanks for looking.
Regards,
ED-209

I really love this picture of the wing and engine cover...

A great watch to match the car...

There's something very architectural about this engine cover.  Reminds me of a certain car from Lamborghini's past called the Diablo.