herald.com
THE MIAMI HERALD
LAMBORGHINI OWNERS LIVE IN FAST LANE CARAVAN OF DIABLOS DRAWS RICH AND RICHER
Thursday, September 9, 1999
Section: Wheels & Waves
Edition: Final
Page: 1F
SOURCE/CREDIT LINE: TERRY JACKSON, Herald Staff
Memo: WHEELS & WAVES / BEHIND THE WHEEL
Illustration: color photo: Lamborghini Diablo with bat-like doors (a), Lamborghini Diablo (a)
Caption: DISTINCTIVE LOOK: Buyers can purchase the impressive Lamborghini Diablo in two-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, coupe or convertible, with the top-of-line model costing more than $335,000.
JMPR / For The Herald BATMOBILE: One feature of the Diablo is bat-like doors, here at the Running of Bulls in Beverly Hills.
It has often been said, first by F. Scott Fitzgerald and then amended by Ernest Hemingway, that the rich are different than you and me. For one thing, they have a lot more money. And, I might add, can afford to play with some really expensive toys.
That thought kept recurring last month as I sat strapped into the passenger seat of a $249,000 Lamborghini Diablo, blasting up U.S. 101 north of Santa Barbara, Calif., part of a fast-moving caravan of about 60 Diablos taking part in The Running of the Bulls.
How fast? Let's just say that for short spurts the 150-mph barrier was shattered - all with the tacit approval of the California Highway Patrol, which provided an escort and cleared away pesky minivans and such for the run from Beverly Hills to Monterey.
See, that's another thing the rich can do. They have enough money - in this case more than $100,000 donated to the CHP's officer relief fund - to get speed laws essentially suspended for an afternoon.
That special treatment prompted more than one driver to give a single-digit salute to the Lamborghinis as they sped by.
Lamborghini owners gladly suffer such minor indignities for the opportunity to drive what is certainly the most outrageous and visually distinctive sports car on the planet.
A flying wedge, the Diablo is distinctive for its bat-wing doors that rise up, not out, to allow passenger and driver access to the leather-bound interior. It's also noted for its 530-horsepower V-12 engine and its 200-mph top speed.
Buyers can have it in two-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, coupe or convertible, with the top-of-line model costing more than $335,000.
``I just love this car. The way it looks, the way it sounds, the way it goes,' said Sophia Wong of Newport Beach, Calif., who, according to the U.S. importer, is one of very few women Diablo owners.
Exclusive club
To be a Lamborghini owner, regardless of gender, is to be in a very small club. While Ferrari sells as many as 2,500 cars a year, the Lamborghini factory in Italy produces only about 200 Diablos a year, with most of those sent to the United States.
Erv David, owner of Prestige Imports in North Miami Beach, says he sells about 40 Diablos a year to a wide variety of wealthy people, from singer Rod Stewart to football and baseball star Deion Sanders to recently rich e-commerce millionaires.
``Purchasers of Lamborghinis are like eagles,' said David, who drove the California route in a Diablo that Stewart had just traded for a new one. ``They nest one at a time. They don't flock together like owners of Porsches, Ferraris and Corvettes.'
The Running of the Bulls - so named for the charging bull in the Lamborghini logo - was first held last year, as part of an effort by U.S. importer Vik Keuylian and his dealers to raise awareness and brand loyalty for the exotic Italian sports car.
Race driver Mario Andretti piloted the lead Diablo. His passenger was a young woman whose father had bid $25,000 at the CHP charity auction for the chance to ride shotgun.
Timed to coincide with the Monterey Historic Races and the Pebble Beach Concours, the invitation-only event is the largest gathering of Lamborghinis in the United States.
It's also a chance for owners to preen for each other and actually drive their cars for more than a few miles.
As strange as it might seem to mere mortals, many Lamborghini owners rarely drive their cars. They often park them in showroom-size home garages, raise the bat-wing doors for dramatic flair and just show them off to visitors. The factory even provides a cutoff switch behind the driver's seat so the battery doesn't go dead while it's on display.
Atypical owners
The 311-mile Running of the Bulls was the longest distance some owners had ever covered in one stretch in their Diablos.
But don't put Norval and Janice Stahly in that category. The couple, who own Everglades Marina in Fort Lauderdale and split their time between Florida and a home and business in Illinois, have put tens of thousands of miles on their Diablo.
``We've driven it everywhere and it's surprisingly comfortable and reliable,' Norval Stahly said.
Even when the Diablo does get cantankerous and refuses to run, it's no problem.
Janice Stahly recalls a time when the Diablo broke down in Iowa, where a Lamborghini mechanic is as scarce as a killer whale.
``The man called the dealer in Denver and the mechanic there talked him through the repair on the phone,' she said.
The Stahlys, seniors who might look more at home behind the wheel of an RV, were among the more down-to-earth participants in the California jaunt.
Diablos, because of their look-at-me-I'm-outrageous design, tend to attract a fair number of ostentatious people. It has been said that Ferraris attract the gold-chain crowd. Well, then, Lamborghinis seem to attract the diamond-and-platinum folks who want a car that's as outrageous as they are.
For a few buyers, even the stock Lamborghini doesn't make a big enough statement.
Oklahoman Tom Powell, who made a killing on America Online stock, had twin superchargers put on his Diablo, boosting horsepower to 800 and top speed to 240 mph. On the run to Monterey he delighted in being able to leave other Diablos in the dust.
Which points up another trait of the really rich: They're always looking for more.
e-mail: tjackson@herald.com
MM:-)
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