Lamborghini Espada: Gandini art part 2

Since I have nothing to report from the Paris Motor Show (I wasn't there), let me present another Italian 70's sports/super car to you. Designed by the same person as the car from the previous post.

Lamborghini Espada in Rosso

The Lamborghini Espada was the most sold Lambo before the Countach. When you think most sold car remember which manufacturer we're talking about. They made and sold an overwhelming 1,217 Espadas during its ten years in production (1968-1978). This was huge for Lamborghini since they only sold a couple of hundred cars per model at that time. And for you classic car buyers, this also means that there are many Espadas out for sale today at quite a reasonable price - for a classic Lamborghini at least.

The 928 next to it looked like and SUV

As revealed in the title it was designed by one of Bertones greatest designer Marcello Gandini. The styling is sleek and... well, long. The long lines at the sides and the bonnet emphasize the length of this four-seater. Espada is Spanish and means sword. This charactarizes the cars sharp look. I just wonder if the name was invented after it was designed or the other way around. The cars other dimensions are as extreme as its length. It's under 1.2 meters high and close to 1.9 meters wide. Lamborghini had come a long way from the tractor dimensions. Some Gandini styling details are the NACA ducts on the bonnet, which I believe are functional. They better be, for the good of the engine lying beneath. 

NACA ducts give some depth to the king-size - large bonnet

The wheels are copied from the Miura

This vast car needs a powerful engine to hurl it forward. Luckily Lamborghini only makes engines with more than a few cylinders. The Espada has a version of Lambo's 3.9 litre V12 also seen in the Miura. Power output changed over the years from an initial 330 horsepower to 350 in the series II. Weirdly, for the series III the power was reduced to 325 HP. There were also ugly US-spec bumpers added to the series III which made it less desirable. That meant the series II sold the most and is the most wanted Espada today. 

The fuel filler is behind the plastic ducts

What comes to Italian supercars this may not be the most striking but it has an enormous amount of road presence. It is usable too with a large boot and two very usable backseats. Jay Leno talks about his Espada being his only car for some time. This is obviously possible only in a country where fuel prices are so low that it's almost viewed as a human right.

Not making it easy

Last post was about the Ferrari 458 Speciale. This will be about another Italian super car manufacturer who does the same thing that Ferrari but only on a whole 'nother level.

Lamborghini takes a different approach when making a car than Ferrari does. The approach is more stylish and over the top than precise and analytical. So that had to change when Audi took over Lambo. But I think they never lost the art of extravagant presentation. The common opinion is that Lamborghinis have become more boring and more, well, German. There are versions of standard Lamborghinis that seem like there were less German watchful eyes over the Italians. I'm not talking about the "one offs" like the Sesto Elemento or the Veneno. I mean the tweaked versions of standard Lambos that make them more, lets say, exclusive.

But with the Gallardo it has gone a bit far I have to admit. There are probably a dozen of "special edition" Lamborghinis.  There's the Tricolore, Balboni, Super Trofeo and many others. To me they just seem like filler episodes to a TV show when the writers are working on a new story line.
But there's one that is like the 458 Speciale i wrote about earlier, it's called the Performante. What it is is a Gallardo Superleggera but with the roof taken off and replaced with fabric. It has the same slightly tuned engine as the Superleggera, 562 hp (10 more than the standard V10).
I have long thought about what my favourite car is and the Gallardo Superleggera comes very close to my beloved R8. The Performante may be the car to take the crown away from the R8.

So Lambo is not making it easy,  no no. They have tens of different versions of the same car to confuse everyone. And one of them has even got me questioning my choices.

Those stripes are very ungerman. 

Even though the policeman isn't impressed, I am for sure!

This is the hard top Performante, better known as the Superleggera. 

Gumball 3000

It's time for the Gumball 3000 pictures. The cars entering this years rally are absolutely incredible. And the drivers list is almost as incredible. People like David Hasselhoff and Tony Hawk are competing in the rally this year for crying out loud.

The 15th anniversary of Gumball 3000 logo was on around 100 exotic cars.

It was a hugely impressive arrival by the Gumball competitors here in Finland. They caused a huge spectacle directly after disembarking the boat. Policemen were everywhere trying to keep everything under control, and failing at it. 

As I said in the last post I'm so sad that I can't share with you the incredible sound these cars made. But there's always youtube for that. I'm not going to put every picture here but I will use them in other upcoming posts and maybe put some of them to the older posts as well. 

Enough talking. Here are the pictures.

Yes it's a camouflaged Lamborghini Aventador. It's invisible until you start it up.

Could someone please tell me what this monstrosity is.

The awe inspiring Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss. Only 75 in the world.

Koenigsegg  CCXR. It can be powered by ethanol and biofuel. So it's an eco-car , almost.

The loudest car of the day. A highly modified Chevrolet Camaro.

The one off Galag TG1. Don't be fooled. It's just an extremely modified Nissan GT-R.

There were three Ferrari F12 Berlinetta's disembarking. Three!!!

And a Ferrari FF

And one of the 599 built, Ferrari 599 GTO.

The oldies were also represented by the magnificent Lamborghini Countach S

The new Aston Martin Vanquish

It was quite the show at the petrol station.

It was hard to choose just twelve of the 300 pictures I took. But fear not, I will put up more pictures because I want to. If there's someone who cares to comment, please feel free to do so.
And if you live somewhere near the planned route of this years Gumball 3000, I urge you to go and experience some of the most rear cars in the world.

Motor show live!

Here as promised. Pictures of the Motor Show Live event.

It was very poorly organized and as usually in this country a very highly priced event. And since I'm not a rich person I wasn't able to get to the area where I would've gotten great crisp photos of the attending exotica. But nonetheless I have some great photos for you to behold.

Maybe someone will tell me what kind of single seat formula this is.
It sounded awesome.

Sadly I'm not rich enough to stand on the other side of the barbed wire.
You can see the Lamborghini's

Did I really leave out the Corvette Stingray from the muscle car post?
Check out the post. It's the most viewed post, so it has to be good.

Here is one of the highlights of the event the Lamborghini Aventador and its howling V12

A Dodge Viper. Weirdly the first Viper I've personally ever seen.

I'm guessing this isn't a Ford GT40 but just a Ford GT. What do you think?

Those were the highlights of the Motor Show Live event. I'm a bit saddened by the fact that I can't share with you the amazing sounds these wonderful machines made. But at least we have the pictures.

Today the Gumball 3000 arrived here in Finland. And tomorrow I will be posting the pictures of the amazing cars the celebrities and other millionaires drove with. That is something to most certainly look forward to. Until then seat heaters.

Hello again!

After some three weeks of no new content, TheSeatHeater is back. As it turns out it's not all about the cars, even though cars are a pretty big deal.

This post will not be like the others where I talk/rant about a car or a type of car and put up some pictures, no. This will be a hype up post for the upcoming motor show that I will visit this Saturday with my brand new camera. So clear and crispy pictures for all of you to see and behold. It will be a live motor show with both newer and older cars. For example many Lamborghini's, Ferrari's and some American cars will be attending. I still don't know what kind of event it will be, but hopefully I'll get real close to the cars.

In other news (if someone cares) I saw my first ever Fisker Karma. Which is odd since they make the car here in my home country. But still it was an impressive thing to witness. If you're not familiar with the Fisker Karma let me explain it a bit. It's an electric car for the really rich people. But what makes it unique is that it has an on-board power station in the shape of a 2.0 litre petrol engine. It doesn't drive the car at all but it makes electricity for the pile of batteries that then drive the car. So it's a long-ranged electric car. It's actually a GT (Grand Tourer) car.

So there I managed to squeeze in a small thing of the now two year old must have Hollywood accessory. But hey, this is a car blog after all with a slogan of 'It's all about the cars'.

Oh, and I almost forgot, it looks superb.

If you look closely you can see the solar panels on the roof.

No flora or fauna was damaged to create this interior.

Should it stay the R8?

When people who find out that I'm a car enthusiast - or car nerd if you prefer - they always ask me what is your favourite car..... in the world? Good for you if you got that reference. I always think a bit because I do not want to answer Audi R8, but i always do.

Looks stunning in white.

The thing is that I actually don't know what else to answer because it's such a perfect car. It looks fabulous (not in a gay way), it has great performance and has a great noise which makes it the perfect super car. I don't really care about the V10 version of the R8 - even though it has a hundred more horsepower than the original V8 model - because then the R8 becomes a cheaper Lamborghini Gallardo. And who wants that? 

Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera and a woman.

I've thought about saying that my favourite car is the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera but I don't really feel comfortable with that answer. Saying that your favourite car is a super car from Italy is like saying your favourite band is Coldplay. It's a bit mainstream. Don't get me wrong I absolutely adore the Gallardo, I even think it's better looking than the R8 but I still don't want to put it as my #1 car.

Lancia Stratos with the legendary Alitalia colours.

One car that I also put high on my list of all time great cars is the Lancia Stratos. I usually state this car to be my favourite classic car. I think that many European car bores - and why not some Americans too - would name this car their favourite. Its glorious body, its fantastic 2.4 litre Ferrari engine and its success in rallying is a hard combination to resist. Actually, you would have to have a heart of stone not to like this car.

Well, here are my favourite cars that I came to think of in the 30 minutes it took me to write this little post. Here are some pictures of cars that I think could be someones favourites. And do feel free to comment on what your favourite car is.

Jaguar E-type

Nissan GT-R

This car has to be someones favourite. Ferrari 365 GTB/4 (Ferrari Daytona)

Lamborghini Aventador pictures

Quite possibly my favorite lambo. Why? Well, have you seen it? Oh my god.
And did you hear? They are making a roadster version. Can't wait for that one, it will be epic.
690bhp
0-60mph: 2.9 s
Top Speed: 219 mph (349 kmh)

Look at those doors!

Lamborghini Aventador  LP700-4

In the past year there have been launched many cars that are worthy on being named on this puny blog, the new BMW 6-series and the Lamborghini Aventador springs immediately to mind. But some affordable cars like the all important seventh edition of the VW Golf was launched late last year. So all in all, a very eventful year was 2012 for the car manufacturers. And now we are going to mark some of our favourite new cars of the past year. 

Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

Volkswagen Golf mkVII

-TheSeatHeater