Exotic Car Key Collection Pictures

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Over the years I have accumulated a lot of Exotic Car keys. They are keys that I found from cars that I owned years ago, dead keys from the dealership, unclaimed spare keys from cars we have sold, and miscellaneous key chains and memorabilia. Despite what the movies say, it is difficult to fit $1 Million in cash in a briefcase but it is very easy to fit the keys to $1 Million or more worth of cars in one. I pulled them out and snapped some pictures of them this week.

My Yellow Gallardo is now in Hong Kong!

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I was curious to know what had become of the 2004 Yellow Lamborghini Gallardo (ZHWGU11S14LA00564) that I bought in 2006 and used for Supercar Rentals. I Googled the VIN number and didn’t find anything new. In 2010 I sold the car to an individual in Texas on consignment at the dealership. At that point it had about 40,000 miles. He enjoyed the car and drove it to around 51,000 miles in 7 months and then it popped up for sale at a small car lot in Texas.
The car was indicated sold but I never saw it turn up anywhere since then. I decided to pull the CARFAX and see what the records indicated to see how many miles it had and where it was located. Much to my surprise, this was what the CARFAX showed:
Last June it was exported from the US through Long Beach, California and imported into Hong Kong. The car culture in Hong Kong is insane and China is now outselling the US as the biggest market for Lamborghini each year. I will have to stay tuned to the Hong Kong Spotter’s thread on ChasingExotics.com to see if the car turns up. Lots of great memories in that car.

Cold Weather Testing Pictures of the 2013 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster

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This gallery contains 6 photos.

Yesterday some pictures surfaced of what is believed to be the 2013 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster. It could also be the 2014 Lamborghini Aventador Roadster since the current thinking is that the car being released soon at the Geneva Motor Show … Continue reading →

The other Verde Ithaca Aventador in the US right now…

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We knew that there were actually two Verde Ithaca Aventadors in the United States. One of my customers texted me these pictures yesterday of the other car, now available for hot lap rentals in Las Vegas. I am not sure if I am a fan of the Superleggera stripe on the car or not but I am sure that they had as much fun tearing around the track in this car as I have at Vallelunga and Spring Mountain.

The car certainly looks spectacular in Green. If your internet was turned off a couple of weeks ago and you somehow missed the galleries of pictures and videos of our Verde Aventador, here they are:

Pre-PDI – http://edbolian.com/?p=2750
Post PDI – http://edbolian.com/?p=2840
YouTube Video – http://edbolian.com/?p=2811

5,000 miles in 4 months – Tales of Daily Driving a Gallardo

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I bought my current 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo at the end of September. I just did an oil change after 5,000 miles. I wanted to take a moment to write down some reflections of the car during that time.
All of the driving actually took place in 4 months. I have been out of town some and the car was down for a couple of weeks waiting on some parts from Italy. Throughout the course of those 5k miles, I only had a couple of issues with the car. The first was a minor coolant leak. I noticed the temperature rising a couple of times and found a leak in the tube leaving the coolant reservoir. It was a simple fix with an $80 tube. The only other significant issue was with the tail lights. Gallardos create a a lot of heat around the engine and even with ample heat shielding, you will have some issues eventually. At almost 38k miles, I was getting some error lights for my brake lights being out. At first it was one side, then both. It turned out that the contacts were burnt up and the entire light assemblies really needed to be replaced. I was actually pretty happy to do that one because I preferred the non-tinted tail lights. That was approximately $600. When I had them put in, I went ahead and did an oil change.
That has really been it. I have driven the car in the rain a lot, in some light snow, and short trips on errands, on a long trip to Miami, and in every situation imaginable. It has been comfortable, reliable, and a ton of fun. The attention has been enjoyable and it has made my commute more bearable. I don’t miss the S55 at all even though it was an awesome car.
Most people think that you can’t do this – daily driving a highly strung sports car like a Lamborghini, but I am absolutely loving every minute of it. I may end up picking up something else interesting to relieve it of some of the miles but there is no immediate need. I toyed with selling it for a little while but I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it. Anything is possible but for now, I am just looking forward to the next 5,000 miles.
Spending less than $1,000 in maintenance over the course of 5k miles illustrates that you can use these without much concern for catastrophe. The part that is even cooler is that the car’s value probably hasn’t changed at all during those 5k miles, and likely will not over the next 10-15k. I guess I will just have to keep driving!

Is a Koenigsegg street legal in the US?

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Another car that I am frequently asked about is the Koenigsegg. This is a Swedish supercar that is typically spoken of in the same breath as the Pagani Zonda that we discussed yesterday. An estimated 100 were produced from 2002-2009 in several different variations which included – the CC, CC8S, CCR, CCX, CCXR, Trevita, Edition, Agera, and Agera R.

The CCR actually beat the top speed record previously held by the McLaren F1 by exceeding 241 mph at Nardo. There were rumors of Koenigseggs going faster but nothing fully substantiated. They used several engines including a Ford Racing V8 and a twin supercharged proprietary V8 developing up to 1100+ hp. They have long been a favorite of the hosts of Top Gear and featured on the program several times. In 2004 I actually saw and sat in the first press car (Black/Tan) which was driven by Jeremy Clarkson in their first test of the car. I couldn’t drive it because of a leaking wheel but it was phenomenal to see.

The answer to whether or not these cars are street legal in the US is easier. The answer is Yes! There are 8 street legal Koenigseggs in the US. They are all 2008 CCX’s and they were imported through two dealers. At least 4 are black, one is silver, and one is blue. That is the only year that they were legally imported to the US. There are other cars in the US but they would either be Show and Display titles or some of the other methods that we have discussed for non-road legal cars. I know of several US Koenigseggs that are available now and some that can be imported from other parts of the world. If you are seriously interested in exploring ownership of one of these cars, shoot me an email and let’s talk about it.

Lamborghini Builds the 12,000th Gallardo

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Last week Lamborghini announced that they had built the 12,000th copy of their most successful car ever – the Gallardo. Now produced in 6 variants including coupe and convertible version of the LP550-2, LP560-4, and LP570-4; it took nearly 10 years to reach this production number. Take a look at our breakdown of the Lamborghini Gallardo Production Numbers to see how the number changed each year.

Compare that number with the fact that Ferrari built over 17,500 360′s from 1999-2005 and approximately 9,000 F430′s from 2005-2009 and it will illustrate why it is still so rare to see a Lamborghini on the street. We are still doing out best to change that every day!

Photo Credit – Kevin Bandy of BandyDesign.com

Is a Pagani Zonda street legal in the US?

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I get asked fairly often about the legality of owning some very rare cars in the United States. One that comes up most often is the Pagani Zonda. The Zonda is a very rare supercar made in Italy that was released in 1999 and built until last year (2011). The car has come in several versions – the C12, C12 S, F, Roadster, Club Sport, R, Cinque, and a few special editions. They have used different versions of a 7.3 liter V12 sourced from Mercedes. Between 200-300 of the cars were produced in total.

The cars are absolutely spectacular. The craftsmanship, the materials, and the design are absolutely phenomenal. They are very usable and have been extremely reliable for most owners.

The answer to the question is really no. You cannot legally drive a Pagani Zonda in the US. There are several (approximately 10) in the US that get driven periodically. Most are here under “Show and Display” titles granted by the EPA and DOT. This permits them to be driven up to 2,500 miles per year. They cannot be sold in the US with a Show and Display title. Recently, a silver C12 was sold out of a collection in the Northeast but it had to be exported after the sale. You can own the cars here but driving them is limited. The only other options would be to get it titled as a self constructed vehicle in California under the SEMA law, drive it on a dealer plate, or swap the VIN from another car. None of those methods are technically legal but those are the methods that have been used. Show and Display is your best bet.

The replacement car is called the Huayra and it is fully legal for sale in the US. It will be available late this year.