Lamborghini Gallardo prior to getting hammered

Smashing job

A vote for consumer rights

A Lamborghini Gallardo was destroyed by a group of men in the Chinese city of Qindao. The owner of the Italian sports car decided to smash it to show his disappointment with Lamborghini.

The Lamborghini Gallardo was bought six months ago, but the engine failed to start on November 29, 2010. The owner contacted the Lamborghini dealer in Qingdao and they transported the Gallardo to their maintenance center. The engine problem wasn’t solved, but instead the bumper and chassis were damaged by the transport. The owner complained by the dealer but they refused to take responsibility in this matter, so the angry owner contacted Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann, the brand’s China headquarters, its after-sales service manager for Asia-Pacific region, and the brand’s owner Volkswagen Group, but the problem was not solved.

Angry about the service, the owner felt his consumer rights were ignored. So he decided that the best way to gain attention was to destroy his car on the 15th of March, which is also World Consumer Rights Day. Apparently, he hired people to publicly destroy his car with hammers and make his statement. This protest was made to provoke public support and goad the manufacturer to respect his consumer rights.

It is also interesting to notice that in China, due to protectionist measures, a Lamborghini Gallardo sells for between $529,000 and $757,000 depending on specification. This makes it a very expensive statement to honour consumer rights and to show off the disappointment about a bad customer experience.

Whilst it makes me wince to see a Lamborghini damaged like that, you have to applaud the very public voice he has had to make his point – I’m sure Lamborghini will be far from impressed as this story has had global coverage…

Record-Breaking Bentley

Juha Kankkunen

Finland’s four-time world rally champion Juha Kankkunen drove a Bentley Continental Supersports convertible on the hazardous frozen waters of the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Finland, at a breathtaking 205.48 mph (330.695 km/h) to set a new world speed record on ice. Kankkunen was in irresistible form with his all-wheel drive, 6-litre, 12-cylinder Continental Supersports convertible which, in line with the Company’s CO₂ strategy, ran on biofuel. The world’s fastest soft top enabled Juha to shatter his own 2007 world ice speed record of 199.83 mph (321.6 km/h) set in the Continental GT at the same location.

With the help of his own experienced team and Bentley engineers, Kankkunen overcame the challenges of temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees, sudden snow blizzards and potentially dangerous crosswinds on the 16.5km track on a 70cm-thick layer of sea ice. The record attempt was driven on a 1000m long measured distance with the speed certified by officials from the Finland Traffic Police. His new world record was based on the average of two runs in opposite directions with measured speeds ratified by a representative of The Guinness Book of Records.

“The last time, I narrowly missed the magical 200 mph mark in a Continental GT. When I heard about the Supersports I was determined to go record breaking again with the Bentley Boys. This time, with over 600bhp under the bonnet, a Quickshift transmission and the security of the all-wheel drive system, the Supersports convertible was the perfect car to go for the record. ” Kankkunen said.

“200mph came up after 5km on sheet ice. Then it was just a question of getting everything right in the timing zone and hoping the snow kept away. There’s nothing to beat driving a Bentley at these speeds; the conditions may be perilous but the car responds so well to the slightest adjustment which gives you the confidence to push even harder.”

As with the previous record-breaking drive in the Continental GT the Anglo-Finnish team used a car with minimum modification. A fully-welded, heavy-duty safety roll-cage, along with Pirelli winter tyres (Pirelli SottoZero II 275/40R20) and a rear bumper-mounted parachute provided reassurance in case of an emergency. Front and rear spoilers provided optimum high speed stability on the treacherous surface.

To highlight Bentley’s environmental commitment to sustainable fuel sources, Kankkunen’s Supersports Convertible was fuelled with E85 bioethanol rather than petrol (gasoline). All models in the Continental range are capable of running on petrol (gasoline), E85 bioethanol or any combination of the two.

A limited edition of just 100 examples of this most extreme Bentley will be made and the car will make its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show on 1st March.

Grumpert Tournante by Touring

The international stage of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show will witness an extraordinary world premiere. TOURING SUPERLEGGERA will unveil its design concept for GUMPERT. The GUMPERT TORNANTE by TOURING is a static style model projected and engineered to match a new central engine chassis with V8-powered driveline. The Tornante is scheduled as an addition to the GUMPERT model range as of 2012.

In the development of the 2-seater coupe, TOURING was commissioned a design adding elegance, space and comfort to a package rooted in motorsports and competition engineering. The result aims at opening a new class with attributes of superior efficiency, performance and pleasure: the Fast Tourers.

The car’s performance and dynamic properties generated tight constraints for the designer. While respecting aerodynamics, ground effect, engine and brakes ventilation, special attention was given to comfort and ergonomics. From two fairly different perspectives, GUMPERT and TOURING share the philosophy to remove everything that is not essential. Hence the shape is clean, efficient, and well-balanced. Innovative proportions were achieved in the rear section. A typical feature is the gull-wing opening of both the doors and the wide rear hood.

Featuring composite body panels over a light chrome-molybdenum steel space frame with carbon fiber monocoque, the Tornante aims at lightness and torsional stiffness. This principle mirrors the original Superleggera construction method patented by Touring in 1936.

The Tornante has the genes of the GUMPERT apollo and inherits its impressive V8 Biturbo engine. The 4.2 liter unit delivers 700 HP in the basis version. The drivetrain is also an apollo derivative, featuring as standard for the sake of comfort the TT40e gearbox with paddle shift control. The built-in double-wishbone suspension scheme from the apollo is adjusted to the requirements of the Fast Touring mission profile. Alongside the basic version, an alternative powered Tornante is also planned for 2012.