Trip to Lamborghini/Pagani/Ferrari/Ducati (or, The Italian Job)

[dr_kno]

Before the trip to Germany, Italy was on the menu. Managed all the Italian supercar makers in one day, as the sole participant on a Motorstars tour.

Started off near Modena, in Sant'Agata Bolognese, at the home of Lamborghini. The tourguide I hired used to work for Lamborghini, and the racing teams of Ferrari and Toyotoa, so he had the insider info that made the trip so special, and the connections to get where the public can't. More info on his company later; here's some pictures:




An LP640 going for a spin




Everyone at Lamborghini drives Audi's, quite a few were RS4/6's

Beautiful engines...













First LP400

The Miura concept; it really is beautiful in person







The original 350 GT; the blue one down below is the 450, for the true Lambo enthusiast

The original Diablo Roadster concept



The offshore powerplants



From the Chrysler ownership era...








"Photos of the production floor are strictly forbidden"









The evolution of the GTR...






Gallardo Spider concept...There is actually one of these in the States





The last of the Diablo's, the SE, with carbon fiber accents


I liked the final GTR so much, I decided to take it for a spin...

[dr_kno]

After Lamborghini, we headed out down the road we've probably all seen in car magazines....a long, straight stretch of tarmac notorious for "unofficial" testing, with only one gentle chicane, and lots of foot-wide tire marks. Soon, we arrived at a much smaller car manufacturer, but no less important. Horatio Pagani founded his facility after leaving Lamborghini to produce the car he had dreamed of, and started sketching in the early 90's. Lots of the sketches are on the walls of his design studio; its remarkable how true to his original vision the Zonda is.

















Pagani's first car, designed and raced when he was 20

[dr_kno]

Again, I couldn't take pictures in the actual production floor, but it was pretty incredible. They design absolutely everything (With the exception of the AMG nuclear powerplant) in house....they have their own carbon fiber pressure cooker, castings and everything. The build one car at a time, everyone working on the same car - totally the opposite of an assembly line. The cars are only made when an order is placed, and the car is completely customizeable...from the type of leather straps that hold the engine cover down, instrument layout and backlight, every material used in the carpeting, to the custom leather shoes and luggage that comes with the car. The attention to detail in the fit and finish, and the little bits of visual flair are what make this car so special. Horatio Pagani is a very pleasant, but passionate man; he was there, overseeing development of a new car, and rushing around to make sure the half-finished Zonda on the floor was perfect. Speaking of a new car, there was a frame and moulds in one of the corners, covered, but partially exposed...and definitely not a Zonda...

[dr_kno]

Another quick drive, and we found ourselves in the city of Ferarri, a massive industrial complex, with over 200,000 square meters of production floor, wind testing, racing development, and its own racetrack/testing grounds (Fiorano). We got there and had lunch in the Ferrari cafeteria with employees, and some racing team members getting ready to head to Brazil for the last race of the season. After a proper Italian lunch, we were off to the Ferrari gallery.

The original factory entrance, with Enzo Ferrari's office






GTO...same twin-turbo V8 as the F40










I love redheads...








Lookit that turbo!


Variable intake geomety in the F1 V10 (The cf trim moves up and down, for more power/torque)





MMMMmmm.....The 250MM







250





The Tipo 125!!!!!

Dino










The windtunnel


Racing Development


Fiorano


Just about to leave, we heard F1 testing over at Fiorano! The track is generally invisible to the public, but there is one small access point where the press usually gathers, so I climbed up on the fence to grab a few pictures, of what turned out to be an FXX....even got a quick video!

[dr_kno]

Here's a video of the FXX...sorry its kind of shaky, I was standing at the top of the fence, trying to balance.

[dr_kno]

Oh wait, almost forgot about Ducati...


Coming into the factory, the latest prototype of the new superbike rolls up, in the standard black camo (the new 1098). For those that are into bikes, this picture appeared on CycleWorld, SportRider, MCN, SoloMoto, and Superbike covers (and paid for my trip, rent, and a new set of leathers!):









The trophy wall

[audio4u]

Thanks for all the images.

Tyler

[Benson]

Originally Posted by dr_kno

For those that are into bikes, this picture appeared on CycleWorld, SportRider, MCN, SoloMoto, and Superbike covers (and paid for my trip, rent, and a new set of leathers!):

Are you serious??

Amazing pictures btw...
I enjoy going through your reports at finalgear as well...
Keep up the good work

[L3it3r]

one 'spyshot' is usually worth THOUSANDS

[SketchyD]

very nice. i noticed a lot of econoboxes in the ferrari lot tho

[Baby Bimmer]

Great pictures, and congrats on the spyshot payoff :P

[E36-Guy]

This thread is too sexy.. Far too much of the best cars for me to see in one thread. I think I might explode now.

Oh and Ducati.. Mmmm.. drool.

Thanks for sharin all the pics.

[caracas_e30]

I loved to see some of the pictures of the Formula cars, they are the only thing that create a spark within me. It was also interesting to compare and contrast some late 80's motors (turbo's phasing into the v10/v12s) and the design/aero concepts of that age. Then moving on to the 90's where aero was going haywire and becoming extremely vital, you can even see in one particular picture of the undertray from the rear where the common practice was to dump the exhaust gases underneath the tray and create higher downforce as a result.

...of course, as soon as the driver entered the braking zones for a tight corner, the downforce created by the exhaust gases was practically non-existent and "spooked" the car balance quite a bit. Another design relevant to this was also placing the exhaust tips topside and in the aero path of the rear lower wing plane or certain suspension components...creating the same effect and side-effects.

Loved the pictures!!!!
thanks a million

[aANALOG101]

oh lord have mercey i love all the photos.

[Night Rider]

Thanks very very much, big job, incredible pics, i like to be there.