Exotics at RTC - 3/27/2010

There was a good turnout this week and the weather was great. Here's the photos that I took below. It was fun to see some different cars including: Lamborghini LM002 America, Lotus 7 (replica?), 2010 GT3, and a green GT3 RS. Cheers.

First Drive: 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera

Motor Trend checks out the new Gallardo Superleggera. It looks like an amazing car. Cheers.

Ken Block Impresses at WRC Rally Mexico in the Monster Energy Ford Focus RS

Here's some highlights from Ken Block's debut in the WRC. Cheers.

Exotics at RTC - 3/20/2010

There was an amazing turnout for E@RTC yesterday.  Tom, one of the organizers, said that there was probably over 100 cars.  The weather was awesome too.  Here's some photos below.  Cheers.

A Dream Ride In The Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni

The folks from Motor Trend took this special edition Gallardo on some twisty mountain roads. Make sure that you have your computer's speakers on to enjoy the V10 engine noise. Cheers.

McLaren MP4-12C test featuring Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton

Button and Hamilton have some fun in the new, R2D2-like named car from McLaren. I'm looking forward to seeing the production model of this car. Cheers.

Tanner Foust Street Drift: Mulholland

The title of the video says it all. Enjoy.

Pagani Zonda R - official commercial - HD1080p - by runimation studios

Just in case the "standard" Zonda isn't loony enough for you, there's now the "track focused" Zonda R. Check it out. Cheers.

Exotics at RTC - 3/6/2010

There was a huge turnout for Exotics at RTC yesterday. Below are some photos and also some photos from a LP550-2 event at Lamborghini Bellevue. Thanks to Tom and Vic for hosting E@RTC again. Also, thanks to Shahin and others at Lamborghini Bellevue for the good brunch and hospitality. Cheers.

Walther Rohrl drives the Audi Quattro up the Col de Turini

Someone from Autocar rode along with Walther Rohrl as he drove the Audi Quattro up the Col de Turini Monte Carlo rally stage.  Enjoy.  Cheers.

Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni test drive

Today at noon I was thankful to have the opportunity to drive the 542 hp Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni.  It is a different animal than the 2008 Gallardo Spyder that I drove in the summer of '08.  The LP550-2 is rear wheel drive as opposed most modern Lamborghinis which are all-wheel drive.  As you can imagine, I was a little nervous to drive a $219K car that has that much power to the rear wheels.  It was a blast though.  It sprints to 62 in just 3.9 seconds and has a top speed of 199 mph.

Getting started at low speeds with the e-gear paddle shifters one simply depresses the brake and pulls the right shifter to put it in 1st gear and then off you go.  It's really quite easy to drive at low speeds in 1st gear for parking and whatnot.

The route that I drove included a couple back roads near Lamborghini Bellevue, Hwy 520 West to I-405 North, up to 85th street in Kirkland, I-405 South, over to 520 West, up a couple exits, and then back on 520 East to the dealership.  The e-gear apparently is the same that is in the Gallardo 560-4 and it is quite smooth.  One can just rev the engine up to the desired RPM and then shift without lifting off the throttle.  The brakes worked well and were smooth as well.  With the route combination of open freeway, on-ramps, off-ramps, and backroads, one could get a glimpse of this cars capabilities.

Make no mistake though this bull is not to be taken lightly.  One time I was accelerating and the back end of the car stepped out a bit.  Another time I was accelerating smoothly, or so I thought, on an on-ramp and the wheels spun rapidly.  So, this Lamborghini is certainly more of a driver's car.  I really liked it though.  The standard Gallardo with its all-wheel drive is much more forgiving.  The LP550-2 was quite the rush to drive and now I face the sad reality that the car is not in my budget (yet).  I want to give a big thanks to Shahin at Lamborghini Bellevue for taking me out and letting me drive the car.  Cheers.

Ferrari 599 Hybrid - Fifth Gear Web TV

A chap from Fifth Gear checks out the Ferrari 599 hybrid concept car at the Geneva auto show. Find out more in the video below.  Cheers.

Exotics on Main - 2/27/2010 - photos

Here's a few photos from Saturday morning. The event was moved to old Main in Bellevue due to the weather.  It was fun to get some coffee and hang out.  Cheers.