Lamborghini Media Cover-Up
You’d never catch a private investigator driving around Sydney/Melbourne in one of these, but hey, that has never stopped us looking.
One of the least inconspicuous cars around, the Lamborghini Aventador, the elite of the driving world, retails for $795,000. It’s Lamborghini’s most recent and fifth V12 model, and took its time coming out. So when it took the track on Phillip Island two months ago, we were lapping up the media coverage. What we didn’t hear so much about was the 515kW 6.5-litre V12 engine catching fire after about a dozen laps. One of the witnesses – who understandably didn’t give their name – said it was from an oil leak.
There were many witnesses, however all were asked not to report on the fire. Though the company’s Asia-Pacific head Sebastien Henry denies it, Fairfax media was told that at least one media attendee was instructed to delete images of the fire from their cameras, while a staff-member watched to make sure.
In the official media statement, Henry denied that any photographers were asked to delete photos of the event, however he does admit that they “kindly requested” them not to post any images of the fire, as “…the cause of the incident had not yet been adequately investigated.”
The oil leak that caused all the commotion got into the exhaust system. The leak is being blamed on the dozen or more laps the Aventador had done of the Phillip Island race track. Like any elite thoroughbred horse, apparently the Aventador doesn’t respond well to being over-worked.
The makers said they don’t plan to modify the Aventador, which was released over two years ago, superseding the Murcielago. Henry was quick to let the media know that Lamborghini’s official investigation found the fire was “not due to any fault in the design or construction of the vehicle.” The very idea of a design fault in a Lamborghini is a bit brain-blowing, but now that we think about it, it’s nice to know they’re not perfect. Because a private detective’s salary is never going get us one of those!
It seems Lamborghini did a good job of the media cover-up, but things like this never go completely quiet. Some of the photos from the leaked story look like the photographer is hunkered down behind a tree. So who knows, maybe a private investigator had the day off and felt using their camera to take photos of sexy cars?
Regardless of who leaked the photos, we doubt it will really damage the brand’s image. If you want to go that fast, you’ve got to accept the risk of fire!
And if you fancy some Lamborghini approved media, check out this video of Richard Hammond testing the Lamborghini Aventador on Top Gear: