Modena
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12 Linkage 017 ISSUE 017 COVER: Jim Pickering FEATURES 34 A MAN OF MODENA Adolfo Orsi Jr. has deep ties to Maserati’s golden years — but he is now involved with almost all things Modena Donald Osborne 60 LAMBORGHINI AND MODENA Modena is part of Italy’s famous Motor Valley — and very near the Lamborghini factory Massimo Delbò REGULAR STOPS 26 WORLD OF CARS Linkage’s digital edition is on the way Chester Allen 138 GIFTS AND GADGETS Vredestein tires offer the best of both worlds for classic sports car owners Jim Pickering 144 TAILLIGHTS The quest for perfection and the magic of Modena Chester Allen 66 PAGANI AND ITALY’S MOTOR VALLEY Pagani started as a carbon fiber works, but it has grown into a builder of a small number of extraordinary cars each year Massimo Delbò 72 THE KNOWLEDGE: MODENA MASTERPIECES Ten examples of how Modena's influence shook the motoring world Basem Wasef Courtesy Pagani Automobili Courtesy Maserati Courtesy Lamborghini 66 60 34
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CONTENTS 14 Linkage 017 OPINIONS 22 FROM THE PUBLISHER Modena and the Motor Valley are an adventure of cars, driving, food, wine, art — and marvelous people Donald Osborne 42 FUNNY THAT YOU ASKED It's a very short, fast drive from Modena to Lamborghini’s headquarters at Sant’Agata — and those Lambos stole Jay Leno’s heart a long time ago Jay Leno 44 AMERICAN MUSCLE Who is your idol’s idol? Jim Pickering 46 TALKING FAST Gil de Ferran’s fast, friend-filled life Zak Brown 48 BUILDING A STORY Why you should buy a Lamborghini work of art Rich Taylor 52 THE LONG ROAD Echos of Modena are everywhere, if you listen and look Greta Gooding EXPERIENCES 84 PRIVATE BUSINESS Mark Hyman sells cars to people who love cars Donald Osborne 88 ARIZONA AUCTION WEEK IN PHOTOS Shots from the auction year kickoff in the Valley of the Sun Jim Pickering 134 YOUNGTIMERS Collecting personality Sara Ryan VALUES 92 MARKET FOCUS New records and fresh traditions in 2024 Jim Pickering 94 THIS SEASON’S CHURN What’s coming up for auction — and when AUCTION SNAPSHOTS 96 The ups and downs of Arizona Auction Week Chad Taylor 118 Mecum Auctions, Kissimmee, FL Chad Tyson MARKET MOVER 114 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione by Scaglietti — $10,928,000 Steve Ahlgrim 130 ONLINE MADNESS Italian flair Nick Jaynes 140 AUTOMOBILIA Big, high-quality porcelain advertising signs are skyrocketing in value — unless the example was used as a septic tank cover Carl Bomstead 96 134 114
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22 Linkage 017 FROM THE PUBLISHER Modena Sings, Rings and Purrs The city of Maserati and Ferrari also nurtures art, food, wine, history and the wonderful people of Italy by DONALD OSBORNE MODENA! AS READERS of this magazine doubtless know, Italy is my second home. I have long enjoyed spending time there, and I am quite grateful to have an apartment in one of the most astonishing cities in the country, Bergamo, in Lombardia — and not far from Milan. I have spent a great deal of time there, mostly connected with automobiles but also involving art, music, architecture, history, food and wine. The people of Italy tie it all together, and every region, province, city and town have their own particular charm, appeal and magic. The residents of Modena are very proud of their city and its part in the international automotive scene — past and present. Although it is the bells of the church in Maranello that ring when Ferrari wins a race, those of the cathedral in Modena are quite sonorous, and indeed, music is another reason that this city speaks to me so powerfully. Opera is at the heart of Italian art, and Modena can claim not one, but two of the most remarkable voices of the 20th Century — soprano Mirella Freni and her childhood friend, tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Sitting in a restaurant in the piazza next to the cathedral, I can hear the voices of Freni and Pavarotti, mixed with the rich sound of the exhausts of Ferraris and Maseratis — along with the brighter notes of a Stanguellini. In between is another of the true treasures of Modena — the food. It’s easy to find much that Italy is best known for in the city and surrounding area, architecture, wine and food not least of them. And it is also the wonderful compactness of Italy that rewards time spent in this area. Modena is at the emotional center of the Motor Valley, but it is the nearby towns and the roads that connect them that make this area so compelling. Short drives and compelling roads It’s a 20-minute drive west from the center of Modena to Sant’Agata Bolognese, home of Lamborghini. Just 24 minutes to the south by car brings you to Maranello. Twenty minutes south southeast is San Cesario sul Panaro and Pagani. A six-minute jaunt and you arrive at the Stanguellini museum. Of course, Maserati
Linkage 017 23 dominates with its large factory in the Viale Ciro Menotti — very close to the center of the city. The roads in the Emilia-Romagna region are noted for a particular characteristic. As they wind through the flat farmland prevalent here, the shoulders are non-existent. Beyond the pavement, the surface drops off sharply into the fields, which means you must keep your wits about you when driving on roads which are one and a half lanes wide. Imagine what the test drivers for Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini dealt with on a daily basis. High speed and small margins for error are powerful development incentives. As you will read in many of the stories in this issue, not least that of my interview with Adolfo Orsi, Jr., scion of the owners of Maserati from 1937 until 1968, Modena and the Motor Valley is an area which not only has a very long history with automobiles, going back to the beginning of the 20th century but is very much a center of the enthusiast market of the 21st. I have had the privilege of visiting the factories of Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferrari, and one of the things that impressed me most was the youth of their workforce. The other was of the enthusiasm and pride clearly evident in the young men and women who were building these cars — and the advanced techniques and equipment installed in the factories. Allied with the many small craft workshops that still exist in the area, it is emblematic of the wonderful dual nature of modern Italy, where tradition and technology can live comfortably together. Emilia-Romagna, which also includes Bologna, considers itself the culinary heart of the nation. Adherents of other regions, such as Piemonte, may respectfully disagree, but it can be said that some of the strictest culinary standards are set and maintained in this area. Let them fight it out, as we are all the beneficiaries of the struggle. The region may not have the mountains or lakes of the north, the sea coast of Liguria, the dramatic landscapes of Tuscany, the ancient buildings of Rome or the volcanos of Campania and Sicily, but it does have a place in the true automotive enthusiast’s heart and soul that cannot be surpassed. Image courtesy of Maserati
24 Linkage 017 ADVERTISING Sr. Vice President, Sponsorships SCOTT MACLEOD [email protected] 1-203-945-7855 Advertising Executive KATEE WALLER [email protected] Chairman NICHOLAS SCHORSCH Managing Director MICHAEL WEIL Publisher/CEO DONALD OSBORNE Executive Editor CHESTER ALLEN [email protected] / [email protected] Managing Editor JIM PICKERING [email protected] Art Director NORA JAMES Editor at Large JAY LENO Columnists SIMON KIDSTON, JIM PICKERING, JAY LENO, CARL BOMSTEAD, RICH TAYLOR, ZAK BROWN, GRETA GOODING Contributors GARY AXON, JUSTIN BELL, BRETT BERK, CARL BOMSTEAD, BRAD BOWLING, MARTIN BUTTON, SANDRA BUTTON, B. MITCHELL CARLSON, MILES COLLIER, COLIN COMER, MASSIMO DELBÒ, WES EISENSCHENK, CHUCK GILCHREST, MAX GIRARDO, GRETA GOODING, JAY HARDEN, PAUL HARDIMAN, RUSSELL HAYES, PIERRE HEDARY, NICK JAYNES, PRESCOTT KELLY, DAVE KINNEY, NED LAWLER, KATE LAWLER, MICHAEL LEVEN, SUE MEAD, SARA RYAN, ROB SASS, BILL SCHEFFLER, ELANA SCHERR, NICHOLAS SCHORSCH, STEPHEN SERIO, SAM STOCKHAM, JUDY STROPUS, CHAD TAYLOR, THOR THORSON, CHAD TYSON, BASEM WASEF, MARK WIGGINTON, JEFF ZURSCHMEIDE Staff Photographer JORDAN “JOKER” SMITH Cartoonist SCOTT HASELWOOD 017 CONTACT US Subscription help: 1-503-312-0846 or [email protected] For advertising, please contact: [email protected] For partnerships/sponsorships, please contact: [email protected] To reach the Editor, please contact: [email protected] For general inquiries, please contact: [email protected] Mailing address: 256 Maple Ave., Newport, RI, 02840 BUSINESS Chief Operating Officer BENJAMIN MERCER Director of Marketing and Public Relations KATELYN MCSHERRY [email protected] [email protected] LINKAGE 009 STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP Publication Title: LINKAGE. 2. Publication Number: 25210. 3. Filing Date: 9/9/2022. Issue Frequency: 4 issues per year. 5. No. Of Issues Published Annually: 4. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $59.00. 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Linkage, 256 Maple Ave, Newport, R.I. 02840 Contact Person: M. Benjamin Mercer, Phone: 401-367-4497. 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 256 Maple Ave, Newport, R.I. 02840. 9. Publisher: Audrain Motorsport, Inc., 256 Maple Ave, Newport, R.I. 02840. Executive Editor: Chester Allen, 256 Maple Ave, Newport, R.I. 02840. Managing Editor: Jim Pickering, 256 Maple Ave, Newport, R.I. 02840. 10. Owner: Audrain Motorsport, Inc., 256 Maple Ave, Newport, R.I. 02840. 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None. 12. Tax Status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publication Title: LINKAGE. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: May 2022 2021. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months/No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date): a. Total Number of Copies (Net Press Run): 22,000. b. 1. Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stated on USPS Form 3541: (11,239/22,000). 2. Paid In-County Subscriptions Stated on USPS Form 3541: (0/22,000). 3. Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and other Non-USPS Paid Distribution: (0/22,000). 4. Requested Copies Distributed by Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: (2,096/22,000) c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: (13,335/22,000). d. 1. Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on USPS Form 3541: (6,165/22,000). 2. In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on USPS Form 3541: (0/22,000). 3. Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail: (0/22,000). 4. Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail: (2,500/22,000). e. Total Nonrequested Distribution: (6,165/22,000). f. Total Nonrequested Distribution: (6,165/22,000). g. Copies Not Distributed: (0/0). h. Total: (22,000/22,000). i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: (60.6/100). 16. Electronic Copy Circulation: a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies: (0/0). b. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) +Requested /Paid Electronic Copies: (0/0). c. Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15f) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies: (0/0). d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print and Electronic Copies): (0/0). 17. Publication of Statement of Ownership: November 2022. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete: M. Benjamin Mercer, Chief Operating Officer, November 2022
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26 Linkage 017 WORLD OF CARS version for no extra cost. If you’re one of those people who just want our digital version, that will cost $49 a year (six issues). If you live in the UK, Europe, South America, Asia or any other part of the globe, you can get the digital version of Linkage for $49 a year (six issues). All of our foreign subscriptions will be digital — unless you want to pay the extra shipping costs for the print version. If you live overseas and want Linkage in print, please send me an email at callen@ audrainmotorsport or call me at 1.503.939.7084, and we’ll get you sorted. We’re delighted to offer Linkage to car people all over the world! For more information, feel free to call or email me. We’ll also have more information (including digital sample stories and a way to sign up for a digital or print subscription) at www. linkagemag.com. Linkage’s journey will continue in both print and digital forms. We’re here for you, and we’re so happy that you’re along for the ride. Smooth roads! CHESTER ALLEN Executive Editor 1.503.939.7084 [email protected] Going Digital and Staying in Print FOR THE PAST couple of years, many car people have asked us to create a digital edition of Linkage. These people love our high-quality print edition, but some of them prefer to read their magazines online or on a device. Others live in Europe, the UK, Asia or other parts of the globe — where it costs a ton of money to subscribe to a magazine that is printed in the United States. At the same time, we’ve wrestled with the problem of creating a digital edition that has the same vivid, high-quality feel of our printed magazine. For the past year, we’ve worked the problem, and we’re now ready to offer a stunning digital edition — while keeping our print edition as well. Here’s the deal: If you currently subscribe to Linkage in the United States, you’ll continue to get the high-quality paper magazine that you love — and that we love to create every other month. At the same time, you’ll also get online access to a digital edition of Linkage. Our digital edition will have the same quality as our print issue, but it will also have embedded links to more information in the stories and advertisements. We’ll also have embedded videos that add more to each story. Our digital magazine will be a lively experience! Subscribers in the United States can enjoy Linkage in both print and digital for the same price — $59 a year (six issues) or $88.50 for two years (12 issues). Remember, if you’re a current subscriber, you’ll have access to Linkage’s digital
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34 Linkage 017 A Man of Maserati and Modena Adolfo Orsi grew up in Maserati’s Modena factory, but he also has deep knowledge — and passion for — the history and legacy of Italy’s Motor Valley by DONALD OSBORNE Image courtesy of Maserati ABOVE An 8-year-old Adolfo Orsi on the day of his confirmation with his grandfather Adolfo and grandmother in 1958 RIGHT Maserati production line in 1958
Linkage 017 35 FOR THIS ISSUE of Linkage with the theme of Modena, it was obvious that we would have to sit down for a chat with one of the city’s notable sons — Adolfo Orsi Jr. Born on May 20, 1951, the very day that Giuseppe Farina won the Paris Grand Prix in the Bois de Boulogne in a Maserati 4CLT/48. A fitting debut for a child who would be the namesake of his grandfather, Adolfo Orsi, who bought Maserati from the founding brothers in 1937. The elder Adolfo was a self-made businessman. He had a keen vision of leveraging his already substantial industrial group centered in Modena with the potential of the exciting race-winning cars built by the not-so-business-minded Maseratis. Not surprisingly, the recent film “Ferrari,” in which a main plot centers on the rivalry between the sports car companies, came up early in our conversation. I asked if he had seen it yet and he quickly replied, “No — I have a friend who attended the premiere and who advised me that I might become angry if I saw it.” Why? It began with the accent of the actor playing his grandfather. It was apparently closer to Naples than Modena, and the attitude and persona of the cinematic elder Orsi was rather more akin to that of his rival Ferrari — a hands-on micromanager — than the real Adolfo Orsi, who was a confident manager of men. He also went on to relate that while there was a rivalry, there was never any truly bad feeling between the two. They were always very different companies: “Ferrari was a small shop, managed 24/7 by Enzo Ferrari himself. My grandfather was managing various businesses, including Maserati, with 2,000 employees across seven or eight companies,” said Adolfo Orsi. Orsi did praise the film for providing attention to his beloved hometown and for the cinematography which so lovingly caressed it. A special time and place So what was it like growing up in the middle of this astonishing time in this section of Italy, and more importantly, why does he think the “Motor Valley” became the center of high-performance Italian cars? There was a fertile exchange of personnel between one company and another. Workers often took their knowledge and experience and spread it throughout the area. A number of people left their jobs to open their own shops, further expanding the resources of the city.
36 Linkage 017 An example Adolfo mentions is Valerio Colotti. First a worker at Ferrari in the late 1940s, he then joined Maserati, where he was a chassis engineer for the 250F Formula One car. He left Maserati to form his own company, Tec-Mec, in 1958. Colotti continued to design open-wheel racers and build the gearboxes which carried his name. “In the modern terms, as they use in the digital businesses, it’s almost as if Ferrari and Maserati were ‘incubators’ — the place where lots of other businesses started.” Orsi said. Further and more fundamentally, he gives most credit to the people of the area and their particular native strengths. “Modena is in the middle of nowhere. The area is flat, very cold in the winter, very hot in the summer. It takes people of very strong character to live and work in this climate. It is not sunny and mild,” Orsi said.“150 years ago, it was a farming area, where you had to work 10 or 12 hours a day, 365 days a year, to grow food for your family.” But, with the coming of mechanization, something interesting occured. The hard-working farmers also became mechanics and tool makers, as they had to maintain the new machines they now had, there being very few dealers and factory trained people in the area to help — and less money to pay the ones who were there. An early technical educational system A now largely forgotten person, Guido Corni, a successful entrepreneur and industrialist who lived in Modena, had the idea to open a school to train men in engineering. It was, in Orsi’s opinion, a most important moment in the eventual development of the Motor Valley, as it brought talented instructors to the city and inspired the hard-working locals to pursue technical studies otherwise only available in places such as Turin. It allowed Maserati and Ferrari to hire people who had professional training. Turin had a long history of technical and mechanical training, but this program brought this opportunity to a fast-growing and necessary industrial base, which grew to include Abarth as well. Building businesses Adolfo is also very focused on the rise of his family’s operations and how it informed Maserati’s story. His great-grandfather began a business as a scrap merchant, which his grandfather took over as the eldest of seven children. Orsi’s grandfather was just 14 years old when his father passed away. From rags and metal recovery, with a single horse and wagon, the business grew exponentially. Working with his brothers, he realized all their metal scraps were being shipped away by train for processing in Lombardy or Tuscany, as there was no local steel industry in Modena. The answer was obvious, and he established the first such business in Emilia-Romagna in Modena in 1922. Opening transport businesses was the next step, and then he became a Fiat dealer in Modena around 1935. Then he opened a factory in Ferrara to produce agricultural machines. A dynasty had been born, in one case literally next door to Ferrari, whose shop was a neighbor of the Orsi iron company. LEFT A young Adolfo Orsi with Maserati drivers at Modena during September of 1957 BELOW Maserati Tipo 151 at Modena in 1965
Linkage 017 37 In fact, the Scuderia Ferrari was actually a customer of Magazzini del Ferro Adolfo Orsi. “At the end of every season, Ferrari organized a lunch for drivers, guests and so on, and in 1935, among the distinguished guests in that year was my grandfather!” relates Orsi, having found a notice of this in a contemporary issue of Auto Italiana. “So, therefore, they had normal business relations. But my grandfather was a visionary — and understood that as a car dealer, promotion was important and racing was the best way to publicity.” And when he had the opportunity to buy the Maserati brothers’ company in 1937, he leapt at it. To Orsi’s grandfather, it seemed to be the perfect match — talented men, building beautiful and capable racing cars — but lacking the kind of forward strategic organization for stability and growth that had been at the center of what he had built. From Bologna to Modena Maserati had produced spark plugs since 1915, a steady industrial business which could be built upon and grown. It was the perfect situation to leverage for winning on Sunday and selling on Monday through Saturday. The plans were delayed by World War II, and in 1940 Maserati was moved from Bologna, home of the brothers, to Modena — into a building that the company still occupies today. During World War II, racing was, of course, stopped. So Adolfo’s grandfather bought a company which manufactured batteries to have another product to sell. He also purchased one which built, interestingly enough, small electric trucks — first three-wheeled, then four-wheeled. The supply of gasoline was limited in wartime Italy, but there was abundant water-generated electric power available. “Naturally, they were powered by Maserati batteries,” Orsi said. Maserati also began to produce milling machines during this time. Interestingly, the company also became a competitor of Ferrari after Enzo broke with Alfa Romeo and created his company, Auto Avio Costruzioni. Explaining a bit of territorial history, Adolfo explained, “Ferrari had always been in Modena — but when he gave up the Scuderia Ferrari to Alfa Romeo, the team kept the facilities in the city and Ferrari moved his new business LEFT Grand tourer development: The Maserati 3500 GT and the svelte Ghibli BELOW Speed, style and room for four: The Frua-designed Quattroporte I, launched in 1964
38 Linkage 017 A MAN OF MODENA Adolfo Orsi eating ice cream with his dad and Stirling Moss at the 1958 Monza 500
Linkage 017 39 to land he had purchased nearby in Maranello, although he still owned the buildings in Modena, used for his Servizio Clienti — and just 100 meters from his home.” Ice cream and Stirling Moss I have known Adolfo Orsi, Jr. for many years, and when we had this talk, I found out about the amazing conjunction of his birth on the day of a Maserati victory. So just what was it like to grow up with the company as it was transformed in the post-war era? A remarkable photograph of that time is of a very young Adolfo at the “Temple of Speed,” the Autodromo di Monza, on a summer day with his father, Omer Orsi. The photo shows a boy eating an ice cream with enjoyment, not paying much attention to his father or the man with whom he’s speaking, one Stirling Moss…. “The day was very, very hot.” Adolfo recalls with a smile. “Eldorado ice cream was a sponsor, and they had boxes and boxes of fresh ice cream, which was melting because of the heat. Every half hour they came through the boxes (pits) offering the ice cream to anyone they could — but no one was interested. I certainly was! I probably ate 10 ice creams that day. I could not understand why this man, Moss, was so exhausted when I had all this ice cream!” Because of the work schedule that his father maintained while responsible for the Maserati automobile division in the 1950s, if young Adolfo wanted to spend time with him, it was best done by visiting the factory. This was especially common on Sunday mornings — when Omer went into the office to organize his desk and check on the cars waiting to be delivered to customers. One of Omer’s chief duties was to carefully monitor the order list to ensure that the best clients had priority — which helped the word-of-mouth to keep sales strong. That attention to the order book was the root of Adolfo’s enduring interest in tracking the chassis numbers of Maserati cars — from memories of his father’s files. It’s where he found his love of cars. But, he hastens to add, that it was not just DNA that helped it happen. “I have a brother who is five years older than I am and born in the same family, and he had no interest in cars, for racing, nothing…” Orsi said. “I think every one of us has inside a spark plug — that ignites your passion. In my case it worked, in the case of my brother it didn’t.” For Orsi, it seemed as if when he first opened his eyes he saw red cars — and heard them making a lot of noise. And his life was set. He recalls sitting in class during lectures and rather than listening to the teacher he was sketching racing cars. He grew up in a house about a kilometer from the factory, so he regularly rode his bicycle to the plant to see the cars coming out of assembly. A fast childhood Being a boy with such a connection with the Maserati factory certainly had other benefits as well. Such as being a member of the “Maserati Junior Team,” and test driving the miniature of the championshipwinning 250F Formula One car. Another memory of Adolfo Orsi’s childhood comes from the local race circuit — the Modena Autodromo. During the 1930s, a circuit was developed on the streets of Modena centered on the Viale del Parco. Racing continued until 1947, when an accident ended the competition there. In May of 1950, a dedicated circuit opened, the Aerautodromo. It was nicknamed “The Small Indianapolis” because spectators could see the entire track from one corner. The name combined aerodrome with autodrome, as the new track also had a runway for planes. Varied formulas of racing took place at the Autodromo, but its greatest value was that it was a local track, and Maserati and Ferrari could travel from their factories and test and evaluate their cars in less than a couple of hours. The lap time rivalry as seen in the “Ferrari” film was very real. “If they did 57.5, then we had to get 57.4, or 3!” Orsi said, laughing. “When Maserati was testing, there was always someone from Ferrari watching, taking the time and vice versa. It was kind of a Wall Street index!” At 14, Adolfo Orsi acquired his first motorcycle, a 50cc model, and it replaced his bicycle for the trips to the factory. He also almost immediately dismantled the engine to tune it and make it faster. Orsi began Adolfo Orsi in a Maserati Child’s Car, January 1957 Dismantling a Laverda racing bike inside the Maserati factory
40 Linkage 017 A MAN OF MODENA to dream of a life as a motorcycle racer and began to prepare to compete in the 500km di Modena, an event for superbikes which required two riders. He made an agreement with the local dealer to ride a Laverda 750SFC — it was perfect as they wanted to have a local rider in the race. Adolfo went home full of excitement — only to hear his mother say, “No, no, no.” He accepted the decision, but later raced cars in rally events. “At that time, racing on the track was considered quite dangerous — a rally was less dangerous. Which of course was not true, 100%!” he laughed. Orsi competed in his first rally at 18, and drove in the Monte Carlo Rally at 20. The first driver from Modena to compete in the legendary event, he chose to start in Germany, making the route 3,500 km. His mount was a Fiat 125S Group 2 sedan, and while he and his co-driver were able to complete the drive from Germany to Monte Carlo, once they arrived and began the special tests there, the engine broke and that was the end of the adventure, which he recalls with fondness. He sold the Fiat and continued his rally career a few more years in an Alpine 110 Berlinetta entered in Italian national events. At that point he realized that “It was expensive, and io avevo esaurito la spinta” — he “ran out of steam.” Life after Maserati Orsi was also starting his university studies, and his family had by then sold Maserati and was completely out of the business. He began to also pursue other more personal, romantic interests which occupied his time. After taking his degree in law, he began working in a family company which sold spare parts for autos and trucks. It was a considerable establishment, and he managed 50 employees in three cities. but Orsi realized this job did not fulfill the passion he still maintained for history and special cars. Recognizing that you only live once, he decided on a life with classic cars in 1987. He began by organizing collector car sales with the well-established Italian fine art auction house Finarte until 1991. Changes in the Italian tax laws as they applied to auctions made it less attractive to continue, and despite the very real successes which had been achieved, Adolfo and Finarte decided to end the sales at that time. This also gave Orsi time to reflect on what had become evident in the work he did preparing the sales, which was that the schedule and pressures of regular catalog preparation did not allow for the kind of detailed research work he thought necessary and which he so much enjoyed. Maserati Centennial Exhibition Images courtesy of Maserati
Linkage 017 41 Out of that knowledge came his current company, Historica Selecta, the historical research and consulting service he began with his friend Raffaele Gazzi. Alongside managing the restoration of his own cars, he also began to assist other collectors in this area as well, working with owners and restorers not only for Maseratis but other cars as well. An expert on all Motor Valley marques Orsi began to serve as a judge in various concours d’elegance events — and to organize and curate exhibitions and shows with automobiles in historic sites and institutions around Italy. Not surprisingly, he was called on to organize the 100th Anniversary exhibition in Modena of Maserati in 2014. His knowledge of the cars, which he grew up with, was unsurpassed. In fact, the Modena court nominated Orsi as an authenticity expert for Maserati and Ferrari cars. His relationship with the Ferrari factory is one he is proud of as a native of Modena. In 2007, he was asked to organize the official celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the marque and again in 2017 for the 70th Anniversary. He was chief judge for the two events, something that makers of the film “Ferrari” might find surprising. He was also chief judge at the 50th Anniversary of Lamborghini at the factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, further speaking to the value of his local connections. In 1994 he began to publish the “Catalog Bolaffi,” which published worldwide auction results on selected collector cars, one of the first such resources. Today, this has grown into the “Classic Car Auction Yearbook,” a substantial and beautifully produced hardcover book of more than 400 pages, which is an industry standard for reference and research. What sets the “Classic Car Auction Yearbook” apart from sale results lists — which are now found more widely than ever — is the insightful and detailed analysis of the sales numbers, which give industry professionals and collectors meaning behind the voluminous data which threatens to overwhelm us. The sharp, clear mind of Adolfo Orsi can clearly be seen in the charts and graphs and the commentary which accompanies them. A life intertwined with Modena The common threads of heritage, history, authenticity and detail suffuse the life of Adolfo Orsi Jr. Modena is in his heart, brain and soul. His passion is more than the automotive story of Modena and the Motor Valley. He is passionate about local food and wine as well. When I put to Adolfo the idea that I hold him as the strongest defender of Aceto Balsamico di Modena, the true balsamic vinegar, he laughs. “This is a part of our heritage, I have to defend it!” He was invited a few years ago to become a part of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina — think of the Académie Française, but instead of language, it’s food. What most people around the world have tasted and accept as “balsamic vinegar” is but a cartoon approximation of the incredibly rich, carefully aged and densely flavorful signature of Modena. In his role as a member of the Accademia, Orsi, along with his colleagues, visit restaurants in the region and monitor their food, their attention to the preparation of traditional dishes, service and attention to detail. And he hurries to assure me that it’s not just about the Aceto Balsamico or the gnocchi fritto, the crescentine and the borlenghi — but also the Lambrusco di Sorbara wine…. The perfect pursuit for this passionate son of Modena.
42 Linkage 017 FUNNY THAT YOU ASKED A Few Miles from Modena Jay Leno’s favorite Italian cars are Lamborghinis, which are created just a short drive from Ferrari’s digs by JAY LENO MY MOTHER WAS born in Glasgow, Scotland and was a British subject. My father was first-generation Italian-American. All this probably explains why some of my favorite cars are British and Italian. Since this issue has more of an Italian slant, let’s just deal with vehicles that have seduced me with their Latin-based charm. My first truly all-Italian car was a 1969 Lamborghini Espada I bought back in 1986. It doesn’t get much more Italian than this thing. The car I was really looking for was a 1966 Ferrari 330 GTC that was advertised for $28,500 — a price that seems ridiculously low now, but that was the going price back in the day. At the same time, I found a very nice — and in much better shape, with fewer miles — 1969 Lamborghini Espada for $24,500. Using common sense, which never works when making emotional purchases, I chose the Lambo. It was three years newer, had lower miles, more horsepower (although close to the Ferrari 330), and it could actually hold four adults comfortably — plus it was four grand cheaper! Back in the day, many experts considered the Lambo V12 to be the better road car choice. Although I never regretted my decision, I still kick myself when looking at Ferrari prices today. Sorry, Enzo By this time I was firmly in the Lambo camp, and whenever one came up for sale I would investigate it. A close friend had a car for sale and was I interested?
Linkage 017 43 It was a very early 1967 Lamborghini Miura — a car I had heard of but never seen in person. Purchased new by Dean Martin for his son Dino, it was in somewhat rough shape mechanically — but it was all there. It had been sitting in my friend’s garage for some time. Remember back in the 1980s, when there was no Internet, and you couldn’t just call the factory and get parts. How bad was it? I actually looked at a Miura project a guy had where he had taken out the V12 and attempted to put in a small-block Chevy, which seemed like a good idea at the time! How crazy was that! But this gives you a good idea how little these cars were worth. Some money was exchanged, but I got the car virtually for free because they really weren’t worth much. This was one of my favorite times because it allowed me to do something with this car you would never do today. We dragged it back to my garage and immediately began to take it apart and try to repair it. Just going down to the local NAPA store with a Lamborghini clutch master cylinder and watching the clerk’s expression when I asked, “Do you have one of these?” It was priceless. We sanded it and painted it at my garage because it was just an old car. We now live in an era where you are castigated if you don’t have Italian air in the tires, and I feel sorry for owners who will never tear something like this apart because it has become way too valuable to mess with. I realized how quickly the times were changing when, less than a decade later, I was doing a show in Toronto, Canada, and on the way to the gig I passed a used car dealership that had a red 1969 Lamborghini Miura S for sale in the used car section. The S was the upgraded version of the P400, with more horsepower, better brakes, a stiffer chassis, electric windows — you get the idea. It had been for sale for quite a while — probably because of the price: $80,000 Canadian. Remember, that was more than the price of the new Lamborghini Countach that had come out about a decade earlier. Still, I had never seen another one for sale, so I bought it. People thought I was crazy to pay that much. I rationalized by thinking since I got the first one pretty much for free, I was getting two for that price. I’m glad I did because right after that prices started to rise, although nothing like today. Hello, Countach! The next Lamborghini was an 1986 Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole that I bought in 1989 for $70,000. I wanted this particular car because it was the last carbureted one sold in America. There were only 13 imported that year before they went to fuel injection. Besides being less complicated — at least in my mind — the carbureted cars had 35 more horsepower than the injected cars. This car also had some notable improvements: A bigger 5.2 litre engine, 455 horsepower and wider tires. Although, from a design standpoint, it wasn’t as clean as the early cars with its fender flares and such, it was light years better than what came later under Chrysler’s ownership. As crazy as it sounds, for years this Countach was my everyday car. I drove it everywhere and it was very reliable. I attributed this to the fact that it was primarily mechanical — not electrical. Fuel injection back then was done primarily to pass smog tests — not raise performance. Ironically, the only real modifications I’ve done to it was add an electronic ignition, which has proven to be pretty bulletproof. It’s funny to think that when this car came out it was one of the most powerful cars in the world — yet today it has less horsepower than the base Corvette. The last car in my early Lambo collection is a 1970 Espada that I picked up about 15 years ago. It was from a guy that had been working on it for a number of years. It had beautiful, dark blue paint with a brand-new leather interior — how much did that cost? It was a great restoration, but I think his mistake was doing the cosmetics before the mechanicals. The Espada seemed like a great deal at the time, and I even said to him, “Are you sure you want to do this?” He said, “Yeah, it’s wearing me out. Would you give me $55,000 for it?” “No problem,” I said, and took it home. The Espada was a car people either loved or hated. There is almost no one who doesn’t have an opinion about this car. When it came out it was dubbed the Italian Rolls-Royce because of its sensuous interior and its ability to carry four adults comfortably. It was also, up to that time, the most prolific car the Lamborghini factory produced, with 1,227 made, making it their best seller ever for decades. I’ve been very fortunate in having both Valentino Balboni, the legendary test driver for Lamborghini, and the designer, Marcello Gandini, visit the garage and give me insights into what went into building and designing these cars. It’s been fascinating to watch Lamborghini grow from a niche manufacturer to one of the most successful builders of supercars in the world. Is it better now than in the early days? Unquestionably! Is something lost in the transition? I think it’s fair to say that I see this in Valentino’s eyes every time he tells a story about testing the cars on the streets of Sant’Agata.
44 Linkage 017 AMERICAN MUSCLE
Linkage 017 45 Italian Influence How GM tunnel vision brought me to Ferrari by JIM PICKERING I SHOULD PREFACE this piece with a fact: I’m not much of an Italian car guy. My aspirations have typically been much more domestic. ’55 Chevrolet Bel Air. ’63 Split Window. ’70 Chevelle SS. For a long time, I had GM-tuned tunnel vision. You can’t blame me, though. Like a bunch of muscle car people out there, I’m about the touch, smell and feel that comes with access. As such, when I was younger, the Church of Enzo didn’t really resonate with me beyond 1980s posters and a source of a name for Pontiac’s A-body. Once we got out of the 1980s, I found it hard to get excited about the exclusivity of any Italian poster car. Specs in magazine spreads were interesting — but not very relatable. Otherwise, all I knew were bits of stories from my father’s friend of a friend who owned a Ferrari Testarossa: Hard to use. Tough to see out of. Expensive. Broken. These cars were dreams. On the other hand, my GM idols earned their stripes right in front of me. Pink slip glory One example stands out from nearly 20 years back, when two cars lined up under the lights at our local drag strip for a match race. In the left lane was a thennew 2006 Pontiac GTO. Black with a red interior and a 6-speed. The driver was a middle-aged man with what must have been a pretty big mouth, because next to him in the right lane was a guy who appeared at the races often but never said very much. He let his Torch Red 2006 Corvette Z06 do the talking. The C6 Z06 wasn’t a unicorn — but its wide body still looked evil under the floodlights. A perfect poster car for a GM guy. Over the loud speaker, the announcer added some gravity to the night: This race was for ownership. The winner would keep both cars. The strip, usually filled with activity, fell silent as the two cars idled to the line. The announcer made the rules clear: The Corvette gave the GTO a couple lengths as part of the wager, and the GTO added cash on top of his title to cover the difference in value between the two cars. I’m sure the scene inside that GTO was frantic in the moments after the lights came down — out in front, 6.0 at full tilt, don’t miss a shift or it’s all over. Behind him, fractions of a second at the line ticked by. The driver in the Z then got his green light and the 427 thundered away. I wasn’t sure what I’d seen was even real, at least not until a few weeks later, when the Corvette guy showed up for a night of racing in his new GTO. Building a legend So by the time I drove my first C6 Z06 a year or so later, the car had legendary status in my head. Wheel time just made it worse, with its sharp handling and hellish sounds. I still think it’s the perfect all-around Corvette — the second coming of the 1967 427/435 — even with its pre-bankruptcy GM plastics and a (likely overblown) tendency of the 7.0L LS7 to drop valves. I still think of selling off things to buy one. GM’s engineers went all out building the Z, including their first production dry-sump oiling system for better track performance. I remember doing the research on that at the time because it seemed wrong. The Italians had been using dry-sump systems to gain an edge in their race cars since the 1950s. And here was Chevrolet, finally catching up. That fact was one of many that killed off my tunnel vision about GM. I should have seen all along that the grille of a ’55 Chevrolet — an icon I’d known forever — was very Pinin Farina-like. The ’68 Corvette was a fish — but it was also parts of a 250 GTO, too. That ’55 Chevy grille later reappeared in the 1973 and ’74 C10 trucks, looking less like something Ferrari would do. Maybe those designers were busy making the ’75 Chevy Monza look like a Ferrari GTC/4 instead. I suppose it all makes sense — GM stylist Chuck Jordan was a big Ferrari lover starting in the 1960s. I’m sure he wasn’t alone in his motivations or muses within the GM ranks, and you know what they say about imitation and flattery. It’s naïve to think that anything exists in a vacuum — but it’s easy to look at something for what it appears to be instead of what it represents. Years later, I’m still seeing the soul of Italy — and elsewhere — pop up in places I once thought were uniquely American. That’s no dig at GM. The Italians are masters of soulful design, and whether or not American designers knew it, that soul that inspired them trickles down still, even after generations. As such, I’ve come to realize that there really is no such thing as automotive tunnel vision, regardless of how brand-loyal you may be. I suppose that means I’m an Italian car guy after all.
46 Linkage 017 TALKING FAST JUST BEFORE THE New Year, I was stunned to hear the devastating news that we had tragically lost one of my dearest friends and a key member of the McLaren family. Gil de Ferran’s sudden passing at the age of 56 was heartbreaking for all of us. When I was growing up, he was a few years ahead of me and dominated everything he raced. I’d known Gil for more than 25 years, and I looked up to him as the champion he was. It is extremely rare to come across someone who was as accomplished as Gil — but he remained so humble. He was a fierce opponent on the track with a hugely competitive spirit, yet he had so much respect for his competitors and a deep sense of humanity. He had time for everybody. You could talk to Gil about anything: from politics to mathematics. And the warmth he imbued was shared across all the interactions he had. It might not have been apparent from the outside, but Gil was absolutely integral to our team. He was instrumental in helping us return to the top step of the podium at Monza in 2021. He also deserves a lot of credit for our upswing in performance in the past few seasons — particularly last season. He was a confidant and mentor to the leadership team at McLaren and the advice he gave all of us was invaluable. Gil was a true friend, a devoted family man and an excellent coach with a brilliant engineering mind. He also happened to be an extremely talented racing driver with an unquenchable passion for motorsport. Although he never competed in Formula One, he won two CART Championship titles and an Indianapolis 500 victory. A fast, rewarding life Like myself, Gil’s hero was Ayrton Senna and he dreamt of emulating his compatriot to have a career in racing. During his karting days in Brazil, he studied mechanical engineering. That gave Gil the foundation to develop strong relationships with engineers and mechanics throughout his career. The Passing of a Champion Gil de Ferran was a marvelous driver — he won the Indy 500 in 2003 — and he brought savvy advice and leadership to McLaren by ZAK BROWN Like so many young drivers from South America, he came to the UK. There he won the 1992 British Formula 3 Championship, which is where he met his wife Angela, while they were working together at Paul Stewart Racing. After impressing in an IndyCar test, he subsequently signed to race in the United States, where he ended his debut campaign in 1995 as Rookie of the Year. His engineering and technical prowess, combined with his sociable good humor, swiftly won him friends in America and he joined IndyCar giant Penske for a shot at the title. In 2000, he set a record-breaking 241.428 mph qualifying lap at Fontana which underlined how talented and brave he was. Back-to-back CART championships were followed by an emotional triumph in the 2003 Indianapolis 500, where he battled cramps in his hands and shoulders — but still drank the famous milk after taking the chequered flag. Following his single-seater career, Gil was appointed Sporting Director at BAR in Formula One, before returning to the cockpit with his eponymous de Ferran Motorsports team in sports cars. Making magic at McLaren When I first joined McLaren, the team was struggling, and I approached Gil to become our Sporting Director. We then started to make huge strides forward, finishing fourth in 2019 and third in 2020 before he stepped away for a short time, then coming back into a consultancy role last year. McLaren’s team principal Andrea Stella and I had formed a special bond with Gil. During his visits to our base in Woking — or the racetrack — we recognised his exceptional ability as a communicator and motivator, in addition to his technical knowledge. He was also a brilliant strategic thinker. Gil’s passing was a sudden and immense loss felt by everyone at McLaren Racing. Andrea and I speak to Angela and his children, Anna and Luke, regularly, and they are forever in our thoughts — along with the rest of his family and all his friends that loved him. His extraordinary contributions to the world of racing and his dedication to this team will forever be remembered and cherished. As a fitting tribute to the celebration of Gil’s legacy, we carried his name on our cars at the Formula E Mexico City E-Prix, and his name will also take pride of place on our Formula One, IndyCar and Extreme E cars for their season openers. As we carry the legacy of Gil forward at McLaren, we will continue to celebrate the unique person he was. Throughout 2024, Gil will provide us with an extra motivation to succeed. He was a wonderful individual, and I will greatly miss my good friend. The next win is for you Gil.
Linkage 017 47 Gil taking part in the tradition of drinking milk after his Indy 500 win Gil on the Formula One grid with his wife Angela and his children, Anna and Luke Gil with his children, Anna and Luke, next to the Indy 500 trophy after his historic victory in 2003
48 Linkage 017 BUILDING A STORY EXCUSE ME WHILE I natter on about “The Automobile As Art.” But think about it. With 3,400 lbs. of aluminum, steel, leather and carbon fiber, Lamborghini Design Chief Filippo Perini created the Huracan, a superbly-finished, three-dimensional entity with smooth surface development the equal of any Henry Moore naturalistic form. Beyond which, this lovely sculpture will not only carry two people at 200 mph, turn and stop with loads of more than one gravity — while providing all the services of a small rural home. The accomplishment of creating this exciting, dynamic work of art is monumental, especially when you consider that it functions not only as a static sculpture, but that it provides all the sensory inputs of speed and noise and movement that distinguish modern life from any time in the past. Perini’s Huracan can drive at 200 mph, it honestly looks like it’s doing 200 mph when it’s standing still. That’s a cliché, I know, but it really does look like that. As a totality, the shape is perfect; tense, mildly angular, aggressive. But all the details, down to the tiniest aeroblade, work in cars after 2024. So right now, today, is your last chance to buy a timeless Lamborghini Huracan, not only a sculptural masterpiece, but considered by many experts to be the best all-round exotic sports car at the close of the Internal Combustion Era. Lamborghini’s escutcheon wears a Charging Bull, so like most Lambo models, the Huracan name is associated with bullfighting. Someone in marketing really had to search to come up with Huracan, which is said to honor an obscure Spanish fighting bull from Alicante, killed during a corrida some 145 years ago. On the other hand, “Hurricane” is a terrifically evocative name for a whirlwind exotic. Among other good things, the Huracan has been in production for so long that the annoying spaghetti found in too many Italian exotics was sifted out years ago. Indeed, according to people who keep track of such things, for the past few years, the Lamborghini Huracan Evo has been the most reliable exotic two-seater you can buy. Perhaps this is because, at heart, the Huracan is not really Italian, but built on a Volkswagen Group Modular Sports System Platform shared with the Audi R8. From Germany to Sant’Agata Huracan chassis are engineered and assembled by Audi in their factory at Neckarsulm, Germany, just north of Stuttgart. The completed chassis are then shipped 500 miles to Lamborghini’s Sant’Agata Bolognese factory, just outside of Firenze, where they’re clothed with elegant Italian coachwork and fine leather interiors that are way more exciting than those in the austerely-Teutonic R8. How did this happen? Well, Automobili Lamborghini was a successful independent Why You Should Buy a Lamborghini Work of Art Pure internal combustion is ending at the great supercar maker by RICH TAYLOR perfect concert. Examine the continuous curve of the silhouette from front to rear, the sinuous window shapes, the sensual, swelling fenders, the lovingly-integrated scoops and vents, the way the body is stretched over the wheels which in turn reveal hidden sinews of brake calipers and polished discs. Auto design doesn’t get any better than this! Lamborghini’s Huracan has been around since 2014, but it’s still an aesthetic and engineering masterpiece that will never grow old. So what if 20,000 have been sold? Each one looks as fresh as tomorrow. Filippo Perini was rewarded by being promoted to Head of Design at Italdesign, succeeding modern master Giorgetto Giugiaro. In the heady world of modern Italian industrial design, this is the equivalent of Raphael taking over from Michelangelo to continue the Renaissance. The end is nigh Ironically, to celebrate Lamborghini’s 60th Anniversary in 2023, it was announced that the legendary Italian car builder won’t be building any more solely internal-combustion Photos by Taylor-Constantine
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50 Linkage 017 BUILDING A STORY company from 1963 until the Recession of 1973, when aging founder Ferruccio Lamborghini sold out to investment bankers. The leaderless company then wobbled along until 1987, when Chrysler tried to revive it before dumping it on Malaysians who sold it to Volkswagen in 1998. Over 25 years ago, Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piëch got into a pissing contest with his long-time rival Bernd Pischetsrieder, Chairman of BMW. Pischetsrieder expanded BMW by buying Rover, Land Rover, Mini and Rolls-Royce. In a successful attempt at oneupmanship, Piëch grabbed Bugatti, Bentley and Lamborghini. Ultimately, both Piëch and Pischetsrieder were fired, after which Pischetsrieder replaced Piëch at Volkswagen until Piëch’s Porsche family bought Volkswagen and got rid of Pischetsrieder. You can’t make this stuff up! Amidst all this turmoil, Piëch cleverly made Lamborghini a subsidiary of Audi, which means that most of the important components have been reliably German for two decades. This includes Stephan Winkelmann, who was Lamborghini CEO from 2005 to 2016, during the time the Huracan was first developed and for which he was knighted by the Italian government. After a stint running Bugatti, Cavaliere Winkelmann returned to Lamborghini in 2020 and is still in charge. World-class specs It’s no secret that the global auto industry, anticipating the Great Reset to Battery-Electric Vehicles, halted serious development of internal-combustion engines years ago. This is another way of saying that while the Huracan dates back to 2014 and the basic Audi V10 engine design to 2003, it’s still au courant. Today’s powerplant, revised in 2019 when the Huracan bodywork was mildly facelifted by Mitja Borkert, is a normally-aspirated, 5,204-cc, 90-degree, all-aluminum V10 with DOHC, four valves per cylinder, dry sump and Audi Fuel Stratified Injection. Lamborghini claims 631 hp and 443 lbs-ft of torque. This is still state-of-the-art in 2024, which is remarkable performance achieved without resorting to forced induction. There is only one gearbox available, but that is a world-class, 7-speed dual-clutch derived from the DSG used in a variety of Volkswagen Group cars. In a Porsche Macan it’s called a PDK, while Audi calls it S Tronic and Lamborghini Doppia Frizione. No matter which name you use, it’s one of the best gearboxes in the world, tough, quick-shifting, seamless and thoroughly sorted out. The constantly updated Audi-built chassis is also totally modern, with electronically-controlled all-wheel drive, huge four-wheel carbon-ceramic disc brakes, magnetorheological adaptive shock absorbers, all-independent suspension and variable rear-wheel steering. In a perfectlybalanced car with a power-to-weight ratio of just 5.3 lbs. per horsepower, this results in performance that’s near the very top of exotic sports cars. That includes those with superchargers, turbochargers, auxiliary electric motors — or all of the above. An entry-level Huracan Evo will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, through the quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds at 136 mph and clock a top speed of 202 mph. It will also generate 1.2 g under hard cornering. This is competitive with quasi-race cars as diverse as a Dodge Challenger Demon 170, Porsche GT3 RS or even a Ferrari SF90 Stradale that costs literally twice as much. Not that anyone cares, but you can also squeak out 20 mpg if you pussyfoot around. Mitja Borkert’s 2019 facelift of the Huracan incorporates slightly more aggressive aerodynamic front aeroblades, a rear spoiler and under-chassis diffuser, without spoiling Filippo Perini’s masterpiece. The updated interior is sort of Generic Italian Exotic, featuring a traditional mix of soft Napa leather and Alcantara pseudosuede, but also a touchscreen embedded in the central console to control the infotainment system that integrates both Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Hidden away is an advanced “feed forward logic” central control system that monitors and adjusts just about everything while you drive. Any Lamborghini Huracan is very collectible; even First Series models built between 2014 and 2019 sell for over $200,000 — or roughly what they cost new. Zero depreciation! By far the best all-round version is the all-wheel-drive Evo Coupe sold from 2019 through 2023. The base price of such an Evo was theoretically $213,597 in 2023, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that isn’t decked out with every possible option and priced at $350,000 or more. For some odd reason, in 2024, Lamborghini is offering only the Huracan Evo Spyder, at a base price of $249,865. Expect to pay at least $100,000 more. What price glory? The Huracan Evo, especially the coupe, is simply stunning. It’s among a handful of the most capable sports cars in the world, with exceptional ride, race-track handling and a remarkably comfortable interior. Even the sound of the V10 engine with its uneven firing order is both unique and intoxicating. It’s a true supercar, with an almost total lack of luggage space to prove it. But then, if you can afford to go grand touring in a Lamborghini, you can afford to either send your staff on ahead with your wardrobe or buy new clothes in each new luxury resort you visit!