Nurburgring road car lap record!

My friends know I’m a bit of a car nut! At 19, I became a ‘sales executive’ at the renowned London Ferrari distributor, H.R. Owen and enjoyed eight amazing years, driving, selling and occasionally crashing wonderful then latest models, including the 308 GTS QV, 400i and my all time favorite, the BB512i Berlinetta Boxer.

I remember being told that the 340 BHP 512i would be the last of the great super cars. Wow were they wrong.

Rest stop at Le Manoir Aux Quattre Saisons near Oxford, England

Fast forward to 1990 and Lamborghini came calling and I was so fortunate to be appointed Sales Director at the UK Lamborghini importer, where I had the pleasure of supplying last of the line Countach 25th Anniversaries and then new model Diablos to some great customers, including Rod Stewart (who unfortunately would call me on a Saturday morning, screaming at me because his new red devil had broken down!).

After a short stint at Aston Martin following the sad demise of the UK Lambo importer, I got the call to move to Italy, to the sacred town of Sant Agata Bolognese, to be European Sales Director for the factory, Automobili Lamborghini SpA. Wow what a wild time, setting up dealers in Europe and even in the new, recently westernized Russia (viva perestroika!), where I took the first Lamborghini to display at the Moscow Motor Show.

With an early Diablo in Moscow

Representing the brand

Lamborghini was quite popular in Moscow

Ah yes a McLaren in Middleburg!

But the main reason for writing this piece of nostalgia is to opine that, while we all may think that rules and regulations are gradually stifling ingenuity and progress, think again. Another lap record has been broken, this time at the famous Nurburgring Nordschleife, or ‘The Ring’! Just check out the video of the record setting Mercedes Benz AMG One, an outstanding piece of engineering, utilizing F1 technology with an ICE (internal combustion engine) and four electric motors! Enjoy…