Posted on 07/31/2008 4:16:32 AM PDT by Past Your Eyes
A RICH Arab sent his Lamborghini on a 6,500-mile round trip to Britain for a service. The £190,000 supercar was put on a scheduled flight from Qatar to Heathrow – then flown BACK after the oil check.
Money was no object as the flight would have cost the owner – thought to be a Sheikh – around £20,000.
The move sparked fury from green campaigners.
An airport worker said: “This car doesn’t have a carbon footprint – more of a crater.”
The overall cost of sending the Lamborghini to London for the oil change would have cost more than £23,000.
His black-and-gold supercar costs £3,552 to service at an approved dealer – on top of the £20,000 to freight from Qatar to Britain.
The Murciélago LP640 – driven by Batman in movie The Dark Knight – arrived from the Middle Eastern country on Friday.
It cleared customs and was trucked to specialist mechanics in London for the service.
On Monday it was flown back 3,250 miles to the oil-rich state where it was collected by the owner.
A cargo handler at Heathrow blasted the car’s environmental damage.
He said: “It would have been far more efficient to fly mechanics out there.”
Horrifies It is another example of how rich people exploit and pollute the planet because of their money.”
She said the role of the super-wealthy in climate change was not properly recognised – while poor people were rapped for going on holiday.
Friends of the Earth’s transport campaigner Richard Dyer said: “Flying a car thousands of miles for a service is ludicrous when planes are one of the most polluting ways to transport goods. We urge the individual to get their car serviced closer to home.”
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But David Price, of Lamborghini Club UK, said: “If an owner wants to service his car in that way, it is his choice.
“I’m not surprised. Thankfully the age of excess in some areas continues.”
Lamborghini UK spokeswoman Juliet Jarvis said there could be “kudos” for a Middle Eastern owner in servicing a car in London.
She said the exclusive Italian brand had a network of authorised dealers around the world – and most cars were looked after in the country where they were bought.
But she added: “This sort of thing is not unheard of.”
Qatar Airways confirmed it carried the Lamborghini.
The cars are popular with celebs including Rod Stewart and David Beckham.
$7,000 for an oil change?
Well,I’ve seen Arabs drive, so I wouldn’t want them working on my car either...probably fill the radiator with Quaker State.
I dunno, Ive never seen a tire that big in real life!..........Bigfoot was here at the local Ford dealership a couple of years back for a promotion, but it didn’t have tiers this big at the time!........
How did they last so long? My local tire dealer says that the shelf life of a tire is only like 7-8 years............
You're a cargo handler. Handle cargo and shut the @#$@ up!
Yeah, there was a Lebanese Marionite family that ran a local garage and filling station in my town. I always bought gas there on the way into work. During Gulf War I, they were glued to the TV cheering on the US and Bush I. When I had a short circuit in my electrical system I brought it in to them. After about three tries, hundreds of dollars and no success, I brought it over to my current mechanic, who simply rewired the faulty line.
One of the Lebanese brothers got an EE degree from Northeastern, but had trouble finding work. I ran into him selling pizza in one of those medical office condos near Fenway Park, bizzare coincidence. He was a really nice guy, hope it turned out ok for him.
When I lived in Queens, there was a Lebanese Catholic family with five daughters up the block. They and their mother were all amazingly friendly. (Yes, what you’re thinking.) The father, who was estranged from his wife, ran a service station on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. I had a conversation with him about the business. In sum, his business ethics were appalling. Basically, he said you had to f*** the people.
45 tons! Now THAT’s funny! :-)
You kidding, right. (It’s 190,000 pounds Sterling, like $500,000, not pounds mass.)
"There's a PROBLEM with that!!??, said Al Gore.
I know, thackney and I were just fooling around......
Obviously not the typical tire. I have not been able to find out much about it.
Wow,you really are lonely up there in the peoples republic...I was born in South Weymouth,moved away in early ‘60’s...Later in life.when driving up to New Hampshire to visit family,I felt like the drive across Mass. was like running across East Germany to make it to Berlin.
Auto execs discuss flying cars
Clearly they shouldn't have left out Stephan Winkelmann from Lamborghini!
I wonder if they’ll have a $6,999 oil change option on the board at Jiffy Lube next time I go there?
Doesn’t everybody fly their Lamborghini to the UK for an oil change? Or when the tires need air?
I do.
An airport worker said: “This car doesn’t have a carbon footprint – more of a crater.”
A cargo handler at Heathrow blasted the car’s environmental damage.
Compared to the US President, who needs about 40 aircraft to travel to a foreign country? I'd say miniscule.
I agree - the expense to transport and guard the US President border on the ridiculous - but my point was that the person who complained about the oil change was British and there are certainly examples of wretched excess in Britain as well.
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