All posts in “Government/Legal”

Lamborghini applies to trademark ‘Huracan STJ’ for another limited edition

When Lamborghini showed the 60th anniversary Huracans at Milan Fashion Week last April, automaker CEO Stephan Winkelmann said “The special editions of the Huracán not only celebrate the 60th anniversary of our brand, but also give our customers maybe the last chance to purchase an otherwise sold-out V10-powered Lamborghini.” We wrote at the time that we thought “maybe” was a vital qualifier. The Huracan’s twin-turbo V8 hybrid-powered successor isn’t due until the end of this year; 18 months is a long time for the Sant’ Agata brand to go without a special edition for the growing legion of buyers ready with six or seven figures sight-unseen. CarBuzz might have restored order to the world and proved us right, finding a couple of trademark applications with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for a vehicle called the Huracan STJ.

The J is for “Jota,” the Spanish pronunciation of the letter “J,” representative of the FIA rule book’s Appendix J detailing sports car racing and homologation regulations (a connection that might or might not be true), and of Lamborghini’s most focused road-going models for retail customers going back to the Miura Jota prototype in 1970. Since then, there’s been a Miura SVJ, Diablo SE30 Jota, Aventador J one-off speedster and the Aventador SVJ.  

The short money says this is a turned-up version of the Huracan STO, itself the most raucous version of the Huracan that sold out through the end of production more than a year ago. The long money says this could be a track-only coupe, despite every previous J designation being legal for the street. The fans of all things bully at Lamborghini Talk say there will only be ten made, one for each of the automaker’s global regions, and all are sold out. One poster wrote that in December and January, Lamborghini approached prospective buyers with the chance to purchase the sole unit for their region. Our bet is that nary a “No” was heard. 

It’s possible the public will get its first and perhaps only look at the Huracan STO — outside of Pebble Beach or an RM Sotheby’s auction — at Lamborghini’s takeover of Italy’s Imola Circuit on April 6 and 7. The festival is called Lamborghini Arena, the automaker calling it “The most extraordinary event in our brand’s history.” Could make a worthy entrance for an extraordinary new J.

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March 6, 2024 / Comments Off on Lamborghini applies to trademark ‘Huracan STJ’ for another limited edition
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President Biden says he took a Porsche up to 171 mph

President Joe Biden went on Conan O’Brien’s podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” recently, and he had a lot to say about cars. There’s plenty to unpack from the clip that you can watch above, but at one point he mentions that he recently took a Porsche up to 171 mph on the Secret Service’s private test track. Now that’s the kind of gearhead stuff we like to hear from politicians!

“I got a Porsche up to 171 mph,” Biden says while explaining how launch control works to O’Brien. Biden didn’t specify which Porsche model he was driving, but we’d bet it’s likely a 911. Of course, plenty of other Porsches are capable of 171 mph, so we don’t really know, but if any White House correspondents are reading, we wouldn’t mind if you asked Biden next time you see him.

In addition to Biden enjoying a Porsche at high speed, he said that he’s done the same with his 1967 Chevrolet Corvette, reaching 132 mph on the Secret Service airstrip test track. Biden even said that Jay Leno offered to buy his Corvette from him at one point for $144,000, but that he had to turn him down.

“They take me out to the Secret Service test track, which is an old runway. I got my Corvette up to 132 mph. It’s only a 327,” Biden remarks to O’Brien.

And speaking of Corvette news, we’ve already heard Biden spill the beans once on this topic, but yet again he makes the claim that an electric Corvette is on its way, and says it will do the 0-60 mph run in 2.9 seconds. That’s what the gasoline-powered C8 Stingray will do now with the performance exhaust, but we’re betting an electric Corvette would obliterate that time and be somewhere in the 2.0-2.5-second range.

It wasn’t just an electric Vette that Biden took to talking about, though, as he also claims to have driven an electric Ford Bronco.

“Oh and by the way, I drove one of those big Ford Broncos, electric. 4.9 seconds. Mine is 5.2,” Biden says making the comparison to his old Corvette.

We’re not exactly sure what he means by claiming to have driven an electric Ford Bronco. Such a vehicle does not exist from Ford currently, but there are restomods of original Broncos converted to electric power. There’s also the vague possibility that Biden has some inside scoop from Ford execs about future products, but it’s unclear from the interview. Regardless of the product implications, watching President Biden talk cars with O’Brien is an entertaining watch, so make sure you check out the video at the top of this post.

December 21, 2023 / Comments Off on President Biden says he took a Porsche up to 171 mph
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De Tomaso supercar revival hits speed bump with lawsuit against founder

A planned revival of Italian sports car brand De Tomaso as a maker of $1 million supercars appears to have hit a speed bump with lawsuit against the founder by the former chief executive officer.

Ryan Berris, who joined De Tomaso Automobili Holdings NA in 2014 as CEO and lead developer of its planned P72 supercar, sued the company and its founder, Hong Kong financier Norman Choi, on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court. Berris claims he was fired last year because he stood in the way of Choi’s plans to move forward with a blank-check merger based on false information.

“Choi became obsessed not with making the perfect automobile to resurrect De Tomaso and to serve the company’s discerning clients, but instead with trying to take the company public through a bogus SPAC process,” Berris said in the complaint.

Berris claims he’s owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation and a 10% stake in the company that was once valued at as much as $1.5 billion.

The press office for De Tomaso didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Choi couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

De Tomaso, best-known for the Mangusta and Pantera sports coupes it introduced in the 1960s and 1970s, filed for bankruptcy in 2004. Rights to its name were eventually acquired by Choi and a partner in 2014.

According to Berris, Choi reached out to him shortly thereafter, and the two met at a racetrack in Spain. At the time, Berris was working for Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG), a US manufacturer of high-performance racing and road cars whose SCG007 hypercar would go on to take the podium at Le Mans in 2022.

“Desperate to avoid failure, Norman Choi pleaded with Berris to take over the company and create a world-class, credible revival of the famed De Tomaso brand,” Berris’s lawyers at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP wrote in his complaint.

Berris says he agreed and went on to develop the P72, which was unveiled at the 2019 Goodwood Festival. An homage to the De Tomaso P70, a 1965 legendary prototype co-developed by Alejandro De Tomaso and Carroll Shelby, the new car with a $1 million base price proved a sensation and, within a few days, received more legitimate purchase inquiries than the planned 72-unit limited run, according to the suit. 

May 27, 2023 / Comments Off on De Tomaso supercar revival hits speed bump with lawsuit against founder
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South Australia proposes special license requirement for high-powered cars

Lawmakers in South Australia have big plans in store for owners of high-powered sports cars, but they likely won’t be received with open arms. The Premier wants to require drivers to complete additional training and will push for a ban on disabling safety tech like traction control.

The proposed shift in policy comes after a Lamborghini Huracán driver killed a teenager in 2019. The driver was acquitted of the pedestrian’s death but pled guilty to a lesser charge. Peter Malinauskas, the South Australian Premier, visited with the girl’s family after the crash and promised the state would take action.

The South Australian Premier’s proposal also aims to ban drivers responsible for a deadly crash from holding a license until their case has worked its way through the courts. Other reforms relate to the penalties and rules around deaths that occur from irresponsible driving. The government aims to have the issues before Parliament by the end of 2022.

While it’s easy to bemoan yet another restriction on car enthusiasts, this might be one area where more, rather than less, regulation is a good thing. Think about it: Most young drivers take their licensing test in a more modest sedan, SUV or minivan and have had no formal training on how to handle a car with several times the horsepower. Couple that with a healthy dose of attention-seeking behavior, and it’s easy to see how things can go sideways — literally.

The Premier is calling for a special licensing requirement, not for a ban on supercars. Sure, more laws feel bad to most people, but making sure that money isn’t the only thing required to drive a Lamborghini isn’t such an awful thing.

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August 23, 2022 / Comments Off on South Australia proposes special license requirement for high-powered cars
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Germany criticizes Czech tycoon’s 257-mph Autobahn ride

BERLIN — Germany’s Transport Ministry has criticized a stunt that saw a Czech millionaire drive his high-powered sports car along a public highway at speeds of up to 414 kilometers per hour (257 mph).

A video posted online this month shows Radim Passer pushing his Bugatti Chiron to extreme speeds on a stretch of Germany’s A2 Autobahn between Berlin and Hannover.

Beneath the video, Passer wrote that the stunt was filmed last year on a 10-kilometer (6-mile) straight section with three lanes and “visibility along the whole stretch.”

“Safety was a priority, so the circumstances had to be safe to go,” he said.

But the car can be seen passing several other vehicles on the highway and the light in the video suggests it was at twilight.

While much of Germany’s Autobahn network famously has no speed limit, the Transport Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that it “rejects any behavior in road traffic that leads or can lead to endangering road users.”

“All road users must abide by the rules of the road traffic regulations,” it added, citing the first clause of Germany’s road traffic law, which states that “anyone participating in traffic must behave in such a way that no other person is harmed, endangered or obstructed or inconvenienced more than is unavoidable under the circumstances.”

The ministry noted that the law also requires drivers to “only drive so fast that the vehicle is constantly under control.”

Passer, who according to Forbes is the Czech Republic’s 33rd-richest person with a wealth of 6.6 billion Czech crowns ($308 million), suggested beneath the video that he placed his faith in more than just his driving skills during the stunt.

“We thank God for the safety and good circumstances, as we were able to reach the speed of 414 km/h!” he wrote.

The Green party, now a junior partner in Germany’s coalition government, called for a 130 kph (80 mph) speed limit across the Autobahn network in last year’s election campaign, as part of efforts to cut the country’s carbon dioxide emissions. But that idea was ditched during talks to form the new government.

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January 19, 2022 / Comments Off on Germany criticizes Czech tycoon’s 257-mph Autobahn ride
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Charges dismissed against Gemballa Mirage GT driver in NYC wreck

Charges against exotic car culture personality Benjamin Chen in connection with a chain of collisions involving a modified Porsche Carrera GT in New York City last year were dismissed Monday. The New York Criminal Court released a statement saying the charges of reckless driving and operating under the influence had to be dropped because they “[…] cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” Road & Track reports.

Chen was allegedly driving the Gemballa Mirage GT that left a trail of destruction through the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan last April. Police arrested Chen after the GT struck several other vehicles, scattering debris along 11th Avenue before coming to a stop near 44th Street, just north of the Javits Center, which was still serving as a field hospital for coronavirus patients at the time the incident took place.

Chen is a supercar collector and the co-founder of Gold Rush Rally, an annual rally of exotic and luxury vehicles. This Instagram video surfaced of the hoodie-wearing driver, who resembled Chen, being ordered out of the vehicle by responding officers. 

The Gemballa Mirage GT is a modified Porsche Carrera GT that can cost north of $750,000, depending on how you have it personalized. The car involved in the incident was identified as Chen’s by its custom finish and vanity plate, the former being well-documented online. Chen’s was the 23rd Mirage conversion produced and it appeared to suffer quite a bit of damage. Photos and videos from the scene depict a car with a severely compromised suspension and extensive body damage. However, with the bulk of the carnage appearing to be reserved for the front of the car, this mid-engine piece of unobtanium might still be worth fixing.

March 17, 2021 / Comments Off on Charges dismissed against Gemballa Mirage GT driver in NYC wreck
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