The back lot of St. Albert Dodge was a little slice of car heaven this week as the dealership brought in a certified Lamborghini technician to service about a dozen exotic cars for area owners.
The local Dodge dealership has an association with Weissach Performance Cars in Vancouver, which is a dealer for Lamborghini, Lotus and Porsche. For three days, exotic car owners from the area brought in their rides for servicing from a technician from Weissach. It’s an arrangement that’s designed to save car owners a trip to Vancouver or Toronto, where the nearest dealers are located.
“This just gives them another home between taking a long trip to get their maintenance done,” said service advisor Max Belland.
His father and dealership owner Phil bought a Lamborghini from Weissach two years ago, which spawned the service relationship.
Having Lamborghinis and Lotuses in the back lot is bonus eye candy for Dodge owners bringing vehicles in for servicing and also generates foot traffic, Belland said.
“I’ve had guys driving on the Trail who’ve noticed these cars sitting here and they’ll turn around and come in,” Belland said.
“I’m constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure no one’s scratching them or leaning over with belt buckles.”
A self-described car nut, Belland feels these cars are the ultimate, due to their exotic styling and attention to detail.
“From any angle, looking at these cars, they’re absolutely gorgeous,” he said, gesturing to four Lamborghinis lined side by side.
It costs an average of $4,000 to $5,000 a year to keep a Lamborghini on the road, said technician Mike Hu. He replaced the rear bumper on Lamborghini’s flagship Murcielago model to the tune of $25,000.
The cars have a reputation for being hard to drive because of the huge amount of horsepower they generate. Hu downplays the difficulty while demonstrating the half-million dollar Murcielago along St. Albert Trail.
“Easy. Just like playing video games,” he grins, motioning to the Formula 1 inspired gear change flippers on either side of the steering wheel.
With a 640 horsepower V-12 rumbling right behind the passenger compartment, the car roars instantly from a commuting pace to jet takeoff mode, displacing internal organs and pinning back the eyelids.
“Pretty comfortable, actually,” Hu comments.
