Over the weekend, I attended the Amelia Island Cars & Coffee and their 21st annual Concours d’Elegance. While there on Saturday, my wife and I were waiting to be shuttled to our parking area, when a Lamborghini Miura drove by a few times. On one pass, I captured some photographs of it approaching on the straight and rounding the corner.
Later that night when looking through the raw files, the driver’s head and face, for some reason, looked very familiar. When I zoomed the image up to full size, I recognized him immediately.
It was the retired legendary Lamborghini chief test driver, Valentino Balboni. Can someone help me get my jaw up off the floor?
It's Not Every Day You See an Icon Driven by a Legend
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Just wow.
And in the most beautiful and flawed Lamborghini too.-
We all have flaws, but it’s a great consolation to be the most beautiful. Which it is.
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A friend of mine knew, (fellow NZer),the late Bob Wallace who had many interesting stories from his time at Lamborghini He knew the flaws in the Miura, which he had helped develop, more than anyone. It’s nice to see Mr Balboni enjoying the work of his predecessor as chief test driver,( and in Bob’s case chief engineer as well).
There were numerous constraints and compromises in the original which compromised it’s performance, particularly the very high front end lift at speed, ( this not being helped by the weight distribution with the fuel tank between the front wheels).To improve the car he developed the Miura Jota with it’s improved aerodynamics, transmission separated from the engine oil and more power of course. But it was never really finished as work switched to the Countach and the other, front-engined cars.
But he never forgot the Miuras.
Bob Wallace with Ferrucio Lamborghini himself and the Jota prototype.
https://data.motor-talk.de/data/galleries/0/188/5281/59347601/l001238-2509116797982785323.jpg
And again with the standard Miura
http://www.associazionetoriemotori.it/files/2014-11-10_153624-3.jpg
And something that only happened in New Zealand?
http://www.theroaringseason.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4498&d=1320567005
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–PfMglvm9–/191clb72ceq38jpg.jpg
With the original Miura prototype.
http://rejsa.nu/im/user/2053/2013-09-27-20-01-02_1776633d1379957017-bob-wallace-66pc22b-35.jpg-
I would take the original Miura with its faults. Better looking, and a pure classic design. Sounds like maybe a Miura S would be my choice. Just simply such an audacious thing to conceive and then build. Have you watched:
http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com/chris-rock-kids-need-bullying-
I have now, thanks.
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And that light front end flaw would continue with the Countach. Still two of my favorite cars of all time, “warts” and all. That’s so cool that your friend knew Bob Wallace.
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This is NZ. A country so small that if you don’t know someone, you’ll know someone who does. He spent the last part of his life in Texas so there must be many people there who know Bob and his business as well.
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That’s impressively convincing.
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The first time I saw Balboni (on TopGear, I’m pretty sure), I thought, “This guy doesn’t look Italian – he looks like someone I’d see at Walmart, or at the drugstore.” But, he’s definitely distinguished looking, and definitely a legend.
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He was in Dallas, ‘er Plano a few years ago at Lambo of Dallas to show off his Balboni Edition. It made the local news too.
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