R8 England
June 11th, 2009, 15:02
The factory collection/factory tour option is to be recommended. The whole tour is arranged around the customer, and was very informative, relaxed and impressive.
It is a fascinating facility and interesting to see almost the entire aluminium chassis welded by hand, contrasting with the most modern automation and measurement/quality control facilities. I was astounded to see the amount of metal in the boot area, protecting the driver (http://www.r8talk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=27321#) against frontal collision.
The attention to detail and dedication of the workforce is considerable. All bare metal body shells are inspected and hand finished/polished to remove imperfections.
I was surprised to hear that the engines shipped in from the Gyor factory have never been run. Apparently, the first time an engine (http://www.r8talk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=27321#) is fired up is when the car nears the end of production.
The production line was busy, and with one exception, all cars (http://www.r8talk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=27321#) being produced were V10 with black and white the most popular colours.
They were also starting to weld chassis’s for pre-series Spyder models.
I did ask about future models and it was made clear that it is difficult to supply the amount of cooling needed for a mid/rear engine car, and there would not be a turbo/supercharged V8 or V10. The V8 holds 10 litres of oil, the V10 only 8 litres. Less oil and more heat to dump, hence the V10 oil cooler is twice the size ! Also, the V10 has additional engine sensors that limit a cold engine to 6,000 rpm until the oil has warmed up to 60 deg C. There is also an overheating sensor that will limit you to 6,000 rpm until the temperatures falls below the critical range.
I doubt such sensors will kick in even in heavy use (no problems with the V10's at the Silverstone track day), and are probably a cautious approach for extreme circumstances in hot climates.
I know we have other threads on mods to turbo or supercharge V8 & V10, but the factory emphatically state that it is not recommended due to a whole host of cooling issues.
The drive back to UK was horrible with heavy rain, plus the odd cloudburst. Photos are not so good, so apologies. Colour combo is Sepang/Apollo. As far as I can tell, the suspension feels a bit stiffer than V8, but still very comfortable on a long drive. Other than that, the car is pure V8 on steroids. Everything that is good about the V8, but with more oomph.
Just need to finish running in, and then organise a track day………
It is difficult to say whether it is worth selling a V8 to buy a V10, its purely personal choice. But with the effective UK price difference – allowing for the higher spec – of around GBP £11K, I am more than happy with my decision.
Certainly, the Gallardo now has the V10 nipping closely at its heels, which is offering IMHO a better all round package at a significantly lower price.
Kreso, thanks for your kind words & advice. Hope you get your very soon !
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee177/R8England/IMG_1261.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee177/R8England/IMG_1256.jpg
It is a fascinating facility and interesting to see almost the entire aluminium chassis welded by hand, contrasting with the most modern automation and measurement/quality control facilities. I was astounded to see the amount of metal in the boot area, protecting the driver (http://www.r8talk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=27321#) against frontal collision.
The attention to detail and dedication of the workforce is considerable. All bare metal body shells are inspected and hand finished/polished to remove imperfections.
I was surprised to hear that the engines shipped in from the Gyor factory have never been run. Apparently, the first time an engine (http://www.r8talk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=27321#) is fired up is when the car nears the end of production.
The production line was busy, and with one exception, all cars (http://www.r8talk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=27321#) being produced were V10 with black and white the most popular colours.
They were also starting to weld chassis’s for pre-series Spyder models.
I did ask about future models and it was made clear that it is difficult to supply the amount of cooling needed for a mid/rear engine car, and there would not be a turbo/supercharged V8 or V10. The V8 holds 10 litres of oil, the V10 only 8 litres. Less oil and more heat to dump, hence the V10 oil cooler is twice the size ! Also, the V10 has additional engine sensors that limit a cold engine to 6,000 rpm until the oil has warmed up to 60 deg C. There is also an overheating sensor that will limit you to 6,000 rpm until the temperatures falls below the critical range.
I doubt such sensors will kick in even in heavy use (no problems with the V10's at the Silverstone track day), and are probably a cautious approach for extreme circumstances in hot climates.
I know we have other threads on mods to turbo or supercharge V8 & V10, but the factory emphatically state that it is not recommended due to a whole host of cooling issues.
The drive back to UK was horrible with heavy rain, plus the odd cloudburst. Photos are not so good, so apologies. Colour combo is Sepang/Apollo. As far as I can tell, the suspension feels a bit stiffer than V8, but still very comfortable on a long drive. Other than that, the car is pure V8 on steroids. Everything that is good about the V8, but with more oomph.
Just need to finish running in, and then organise a track day………
It is difficult to say whether it is worth selling a V8 to buy a V10, its purely personal choice. But with the effective UK price difference – allowing for the higher spec – of around GBP £11K, I am more than happy with my decision.
Certainly, the Gallardo now has the V10 nipping closely at its heels, which is offering IMHO a better all round package at a significantly lower price.
Kreso, thanks for your kind words & advice. Hope you get your very soon !
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee177/R8England/IMG_1261.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee177/R8England/IMG_1256.jpg