Photo: Lamborghini
When car carrier ship Felicity Ace caught fire more than a week ago, four thousand Americans waiting for their cars had their hearts skip a beat. Among the cars that burned on the ship were 1,100 Porsches and quite a few Bentleys and Lamborghinis too. Some of those cars were unique, and in the case of some Lamborghinis, they are irreplaceable. Unless somebody decides to build them again.
Lamborghini ended Aventador production with a bang in the form of the aptly-named limited-edition Aventador Ultimae. The production run was capped at 350 units for the coupe and 250 for the roadster, and there’s a big chance some of them were on Felicity Ace. We cannot know for sure whether they burned or escaped untouched by the fire until the ship is inspected, but that might still take a while.
According to Andrea Baldi, Lamborghini of America CEO, most of the Lamborghinis aboard Felicity Ace were Urus, but there were also a few Huracan and Aventador supercars. Since Aventador's production has ended to make way for its electrified successor, some customers will probably be left without the supercar they paid for and waited for more than a year.
In an interview with Automotive News, Lamborghini of America CEO Andrea Baldi did not rule out the possibility that Aventador production could be restarted. This would be necessary in order to replace the cars that were lost aboard Felicity Ace. Otherwise, Lamborghini will have to think of another form of compensation.
If Lamborghini approves the restart of Aventador production, this will push back Aventador deliveries by at least six months. But restarting Aventador production might not be possible, considering that suppliers have to get on board and that the tools and machines at the factory might have been modified for the new model.
“At the moment, we don't know, and we will have to deal with the problem it will present. The car is sold out, so there is always a possibility out of 563 units that some cancellation can allow an Aventador replacement, but I prefer to hope for the time being that at least the few Aventadors on the ship will be safe,” Baldi said for Automotive News.
Restarting production is something that has been done before in a similar incident. In March 2019, the Italian cargo ship Grande America caught fire, and four rare Porsche 911 GT2 RS on the way to their customers burned to ashes. Porsche decided to restart production to rebuild the lost cars on the ship.
According to Andrea Baldi, Lamborghini of America CEO, most of the Lamborghinis aboard Felicity Ace were Urus, but there were also a few Huracan and Aventador supercars. Since Aventador's production has ended to make way for its electrified successor, some customers will probably be left without the supercar they paid for and waited for more than a year.
In an interview with Automotive News, Lamborghini of America CEO Andrea Baldi did not rule out the possibility that Aventador production could be restarted. This would be necessary in order to replace the cars that were lost aboard Felicity Ace. Otherwise, Lamborghini will have to think of another form of compensation.
If Lamborghini approves the restart of Aventador production, this will push back Aventador deliveries by at least six months. But restarting Aventador production might not be possible, considering that suppliers have to get on board and that the tools and machines at the factory might have been modified for the new model.
“At the moment, we don't know, and we will have to deal with the problem it will present. The car is sold out, so there is always a possibility out of 563 units that some cancellation can allow an Aventador replacement, but I prefer to hope for the time being that at least the few Aventadors on the ship will be safe,” Baldi said for Automotive News.
Restarting production is something that has been done before in a similar incident. In March 2019, the Italian cargo ship Grande America caught fire, and four rare Porsche 911 GT2 RS on the way to their customers burned to ashes. Porsche decided to restart production to rebuild the lost cars on the ship.
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