Fahrvergnügen means "driving enjoyment" in German. I experienced true fahrvergnügen driving a Lamborghini Jalpa (pronounced "halpa") today. It was only for about two miles, and not very fast. But I figure I am part of an exclusive group of people who have ever driven a Lamborghini (maybe 10,000 people).
I am so vain. 8-)
My feet barely fit in the cramped, awkwardly shaped cockpit. Most cars' drivers' seat area is like a box. The Lambo's driver's area is shaped more like a trapezoid than a box. Your left left foot has little room to depress the clutch -- especially if you have big feet, like me. It is a good thing we took the top off; I would have had a hard time sitting in the car otherwise. Anyway, after a couple of turns (and subsequent accelerations), I started to get the hang of it. It was over quick.
At least I didn't wreck the car. Unfortunately for an owner of a brand new one recently, an escaping suspected shoplifter at the Sooner Mall ran into a brand new Lambo with the dealer tags still on it. Some people who saw the news story thought it was the car I drove. Nope. The owner told me that his was safely parked away in his garage when the incident happened.
The owner was much more adept of maximizing its performance than I. So much so that I was asking him to slow down. (I am such a chicken. I am probably not made out to own such hot performance cars; I am too risk averse.) He drove me down to Tecumseh and back. He then, on the way back, drove down a very hilly road (by Oklahoma standards). That made for a pretty exhilarating ride -- especially the way he drove. We came back by a school while it was getting out. The owner honked the special horn as we drove by. I think the kids got a kick out of it.
Ah, but a mere taste of the Good Life is about all us mere mortals can hope for. I got a taste today. Now I want more.
Now I just need to test drive a Ferrari. Even a low-end Ferrari, say a 308, will suit me just fine.
1 comment:
I owned an Alfa Romeo for awhile in college. Luckily for me it was running on two cylinders. I had it in the shop once and the mechanic said he'd driven it through town and it was flying past everyone else. Found out he was reading 40 on the tach, not the speedometer. He was doing about 60 in a 40mph zone!
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