Lamborghini dealership’s cars are costly but some are selling

Even in this tough Las Vegas economy, a few car enthusiasts have the means and motivation to pay upwards of $200,000 for one of the world's finest automobiles.

Lamborghini Las Vegas has sold 22 cars since opening a few months ago and has the longest order bank in the country, sales manager Tom Brazill said.

"It's actually fantastic," Brazill said Thursday at the grand opening of the dealership's new 2,600-square-foot showroom in Henderson. "We sell three to eight cars a month, so this is the

right-size showroom."

Las Vegas' only official Lamborghini dealership is owned by Findlay Automotive Group and located at 7740 Eastgate Road, near the Valley Auto Mall. Partners in the dealership are Cliff Findlay and his son, Justin, and Jim DiGiulio.

To celebrate the opening, Lamborghini Las Vegas premiered the Aventador LP 700-4, the first time Las Vegans have seen Lamborghini's flagship 700-horsepower, 12-cylinder sports car capable of doing 217 mph. It sells for about $420,000, Brazill said.

The Aventador, unveiled in Geneva in March, joins Lamborghini's famous lineage that includes the Gallardo, Superleggera, Spyder, Diablo and Murcielago.

"It's a friendly car," Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni said during a guest appearance at the Las Vegas dealership. "We want to make people happy and feel good. People have to enjoy and be pleased without being in fear of the car. There must be mutual respect."

Lamborghini, revered as a top manufacturer of high-performance exotic cars, first opened a dealership in Las Vegas in 2005 on Industrial Road, off Interstate 15 and Blue Diamond Road. The dealership closed two years ago due to inefficiencies in operation, including a service shop that was too small, said Brazill, who worked there.

Tyler Corder, chief financial officer of Findlay Automotive, said his company was approached by Audi, which bought Lamborghini in 1998, to take over the franchise.

"It's not high volume by any means, but we thought we could target a different segment of the population," Corder said. "I was a little skeptical at first, but it's turned out pretty good for us."

The Henderson showroom is much smaller than the 18,000 square feet at the former dealer, but large enough to accommodate four to five cars. Along with the Aventador, the showroom has a privately owned 1967 Lamborghini 400GT on display.

Lamborghini Las Vegas has about a dozen cars in inventory, including the Aventador, Gallardo convertible and Gallardo coupe.

Contact reporter Hubble Smith at hsmith@reviewjournal.com or
702-383-0491.