LAMBORGHINI TO BE DISTRIBUTED BY TOBY VENTER'S LSM DISTRIBUTORS IN SOUTH AFRICA

After a relatively quiet mention in April, it has now been confirmed that LSM Distributors are the official merchants of Lamborghini in South Africa. They are also responsible for the Porsche and Bentley brands locally.

Chief Executive of LSM Distributors, Toby Venter, said: “We believe that Lamborghini will complement the existing vehicle brands already represented by LSM Distributors. Our vision is to excite customers with excellent product and exemplary service.”

The extended Volkswagen group includes Audi, Bugatti, Seat, Skoda, as well as Ducati motorcycles, along with Lamborghini, Bentley and Porsche.

LSM Distributors have taken over from the Imperial Group, including the Century City dealership in Cape Town. A showroom in Melrose Arch will do duty for clients in Gauteng while the Italian supercars will be sold from a yet-to-be-established dealership in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal.

Damien Percheron, Area Market Manager Middle East and Africa, said: “The vast experience of LSM Distributors in the luxury car segment provides Lamborghini and their customers with a sustainable future in South Africa”.

There are nine models in Lamborghini’s line up, including the Aventador S that sports a 6.5-litre normally aspirated V12 that pumps out 544kW and 690Nm which sends the vehicle to 350km/h, making it the fastest car in SA. The drop-top is yours for an eye-watering R8,695,000.

If you can't quite stretch your budget that far, then Lamborghini's V10-engined Huracan starts at R4.5-million, although the one you really want is the 470kW Performante variant (for two bar more) which held the Nurburgring Nordschleife production car lap record for a while before the Porsche GT2 RS took the honours.

If supercars aren't your thing, or you need more than two seats, then, for a modest *cough* R3.5-million you can get yourself the Urus, Lamborghini's excellent, new SUV.

Porsche sold around 1,400 vehicles last year and, with Venter in the driving seat for Lamborghini now too, it will be interesting to see what volumes the Italian supercar brand can achieve in SA.