By Dr. Scott and Mrs. Robyn Lieberman
Photos by Jamey Price, Dr. Scott and Mrs. Robyn Lieberman
The 2017 USA GIRO Lamborghini, the annual lifestyle and group drive gathering for Lamborghini owners and members of Lamborghini corporate was held mid July in
the Pacific Northwest this year. The event was invite only, and limited to 20 Lamborghini owners who drove or shipped their cars to Seattle from across the United States and Canada. Several additional cars were brought by Lamborghini corporate as support vehicles and as cars available for test drives — including the all new Aventador S, which we were all offered an opportunity to drive!
Every year the event is held in a different part of the country and the participants are treated to various beautiful locations, on special curated routes that most of us would not otherwise get to drive. The experience of driving with so many other Bulls heightens the entire experience, from the visual stimuli of seeing so many cars together and the aural experience of hearing so many of these machines tearing the air at the same time.
THURSDAY: ARRIVAL & LAB TIME
On the first day of the event we all came together at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. For some participants this was their first GIRO, but most were repeat participants. The first few hours was a celebration of friends coming together once again, catching up on everyone’s lives and discussing our passion for Lamborghini automobiles. We were given a welcome gift of a Waylens car-camera to record our trip, and then introduced to a dedicated phone app for the event which included routes and other important information. After going down to the garage and setting up the cameras in our cars, we were taken to a cocktail reception at the Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory (ACSL). Th is is the facility operated as a partnership between Automobili Lamborghini and the Boeing Aircraft Corp. that has helped both companies develop specialized carbon fi ber and advanced composite materials for the use in Lamborghini automobiles and Boeing aircraft. The first rooms of the ASCL are essentially a museum of many of the various parts and components that exist in our cars as well as the Sesto Elemento, and the Aventador monocoque which was originally developed in this Seattle lab. We were treated to seeing the development laboratory and the testing facility where these components were subjected to massive pressure tests, weathering tests, and even lightning strike tests. To demonstrate the process of making component shapes we were all given models of the Lamborghini Huracáns pressed from composite material as a gift. From here we were taken for dinner at a restaurant called the Lark that features locally produced cheese charcuterie, fish and meats. After the wonderful dinner and dessert we were returned to our hotel for some rest before the first day of driving.
FRIDAY: SCENIC DRIVE AND FERRY CROSSING TO THE BUTCHER’S TABLE
The next morning we rolled as a group through the streets of Seattle to the ferry terminal where we would get a ride to the first scenic part of our drive. Both newspaper and television media were present along the route and at the ferry terminal. As a result, our circus of cars became front page news for The Seattle Times — above the fold, no less! From there we boarded the ferry to Bainbridge Island and watched the Seattle skyline, with Mt. Rainier in the distance, disappear as we approached the wooded island where we participated in a spirited drive to the resort at Port Ludlow. Before lunch the participants were surprised with a short sea-plane tour of Bainbridge Island. And then after a delightful lunch, we drove through the Olympic Forest, back through Tacoma, and on to the hotel in Seattle. After a few minutes to relax in the evening, we were then taken by shuttle to dinner in a restaurant called The Butcher’s Table where we got together, drank fine Italian wines, and had a super meal with our Automobili Lamborghini hosts.
SATURDAY: COAST ROAD TO THE BULLPEN
The next morning began the longest drive. We headed south on a short stretch of interstate back to Tacoma and then joined US 101, the Pacific Coast Highway, where we drove through the hills and around the mountains of the Washington Olympic Forest. Then after completing our morning drive through a wonderfully long tunnel filled with the incredible sound of 25 Lamborghinis, we crossed the Columbia River on the Astoria-Megler Bridge into Astoria, Oregon, where the group had a great lunch. Photographs of the cars were taken in the picturesque town. From here we continued winding south along the Oregon Pacific coast. The group stopped in a magnificent turnout, hundreds of feet over the Pacific Ocean with beautiful views of the coastline. Pictures and drone videos had to be taken! We then continued our drive to the Salishan resort in Lincoln City, Oregon. Each of our cars had its own parking bay with our names featured prominently over them. A veritable bullpen. Cocktails and dinner were al-fresco in a pretty wooded corner of the resort. We were given engraved wine glasses commemorating the Giro. After dinner our hosts transported us to the beach where we enjoyed the setting sun and a bonfire which was completed with roasted marshmallows. For some of our native Italian hosts this was their first campfire s’mores!
SUNDAY: JET FIGHTERS AND VINEYARD DINING
The next day we departed and the group drove northeast to Portland. Along the way we made a stop at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. People had the chance to see the famous Hughes H-4 Hercules “Spruce Goose” aircraft and take posed pictures of their cars with classic jet fighters such as the F-14 Tomcat and a MiG-29 Fulcrum. After arriving in Portland we stayed at the Hotel Vintage. We had a nice Asian rooftop lunch. Afterwards, most of the group rested for a while or toured Portland. For the final evening repast, we were taken by bus to the Black Walnut Inn & Vineyard. It is one of the new developing wine production facilities sprouting up in the hills around Portland. The centerpiece was a facility built to look just like a real Tuscan villa overlooking their magnificent vineyard. After a cocktail reception in and around the newest cars in the Lamborghini fleet we were escorted down to a table in the middle of the vineyard for an al fresco dinner among the stars and grapes. After dessert we returned to our hotel for the night and everyone bid farewell to each other. The next morning as we loaded our cars on the transports, most were already looking forward to next year.
