“Remember the Sabbath”
Or “A Sunday to Remember” by Michael Erdmier
Well, here we were; it was a bright, sunny eighty-degree June day with nary a cloud in the sky. There was a gentle breeze drifting across the fields, helping make this one of those perfect Illinois summer days. We were driving down the twisty IL Rt. 150 east towards Goodfield, to meet up with a friend I had only met over the phone and via email. No, this isn’t one of those internet love stories, where a couple meet face to face for the first time at the altar, but I suppose it is a love story of sorts. The man we were meeting at the “Busy Corner” restaurant this day is Dr. Lou Herrin, DMV, owner of the beautiful Lamborghini Islero numbered 6096, and he and I are both in love with the car.
Little wonder, as this was the single model Ferruccio Lamborghini himself helped design, and from all the vehicles available in his day, his choice of personal transport. The Islero is a little-known model made in small numbers, as all Lamborghinis were then, following in the path of Lamborghini’s debut model, the 350GT, and the 400GT 2+2. The Islero for all practical intents and purposes is a 400GT 2+2, re-bodied more to Ferruccio’s personal tastes. It shares the same 4.0 Liter 48 valve DOHC V12 engine, the same 6x2 barrel Webber carbs, the same front-engine rear-drive powertrain, and the same 2+2 configuration as the 400GT. Much of the chassis and suspension are the same as well, as is the interior. This particular example is in immaculate condition, and was a pure joy to behold.
But the Islero is still much a car of it’s own. It strikes a sumptuous profile matched by few cars in the history of automotive design. The long hood; the low, raked roofline; the short rear deck; the way the car carries itself low over it’s rolling stock; add the sporty-yet-comfortable ergonomics, the ample power, and the perfectly balanced and solid ride, and this is one vehicle that personifies automotive perfection.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. We had just pulled into Busy Corner restaurant in Goodfield, when a bright red car could be seen coming down IL Rt. 150 westbound. He pulled up to the 4-way, and it was immediately apparent that this was the car I had been waiting for. You could hear the low burble of the V12 rumbling through the ANSA exhaust as he pulled around into the lot and parked a few spaces over. He blipped the throttle a few times, creating a tenor rasp that I will never forget.
Lou is a tallish-lanky man; kind and soft-spoken as anyone I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. He was very knowledgeable about the car, and has his own website for Islero owners. We stood around the car talking about Lamborghini history, the features of this car, and taking pictures of the car for some time, and then it was time for a ride.
My 9-year-old daughter Kayla hopped into the backseat, and I rode shotgun. Lou fired the V12 to life, and we were off. He headed back down Rt. 150 eastbound, and my daughter asked him about the finer points of being a veterinarian. He suffered her questions gracefully, and was soon asking if there was a better road nearby. I directed him to a beautiful road I have driven many times in the past, and he headed down that way. It wasn’t long before he pulled over and coyly remarked those words I will never forget; “Well, it seems you know the roads out here, so why don’t you take the wheel.”
I graciously accepted, and found myself sitting at the helm of a legend. My favorite GT car ever, a Lamborghini V12-powered car, I was nearly in shock! I cinched-up the lap belt, adjusted the seat for the long throw of the clutch, and we were off. The clutch was a bit heavy, as with all sporting cars of the day, and the accelerator was light, with a short throw. This made my launch a bit hesitant, and the shift to second less than graceful. Once underway, the old Lamborghini hummed and burbled along like nothing I had ever experienced. Being born 4 years after this car was debuted, I never knew a car of this vintage. The car implied a connection with the road beyond anything mechanical or man-made; it felt heavy and stiff, yet ultimately graceful. The car exuded confidence with a complete lack of lean in curves, but perfect, solid dampening over imperfections in the road. The wheel was thin and had a large diameter to my “modern” touch, but seemed to fit the classic feel of this car perfectly, as did the zebrano trim it shared with the shift knob. The engine had a sound unlike anything I’ve heard before. It reminded me more of the “Lap of the Gods” footage they run from old F1 cars on Speedvision than anything else. It a crisp, raspy tenor at midrange RPMs that fades into an all-out wail that pierces the soul as the revs rise. Suddenly the mystique of the classic Italians with the midsize V12s makes complete sense. I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face as the revs rose again and again while we climbed over the hills. Lou kept repeating how beautiful the day was, and I kept repeating how in love I was with the car.
After about 20 minutes of heaven, I turned the car back over to her faithful steward, and we headed back to Busy Corner. On the way, we stopped at an old railroad bridge that seemed a good spot for a picture, immortalizing the day. After letting some traffic through, we finally got a quiet moment to burble the car into place and shoot a few pictures. The results are stunning, and show the timeless beauty of this classic like no words ever could.
Back at the lot, we met back up with my wife, who had been giving our young son a bottle and enjoying the breeze. Lou and I spoke again of the heritage of this car, the mystique of the Lamborghini marque, and the camaraderie that seems to go hand in hand with an appreciation for such things. We were even making plans for our next possible outing.
It was in fact, a perfect day, and one that I will not soon forget.
(From right; Lou Herrin, author, the author’s daughter; Kayla, and Islero #6096)
Photos by the author
Michael Erdmier
triadtuning@hotmail.com
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Michael ~ triadtuning@hotmail.com
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Photoshop rendering of planned exterior modifications.
[This message has been edited by TRiAD (edited 06-11-2001).]
