Instead of Beat Generation bongos in some seedy dump filled with mind-altering smoke we started off the journey with martinis by the pool of a posh hotel in Santa Monica.  There were no dumpy bohemians in the crowd. The attendees were as buff and sleek as the new twelve-cylinder, Murcielago Roadster that Lamborghini unveiled to polite applause. 

The introduction of the Roadster was the justification for the two-day trip starting the next day in front of the ocean bluff hotel. We were given maps to show us the route that basically followed the coast from Santa Monica to Monterey. There’d be a few forays into the hills so the Lambo drivers could try out their inner-boy racers on twisty turns designed to thrill.  

Outside the hotel, blue sky, puffy white clouds and a bracing ocean breeze greeted the slightly hung over crew as they roamed among a collection of brightly colored Lamborghinis of various vintages. These are not subtle cars for the shy and retiring. You can’t meld obscurely into traffic if you choose a Lambo. The flashy colors and edgy style guarantee that you’ll be the subject of impromptu cell phone photos sessions from countless strangers. If it’s anonymity you crave you’ve got the wrong cars. 

Our crew was here to observe and we would be driving a Chrysler Sebring convertible – all the better to catch the on-the-road action. The organizers from Lamborghini’s headquarters reminded the participants not to drink and drive and to obey all “posted speed limits.” I think he was drowned out by the cacophony of roaring engines.