LONDON (AFP)
An unidentified Qatari sheikh caused a stir after he flew his high-powered Lamborghini sports car to Britain to have it serviced, press reports revealed Thursday.
The black and gold 376,000-dollar car, in need of an oil check, was put on a scheduled Qatar Airways flight to London's Heathrow airport and flown back, making a round trip of 6, 500 miles, the UK's Sun Tabloid reported.
Servicing at an approved dealer costs 3,552 pounds. The cost of sending it by air freight was 20,000 pounds, the daily said, citing the airline, which confirmed it carried the Murcielago LP640 model last Friday and Monday.
Friends of the Earth's transport campaigner Tony Bosworth said: "The pollution from driving a Lamborghini is bad enough, but flying one thousands of miles for a service is taking climate-wrecking behavior to new heights.
"With rising fuel costs and mounting concern about climate change most people are trying to save energy. They are likely to find this type of wasteful and damaging activity outrageous."
But David Price, of the Lamborghini Club UK, told The Sun: "If an owner wants to service his car in that way it is his choice. I'm not surprised. Thankfully, the age of excess in some areas continues."
Lamborghini UK spokeswoman Juliet Jarvis said the supercar was not inspected at any of its service areas but told the tabloid: "This sort of thing is not unheard of." |
