The Lamborghini Garage

Heaven for Lambo lovers - here you have them all!

- by Peter Edenberg 2019-02-24

Ping! The notification on my phone tells me that the long-awaited message has landed in my Instagram inbox.

“I am in Katrineholm at 12 o’clock. Moving cars. See you there.”

I look at the clock and realize it will take me exactly two hours to get from Stockholm to Katrineholm.

I pack my camera, sling the bag with lights over my shoulder, grab a thermos of coffee, and jog down to the car.

Bob Wallace Lamborghini Jarama

After 30 minutes, near Södertälje, I try to picture what I might see when I arrive. I know that the collection I am about to visit contains at least one Lamborghini—specifically, an orange Jarama built as a tribute to the legendary Lamborghini test driver Bob Wallace.

During his years at Lamborghini, from 1963 to 1974, Bob helped develop, among other things, two of the most iconic cars in the world—the Lamborghini Miura and the Lamborghini Countach.

To cement his place even further on the historic car map, Bob set speed records for production cars in 1967 with a Miura P400. Ferrari, however, beat that record in 1968 with a 365 Daytona by a few extra kilometers per hour, reaching 280 km/h.

After that, Bob boosted the Miura with an additional 20 hp, which became known as the P400S, and reclaimed the record in 1969 with a top speed of 288 km/h.

the front of the orange lamborghini jamara bob wallace

Bob had the world record in 13 years

Bob held the record for 13 years before the younger brother of the Miura, the Lamborghini Countach LP500S, took it in 1982 with another 5 km/h, reaching an impressive 293 km/h.

The orange tribute Jarama I had met a few times before this trip to Katrineholm—most recently, it stood and glittered this spring at Gärdesloppet in Stockholm.

I had found the owner through his Instagram account, and I kept my fingers crossed that he still had one or two of the other Lamborghinis I had seen in his feed. But even if I only got the Jarama in a photo, it would be enough for me. It is so beautiful.

The clock ticks over to 11:59 as I park outside a blue sheet metal building in Katrineholm. Through one window, the rear of the orange Jarama lights up, and in the second window stands a small white, aggressive, sponsor-liveried Metro 6R4. I had come to the right place.

I knock on the door, and Timo—the owner of the Instagram account and the cars—opens it. We shake hands, and I step inside.

Whoa!

The cocktail of cars in Timo Helistens garage

Didn’t see the Lamborghini Miura

In front of me, a room the size of a football field suddenly opens up, filled with four-wheeled works of art.

Just inside the door stands the orange Jarama, glowing like a freshly polished toy car. I can hardly take it in—it’s so beautiful, and it captures my attention every single time I see it. It grabs me so completely that I almost miss the red, silky, low-slung Miura with gold rims standing right in front of it. I can’t believe I nearly overlooked it. What a piece of art!

I don’t really know where to start looking, because the room holds so many cars. In front of the Miura stands the small white, rally-prepped Metro 6R4, and beside it a unique yellow Cord 810 with its long nose and short, muscular rear. In the far corner sits a black, rugged “Rambo Lambo” LM002, and in front of it stand two Continental convertibles from 1958.

My car brain is burning, and my car soul is completely overwhelmed by the room I’ve stepped into. I can feel the pulse in my neck beating harder than usual as I stand in this Lamborghini cocktail.

Lamborghini Murcielago SV number 1

I lift my eyes and look further into the room. Boom! There is a white Countach, a gray Murciélago, a devilish black Diablo, and a whole lot of other cars that simply fade into the shadows of these three Italian beasts.

I hear Timo explaining, pointing, and talking enthusiastically about the different cars. However, my brain is almost frozen from all the shapes, rims, and extraordinary machines. I have stepped into an Italian smorgasbord, with scattered bursts of American muscle and an explosive little British gem tucked away in one corner.

“This Murciélago was the first Super Veloce to ever leave the factory. In this one, all journalists were given test rides and test drives. The proof of that is on the plate between the seats.”

As I lean over the perfectly proportioned passenger seat to see the evidence that this particular car is number one, I ask:

“So, how do you get your hands on a car like this?”

“Oh, contacts, you know.”

I reply, “Well,” as if it were like buying a liter of milk from the store. For a man like Timo, who has such a collection of cars, nothing seems impossible.

White lamborghini Murcielago sv number 1

Lamborghini Diablo on the carrier

After a short coffee break and chat, I get the sense that Timo wants to start moving his beautiful treasures with the help of his two friends. They are planning to change premises soon, and he briefly explains that they will build a more permanent location in Katrineholm that will serve as a meeting place, where the cars can also be displayed. The project is currently being handled with the local authorities.

Together, we roll the Diablo out of the garage so it can be loaded onto the carrier. In the dim light of the garage, the Diablo is so black that it’s hard to fully see its shape. But once it rolls out into the daylight, every angle becomes visible.

Soon after, Timo starts the Lamborghini Murciélago, and the sound echoes throughout the room as the Italian pistons come to life inside the cylinders. The V12 is sharp and powerful. Slowly, he backs it out, and the hair on my arms stands up.

“We’ll be back in 30 minutes. Please close the garage door when we’ve left, so you can photograph in peace and quiet,” Timo tells me.

Something inside my head screams—What?!

“Of course,” I reply, while my whole body shakes with excitement.

I watch as the cars disappear over the rise outside the garage. Timo presses the throttle on the straight, and the 700 horses sing across the entire industrial area as the car quickly vanishes. The sound lingers in my ears as I slowly walk back across the parking lot toward the open garage door.

My smile is as wide as a banana. As I press the button to close the garage door, I hear that Timo has found another straight stretch on his way out of Katrineholm. I can tell he’s pushing the revs on the Italian beast.

White lamborghini Murcielago sv number 1 front right

Alone with the Lamborghini Countach LP400S

I can hardly believe it, but suddenly I’ve been left alone with perhaps the coolest collection of cars in Sweden.

I walk into the garage and stare straight at the white Countach, which now looks a bit lonely without its two younger brothers.

I’ve read millions of lines about this car on the internet, but right then and there, I’ve forgotten everything. Quietly, I take in the arrow-shaped front that looks like it’s doing 150 km/h just standing still.

Whether you were born in the 21st century or in 1930, you should understand the greatness of this car. Just look at it. It’s like a wedge-shaped fighter plane, built with the mission of cutting through the air at maximum speed.

It slices through air molecules as it charges down the road at 200 km/h on the wide highways of the United States, or roars through downshifts and overrun on the winding roads of the Alps as it climbs toward the summit.

What a car!

I crawl in, close the door, and sit firmly in the driver’s seat. The cockpit feels surprisingly modern, yet it’s over 40 years old. Here in the Countach, Timo has sat while blasting across roads during the Gumball 3000.

It’s not meant to crawl through city streets at 50 km/h—it’s built to travel from coast to coast, in any country, as fast as possible.

It’s meant to stretch every connecting rod and make the spark plugs crack with their flashes. The speed should tell everyone around that these twelve cylinders from northern Italy are not to be taken lightly.

The blue mocha interior could probably tell countless stories about what this car has experienced over the years since it left the factory.

The steering wheel feels perfect in my hands, and it’s hard not to press every button and knob in the car.

The Countach on the carrier

I find it hard to understand how they managed to fit the gearbox, which sits between the two seats, together with the V12 in this massive sports car. This car is like a high-level game of Tetris from its time.

I push up the scissor door and hear the hydraulics working as it rises. Fresh air seeps back into the cabin.

Getting out of the car in a smooth, graceful, and convincing way is a challenge. It would be much easier if a passenger could give me a push from behind. After a bit of shaking, sliding, and maneuvering, I finally manage to stand up with the help of a bent leg.

After far too short a time, the garage doors open, and Timo and his friends are back. It feels like I didn’t have any time at all to photograph the cars.

The white unicorn disappears onto the carrier over the same hill where Timo earlier filled the air with the Murciélago.

We help push the magnificent icon onto the carrier. I would have loved to hear the 394 horsepower come to life and to stay in the garage for the entire week. Timo assures me that there will be more opportunities.

What happen to the Jarama?

In the car on the way home to Stockholm, after having spent time with at least a hundred cylinders, incredible shapes, and a wealth of automotive history, it suddenly hits me:

The Jarama! Damn—I didn’t spend more than two minutes with it before all the other Italian sirens started singing and completely seduced me.

Hmm… I’ll save it for next time I visit the Lamborghini Cocktail.