The day I had a $1000 bingle in Lara's $200,000 Aston Martin

[csv8]

The day I had a $1000 bingle in Lara's $200,000 Aston Martin

* By Maureen Shelley
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* March 16, 2010 11:00PM

We test drive Lara Bingle's Aston Martin at Rick Damelian's prestige car dealership.

IT was all going so well until I had to park it.

I'd almost mastered the six-speed manual gearbox, worked out how to use the two-stage handbrake for reverse hill starts, managed to declutch the engine and use the starter button.

But a simple parallel park was too much. I ended up scraping the 19 inch spoked alloy wheel on Lara Bingle's $230,000 Aston Martin.

Sorry Clarkey, I truly tried to return the vehicle in the almost pristine condition it was in before I took it for a spin along Parramatta Rd.

I'd booked the car that Clarke had bought for his former fiance Lara Bingle for a test drive. It is an Aston Martin that would set back the purchaser $235,000 after stamp duty and insurance. I'd seen the car the day before and been driven around the block by the dealer.


The car hadn't been out of the showroom in a month and it failed to start first time. When it did, smoke poured out of its stainless steel exhaust system, which comes complete with active bypass valves - whatever that might mean.

As an experienced driver, I thought I was capable of driving anything.

Yet this all-alloy, quad overhead cam, 32 valve 4.7 litre V8 is a brute. To satisfy the dealer's requirements, I paid a $5000 deposit, signed a test-drive agreement and agreed to a full credit check before taking the vehicle out of the showroom.

The dealer drove on to Parramatta Rd and we swapped seats on a quieter road around the corner from Rick Damelian's prestige showroom.

I was glad because it took a while to master the six-shift box. Also, driving in 10cm heels didn't help. (My comment DOH !!!!!)

At 168cm tall, I sat low in the vehicle and it felt like the full-grain leather seats (with tan saddle-stitching) were wrapped around me.

I managed to rev the vehicle to about half its capacity on Parramatta Rd, about the third time I tooled the monster around the block. It's a high-revving vehicle that will deliver 313kW of power when asked. I was driving it like an old lady going to church, I was so scared that I'd damage the brute.

All my care and attention was paying off. I managed to stall it just once, ground the gears only twice and got stuck with my tail sticking out blocking traffic on the odd occasion. Then, after my sixth lap of honour, I thought I could handle a simple parallel park.

I lined up beside the car in front outside Fort Street High School. I used the brakes to control the vehicle downhill and moved it gently into position. Sadly, over-confidence struck and I scraped the passenger-side front wheel on the kerb. The car dealer was not a happy chappy and I drove back to the yard in disgrace.

Getting out of the Aston, my legs were like jelly, only partly because of the fear and loathing I thought was about to be unleashed on me by the harried dealership staff.

The 19-inch spoked alloy wheel would need to be reground and sprayed at a cost of $1000.

After a free and frank discussion, they gave me a fairly direct assessment of my conduct.

Executive general manager Shaun said they'd be deducting about $1000 from the $5000 deposit that they'd taken from my credit card.

I don't think an Aston Martin is me really; I think I'll stick to the Astra.

[mickyyyy]

LOL that so funny

[Geez Louise]

Maybe she should have taken driving lessons from the two 14yr olds that stole it months ago...

[lofty]

To the paper it would have been worth a grand for the 'bingle' headline.

[trippytaka]

Originally Posted by lofty

To the paper it would have been worth a grand for the 'bingle' headline.

Haha, a LOT more.

[DJR-351]

This car is certainly generating some media history.....

[greens_tuf]

I read this article in the paper... Geez she's talking about the car like she is Jeremy Clarkson...

I'd almost mastered the six-speed manual gearbox, whatever. Lol ground the gears twice.

Why was she trying to park it? If I was the dealer I wouldn't let them anywhere near the gutters...

[Peter B - CV8]

If I was the car dealer I'd take the whole $5k deposit. $1k to fix the wheel & the other $4k for gearbox repairs.

[AWD Chaser]

WTF?

Is she a motoring journalist? It sounds like it the way she delivered the stats in the article but then has no idea on how to drive it? Can't drive a manual, Can't parallel park, Stalls it, accidentally drifts it and drives in heals?

What was the dealer thinking?

Glad she didn't buy the car - god knows what it would look like after a month of owning it...

[TUF_302]

This is not news, no offence meant, but its really not :

[rancidpunx]

"As an experienced driver, I thought I was capable of driving anything."

She is all that is wrong with idiots on the roads. Not bumping into curbs is a fairly basic command of the controls i would have thought. As stated at the dealer i work at she would have been asked to remove the heels for a start and customers are not allowed to drive away from the yard, or allowed to park, they are asked to just leave it in the middle of the car park.
Im sorry but anyone who drives in thongs, heels, bumps into things and thinks its ok, cant use the mirrors, please have the decency to let me know when you will be on the roads so that i can make sure that i am not.

[low_72]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Maybe she should have taken driving lessons from the two 14yr olds that stole it months ago...

Yeah the setup to keep here in the news...turned a bit pear shape for her now...

[Eb5litre]

What else would you expect from a female driver!!!!
Surely $1000.00 is a bit much for reparing one rim.

[MAV50L]

Yeah but it got Rick Damillian car sales in the news hey.
Free advertising..................................

[Terraplainin']

After reading this non news today, I want my five minutes back.

Read the comments in the paper's site after the article...

[FG XR]

Originally Posted by Eb5litre

What else would you expect from a female driver!!!!
Surely $1000.00 is a bit much for reparing one rim.

Yeah but its an "aston martin" rim and its a dealer so charge what they want :

[XR8GRL]

Originally Posted by Eb5litre

What else would you expect from a female driver!!!!

of course. :rolleyes:

[uranium_death]

Nothing but a spoilt brat.
Sorry. She belongs in a first-generation Kia.

[Geez Louise]

Originally Posted by Eb5litre

What else would you expect from a female driver!!!!

Yes I chopped your quote!! But see you at the AFF HEATHCOTE DRAGS....8th May.

I and a few other female drivers will show you what it is all about!!! :P See my sig....click on the link...be there or be square...!

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by Eb5litre

What else would you expect from a female driver!!!!

That's a bit unfair.
I expect female drivers to abide by the road laws, the same way I expect myself to, and the same way I expect you to.

What do you expect from them?

[badefghia]

She must be a crap driver if lara bingel can drive it and not scratch it and shes dumb as this women carnt drive for ********

[ltd]

TWAT! Oops, did I say that out loud?
Stick to your Korean built Astra (says a lot more than she realises).

[left]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Yes I chopped your quote!! But see you at the AFF HEATHCOTE DRAGS....8th May.

I and a few other female drivers will show you what it is all about!!! :P See my sig....click on the link...be there or be square...!

Make sure you kick his @**** Coll!

Originally Posted by rancidpunx

"As an experienced driver, I thought I was capable of driving anything."

She is all that is wrong with idiots on the roads. Not bumping into curbs is a fairly basic command of the controls i would have thought. As stated at the dealer i work at she would have been asked to remove the heels for a start and customers are not allowed to drive away from the yard, or allowed to park, they are asked to just leave it in the middle of the car park.
Im sorry but anyone who drives in thongs, heels, bumps into things and thinks its ok, cant use the mirrors, please have the decency to let me know when you will be on the roads so that i can make sure that i am not.

Half the people - including, yes, men - on this forum would have gutter rash on their alloys. I guess the missus must have done it cos men never bingle their cars? :rolleyes:

[csv8]

Aston Martin must be loving all this free publicity !!!! not that they need any, Jeremy does good enough as their unofficial ambassador.....

[Feathers]

Originally Posted by badefghia

She must be a crap driver, if Lara Bingle can drive it and not scratch it, and she's dumb as! This woman can't drive for ********

Who says Lara didn't?

[Outback]

I would be taking the car yard to court if they steel her $1000, because the car yards insurance will cover it so the car yard is trying to pocket the cash.

[ltd]

Originally Posted by Feathers

Who says Lara didn't?

I wouldn't be surprised to find that there is not an original rim on the car, nor a factory painted panel left on it either. This is the girl who had more hits than elvis, and was so dumb that twice in two weeks she ran out of petrol in Sydney......That and she has the IQ of a potted plant. :