Lambo Auto Services: Jozi's Lamborghini Specialists

With decades of experience between them, Angelo Pisanti and Gennaro Pisanti from Lambo Auto Services tell us more about their business and their love for all things from Sant'Agata.

Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

RACE! in Johannesburg is known for a combination of the luxury cars they offer as well as the various customisations from some of the best automotive brands in the world. Walk through the showroom and at the back you will find Lambo Auto Services and its two proprietors, Angelo Pisanti and Gennaro Pisanti.

In this small workshop there is a lot of knowledge, while during our visit there were two Murciélagos, a Gallardo, an Aventador and even a '90s Maserati Ghilbi being attended to.

When your warranty or service plan runs out on cars like the Huracán and Avantador, these specialists are worth considering, as they have decades' worth of experience. These two brothers are from Italian descent and needless to say they have a passion for cars and especially Lamborghini. 

Angelo Pisanti shares his story and how they ended up as specialists working on Lamborghini. “I started my apprenticeship in 1976 here in South Africa with Ferrari at TAK Motors. I finished my apprenticeship, qualified and left TAK in 1982. Then I worked at an Alfa Romeo dealership for around three years followed by working for Jaguar and managing two fuel stations. We were abroad for a few years and then when we came back we eventually joined Lamborghini.”

Angelo joined Lamborghini locally in 1998 and his brother followed a year later in 1999. Angelo explains: “The first training I received at the factory in Italy working for Lamborghini was on the 6.0-litre Diablo. Years later we started Lambo Auto Services as Imperial didn’t want the brand anymore. It was at this stage when we decided to go on our own. That was in 2018.”

Between the two they have the experience and have been factory-trained up the Huracán and the Aventador. “We can work and maintain the classics as well. We’ve just recently rebuilt a Jalpa, for example.” They can service your car or even rebuild an engine or gearbox. 

As the conversation turns to Diablos, Gennaro comments: “I’ve read a lot about the Diablo being slated as an unreliable car. As far as I am concerned it was a very reliable car. Yes, the Gallardo offers more modern technology, but in its day the Diablo was a very good car. I can also tell you that we have never had any electrical issues on the Diablo. As with any car, you need to get the car up to temperature before you start hammering it.”

Angelo continues: “Often some of these cars are mishandled which can also lead to problems.” We turn around and the pair take the cover off a Gallardo’s engine that they have just rebuilt. Now they are awaiting the car so they can install it. 

The pair don’t really get involved in restorations as it is just too time consuming and clients expect things to be done the next day, which is not always possible. 

Both of them have also worked on some interesting cars in the past. “There were around a handful of LM002s in South Africa at one stage. Their colours included silver, green, red and yellow. A couple have left the country and the others we are not sure of, but currently we know of one in South Africa. You had two types of the LM002. The older ones were fitted with carburettors and later ones had the fuel injection system. It is basically the same engine as the Countach 25th Anniversary.”

Gennaro admits that one of the highlights of their job is when they have, for example, rebuilt an engine and they start it up for the first time and everything works perfectly. “That is really a big satisfaction and is quite rewarding. Make no mistake, it is a lot of work, around 650 hours total.

“Look, for this kind of job you need to be passionate. The first thing you need to do in this job is to learn how to do it. You must be mechanically minded. And then when there are problems, you must learn how to solve these problems.”

Having worked on these cars for two and half decades, I wondered which two Lamborghinis, modern and modern-classic, these brothers would pick if they could. Angelo answers: “I like the Diablo – it is really a fantastic car to drive, it is fun! And then the Huracán.”

Turning around and pointing to the Murciélago, Gennero says: “Of the V12 range, the Murciélago appeals to me. Of the modern ones I’ll pick a Huracán – it is really a perfect car. You can use it on a daily basis and it is reliable. It is one car that Lamborghini has made that is perfect in my opinion.”

In terms of the Aventador, it seems they would prefer the S model as these later models are more driveable, especially in traffic, compared to the early cars. For buyers looking at the Gallardo, it is the LP-560 that they should consider. This is mainly the case owing to the lifespan of the clutch. Interestingly, when a manual version is driven correctly, the clutch can at times last even longer compared to the e-gear versions. 

Lamborghini knowledge abounds between these walls and before we left a few more interesting stories are shared. After the visit it made me wonder, how much are manual Gallardos trading for these days!