Thanksgiving with the fam would be so much more bearable if Grandma were forced to pass the gravy around the front fender of a Lamborghini Gallardo. This odd display is set up outside the William Ashley store in downtown Toronto to promote a contest for a 20-piece set of fine china. The Gallardo was hoisted up with a crane and delicately set atop four tea cups beneath each wheel. There's literally nothing holding up this car's curb weight of 3,153 lbs. except four tiny tea cups. It's rather odd to use a high performance exotic like the Lamborghini Gallardo to excite the tea and crumpets crowd, but we suspect the car's Kermit green color is more than enough to attract interest from passersby. Here are some other car-related contests highlighted at Entertowin.com:
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Vexorg @ Sep 18th 2006 5:42PM
Tempest on a teapot?
sleepymexi @ Sep 18th 2006 5:46PM
Heh, you said 'teat cups'.
Frank-HO @ Sep 18th 2006 5:47PM
There's literally nothing holding up this car's curb weight of 3,153 lbs. except four tiny teat cups
WTF is a TEAT cup?
chuck goolsbee @ Sep 18th 2006 6:21PM
#3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassiere
Eric L. @ Sep 18th 2006 6:33PM
Jokes aside, how is it possible four teacups hold up a heavy car? Thats some porcelain!
A Gupta @ Sep 18th 2006 6:46PM
Yeah, those are some strong tea cups for realz.
Lee Gibson @ Sep 18th 2006 6:47PM
I'd rather have the car than the tea set. Even in that bilious green...I'd drive it 'till the wheels fell off.
DPC car videos @ Sep 18th 2006 6:50PM
is that for real? I will not look at a tea cup the same way.
Nicola James @ Sep 18th 2006 7:29PM
This is always spectacular but it is not new - I remember Harrods doing this in the 70's with a Rolls on 4 Wedgewood mugs.
All hype no substance @ Sep 18th 2006 7:52PM
Lamborghini has always been the perfect car for posers. Perhaps the most hideous brand. Never won a single race since birth and relies on flash and more flash.
If you want to spot a weak guy filled with ego, look for a lamborghini. Completely devoid of susbtance lamborghini is the perfect car to burn dad's millions.
Chris B @ Sep 18th 2006 8:09PM
Cool, I've walking by this every day on my way to work since it went up last week, but I never thought it to be Autoblog.com worthy.
I did submit it to TeatCupBlog.com last Friday though.
Steve @ Sep 18th 2006 8:38PM
I think it has something to do with preceise weight distribution. It's just like if you fell onto a bed of nails, you'd get hurt bad. if you gently lower your body correctly onto it, the nails will not break skin.
Paulo Becker @ Sep 18th 2006 9:57PM
I have to disagree with post no. 10. I think Lamborghini is everything Ferrari isn't. Brutal, raw and untamed, just like cars ought to be IMHO. If I were to spend hundreds of thousands on a car, I'd definitely get either a Lambo or a Zonda. No prancing poneys for me, thank you very much.
Mike from Scarborough @ Sep 18th 2006 10:02PM
Ashleys is a Primo store for the rich in Toronto,it's in an posh area for Tourists,Torontonians, and even people from Scarborough are allowed there (East part of the City , Mike Myers grew up there).I was working on a job at the building all last week,Mr. Ashley does this sort of thing every year right around the Film Festival, wich was also last week.He's had several exotics on his Tea cups.It's for real.To bad they picked a Lambo with a 1970 Dodge high impact colour.
robbie @ Sep 18th 2006 11:28PM
wow that will come in handy when a car accidentally lands on my tea cup during afternoon tea.
Seriously, since when is the compression strength of a teacup important? I'd be more impressed if the tea cup survived a low-speed impact, like when I drop them on the floor in an alcohol-related fury.
Ceramics are inherently strong materials in compression, if you load them slowly so they don't see any tensile forces.
Also, these might be the "special" tea cups, you know, the ones with the solid core =)
Michael @ Sep 19th 2006 5:23AM
Ceramics have extremely high strengths - especially under compression. It's their fracture resistance and impact loading resistance that is (usually) so pitifully low. Also, note the base that separates the cup from the tyre. This ensures that the car's weight is distributed evenly over the whole rim of the cup, and there aren't any "spikes" of stress in one area.
If the car is loaded carefully, the material properties of the material (plus some clever thinking) would be enough to hold the car. No tricks required.
Tommy Hat @ Sep 19th 2006 1:58PM
Thats right outside my office! I saw it yesterday up close, it's pretty remarkable.
They had armed guards around it to make sure anyone didnt steal the car... or the cutlery
blahblahblah @ Sep 19th 2006 2:06PM
Only losers/posers get lambo's... it's all about the Ariel Atom 2. That car is amazing.
Groknal @ Sep 19th 2006 2:24PM
Teat cup, noun. See Bra.
Seandon Mooy @ Sep 19th 2006 4:09PM
"All hype no substance":
The Lamborghini Gallardo is a wonderful car. while Ill be the first one to point out Honda's 45,000$ MR V6-turbo in the NSX-t has won the Nuremberg Trial 3 times while Gallardo has taken zero back to italy- This doesnt make the Gallardo a 'bad' car. Yes theyre over priced, yes its just 500hp, yes 19-year-olds in 2000$ suped-up '85 Mustangs can out pace it (ive seen it), but the Gallardo is a CAR. .1001 on the skidpad (better than the BMW mcClaren F1, close to the Enzo), 500Bhp and close to 500lbs of torque. No matter how much you LOVE your civic, your mustang, hell, even your porshe, id bet Mr. Ashleys 'teat' cups that you'd trade it for the Gallardo.