Supercar wars looming; Lamborghini readying for a run at Ferrari for U.S. market dominance.(Brief Article)

Lamborghini, long considered an also-ran to Ferrari, has its rival Italian automaker square in its sights as it gears up for a major assault on the lucrative North American supercar market. And the newly emboldened car builder known for its Countaches and Diablos is starting its push by recruiting key technical talent from Ferrari's own U.S. service organization.

Ken McKay, who ran Ferrari's U.S. service network for two decades until the 1990s, has already recently recruited several veteran Ferrari technicians for his fledgling, Boston-based Lamborghini Technical Services. ``The key is to have the talent-we really needed a good couple of guys,'' said McKay. ``I thought I did pretty good.''

Pretty good? Though McKay's forays so far have provoked a simple ``no comment'' from Ferrari of North America, others in the Ferrari ranks see where this confrontation is headed. A Ferrari dealer who asked not to be identified said the days when Lamborghini was content to sell cars to buyers who weren't able to get a Ferrari may be numbered.

``The first thing they need is spectacular product, which they don't have yet,'' said the dealer. ``But it's not a question of `if,' it's just a question of `when' [Lamborghini will become a stronger competitor].''

Product is coming-thanks in no small part to Audi's acquisition of Lamborghini in 1998. Audi's parent company, Volkswagen, is known worldwide for its product leadership, and VW CEO Ferdinand Piech is bringing that same strength to bear on Lamborghini.

First up is the much-anticipated Diablo replacement, the L147. The super-luxury sports coupe will be unveiled in Frankfurt in September and will make its U.S. debut next January in Detroit. Deliveries of the first models to U.S. dealers could occur before the January showing.

Lamborghini CEO Giuseppe Greco has promised L147 will be better than the Diablo in performance and ...