For the first time, I’m sharing this story publicly.

In 2008, I set out to solve a problem that no one in the supercar world seemed to care about:
Tall drivers had nowhere to go.

At 6’6” and 280 pounds, I could barely fit into more than a handful of sports cars. Maybe four or five at most. I wasn’t just uncomfortable—I was excluded.

I decided to change that.

The Birth of 215 Racing

I founded 215 Racing with a simple but radical idea: build a supercar designed to fit everyone—even giants like me.

I linked up with Daniel Chinchilla, a rising designer who had trained under the Lamborghini Design School. We took one of his raw designs and transformed it into a car we called the Mostro Di Potenza—Italian for "Monster of Power."

We dubbed the prototype SF22—a nod to the F-22 fighter jet—with "SF" standing for Street Fighter. We knew that if we were going to enter the hypercar world, we couldn’t just show up.
We had to kick the door off the hinges.

For the engine, we partnered with Tom Nelson of Nelson Racing Engines (NRE) to build a 2000-horsepower monster. Fran Hall of Race Car Replicas (RCR) was set to design the chassis.

There was only one problem: money.

This was before crowdfunding was a thing. We dropped a press release that stirred up buzz—but still no investor dollars rolled in.

Then Lamborghini Called...

In 2010, I was introduced to Joan Ferci, the owner of Lamborghini LatinoAmerica.

He was interested. Very interested.

For me and my family, it was life-changing news. The dream of building the world’s first truly tall-driver-friendly supercar suddenly felt real.

But I was skeptical. I’d never heard of Joan Ferci. And when he told me he had the rights to the Lamborghini name and logo for 99 years—well, let’s just say my alarm bells went off.

To prove it, he sent me copies of his contracts. I had two separate attorneys vet everything. Both confirmed: it was real.

There was a catch, though.
While Joan owned the brand rights, he didn’t have cash to fund the build.

Still, I had already experienced the brand's power firsthand. That year at SEMA, wearing a Lamborghini LatinoAmerica badge, doors opened to me that would have been closed otherwise. Executives’ eyes widened just seeing my name tag.

The brand had magic. I just needed to find a way to use it.

Shifting Gears: Building Lamborghini Lifestyle

Through a mutual friend at SEMA, I met Paul Glassner, who introduced me to Bob Branner—the former CEO of Lamborghini itself.

Bob recognized the contracts immediately—his own signature was on them. After verifying everything, he became not only a mentor but a close advisor.

One of the first things Bob told me was blunt but true:

"No Lamborghini owner is going to buy a Lamborghini made in Argentina."

After some reflection, I agreed. So, we pivoted.

In addition to cars, the contracts allowed us to brand lifestyle products. I decided to follow the path of Tonino Lamborghini’s luxury goods line and Ferrari’s merchandising empire.

Thus, Lamborghini Lifestyle was born.

We started small: a premium cigar line honoring the first Lamborghini (the 350 GT) and the year Lamborghini entered the automotive world (MCMXCIV, or 1964).

The cigars caught fire. Orders grew steadily. Momentum was on our side.

The Dream Collapses

Then, it happened.

About two or three years into the journey, I was served a Cease and Desist from Lamborghini, Volkswagen, and Porsche.

Crushed doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt.
It was a spinning back kick to the gut.

How could I face my family? My friends? Everyone who believed in this dream?

I called Bob. At this point, he wasn’t just my mentor—he was my friend and therapist rolled into one.

Legally, I had an indemnity clause that should have protected me. Technically, the fight was Joan’s responsibility.

But loyalty mattered to me. We had become friends, and I wasn’t about to abandon him.

We fought back hard, for years. But Lamborghini’s lawyers were relentless. They tried everything to break through the indemnity shield.

Eventually, Joan stopped answering my calls—on his attorney's advice.

By the time he switched legal teams and tried to re-engage, the damage was already done.
My dream was dead.

The Return to Aviation—and a New Beginning

I went back to my roots, returning to aviation as a Chief Inspector for helicopters. It felt like a quiet retreat after years of trying to storm the gates.

But the fire never left me.

Today, I have a renewed passion to finish what I started so many years ago.
To build a supercar not just for myself—but for every driver who's ever been told they didn’t fit the mold.

As for Joan Ferci, he’s still fighting his battles.
They even have a name for it now: #Lambogate.

I wish him the best.

And as for me—
this story isn’t over.