Larry Ellison

[mini magic]

yep. got the new modem today (fried the old one..) so look tonight or tomorrow for the pix

[gerd]

SEPTEMBER 18, 2000, MONDAY, FINAL EDITION

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A13; MATIER & ROSS

LENGTH: 1060 words

HEADLINE: Flare-Up Over Smog Check on Ellison's Car

BYLINE: Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross

DATELINE: BAY AREA

BODY:
What is it about billionaire Larry Ellison and his toys?

First there's an uproar over his late-night private jet landings in San Jose, then a yacht salesman drags him to court for allegedly stiffing him on a $700,000 commission. Now comes word of a smog-check flap involving Ellison's prized $1 million McLaren F1 auto.

What we're talking about here is a little silver-gray one-seater with a 627-horsepower engine that is so rare and so expensive that only a half dozen are in the United States.

As sources tell us, Ellison's smog troubles started when investigators from the state Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Automotive Repairs busted a Burlingame mechanic for issuing certificates by mail -- without so much as looking under a car's hood.

As luck would have it, among the many vehicles listed in the mechanic's files was the aforementioned McLaren . . . registered to Oracle Corp. and its chairman, Larry Ellison.

And lo and behold, sources say, investigators found evidence that Ellison's million-dollar ride -- with license plate "ORACLE 8" -- had been issued a phony smog certificate.

Investigators decided they wanted to do their own inspection, but our source says the folks entrusted with taking care of the super sports car tossed up a series of roadblocks that kept the probers at bay for weeks.

Finally, after behind-the-scenes negotiations -- including the intervention of Ellison's attorney -- state investigators were allowed to inspect the car inside a warehouse earlier this month at a closely guarded location in San Carlos.

But our source tells us there were a number of conditions imposed on the inspectors -- including an agreement that they wouldn't photograph the car, wouldn't disclose its location or -- get this -- even start the engine.

Now, in fairness, in order for the British-built car to have entered the country in the first place, it would have to have been put through testing in a certified emissions laboratory overseen by the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

And indeed, when the local investigators finally got a look at the car, it did visually pass muster.

Still, even though no one is saying that billionaire Ellison himself did anything wrong, sources say the consumer department is still trying to deal with the very touchy subject of how -- and to whom -- that illegal smog certificate was issued in the first place.

By the way, we made repeated calls to Ellison's office asking for comment, but the calls went unreturned.

[McLaren F1 Guy]

Interesting story.

BTW, I thought his plates were 'ORACLE1', but I doubt this would be incorrect.

[Peloton25]

Do you have anything more recent that Sept 2000??

Also, since Ellison's car was an Ameritech F1, would it have really gone past the EPA when it entered the country? I thought your friend Fritz had found a way around that at the time?

>8^)
ER

[gerd]

[quote=Peloton25]Do you have anything more recent that Sept 2000??


Arschkriecher

[maartenvanthek]

arschloch

[Peloton25]

Originally Posted by gerd

Arschkriecher

Guess not then, huh??

>8^)
ER

[mini magic]

haha