Lamborghiniology - A History of Lamborghinihttp://www.supacarnova.com/lamborghiniology history lamborghini/

It may come as a surprise - or it may not, depending on how into your cars you are - to knowthat the story of one of the most successful luxury sports car manufacturers in the world allstarted with a farmer’s son and a troublesome clutch. Well, sort of. Read on to find out moreabout Lamborghini’s rise to domination in the automobile world...

Lamborghini 350 GT

Ferruccio Lamborghini’s Beginnings: Getting Rich Off Agricultural Machinery

Born to grape farmers in north Italy in 1916, Ferruccio Lamborghini grew up being far moreinterested in the mechanics of agricultural machinery that agriculture itself. He trained andworked as a mechanic during the Second World War, and in the following period of economicreform in Italy, Ferruccio recognised the need for quality agricultural machinery such as tractors.He founded Lamborghini Trattori in 1948, and it went on to become an important and respectedmanufacturer of agricultural equipment. Other successful ventures included air conditioning andoil heater companies, as well as opening his own garage and tinkering with motors in his sparetime. By the 1960s, Ferruccio Lamborghini was living very comfortably.

Ferruccio Lamborghini

The Seed is Planted…and Ferrari Snubbed

As a wealthy entrepreneur and automobile enthusiast, Ferruccio was, of course, in possessionof a number of flashy sports cars, including a Ferrari 250 GT, a Mercedes Benz 300SL and twoMaserati 3500 GTs. Yet despite this love of fast cars, Ferruccio couldn’t help but think he coulddo better; the Maseratis he drove felt ‘heavy to drive’ and he had repeated trouble with theclutch in his Ferrari, which resulted in irritating return trips back to the mechanics in Maranello tofix it. Legend has it that when Ferruccio Lamborghini complained to Enzo Ferrari about hissubstandard quality of his car’s clutch, the latter dismissed him a mere tractor manufacturer andtold him that the problem was with the driver, not with the car. Burn. Whether this is thelegitimate reason for Ferruccio going into the manufacture of super cars or simply an amusinganecdote repeated over the years remains unknown... I suspect that for a wealthy carenthusiast with a strong background in mechanics & design and an eye for growing trends,Ferruccio knew a lucrative business venture when he saw one. No need to question it too much,as what resulted was the beginning of over 50 years (and counting) of innovative and

fascinating car design that have given the likes of Ferrari and Maserati a run for their money.

Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini is Formed

In May 1963, Ferruccio Lamborghini bought a plot of land in Sant’Agata Bolognese upon whichhe’d build his factory and the foundations of the company. This was the start of ‘AutomobiliFerruccio Lamborghini’ and what a start it was. Ferruccio’s date for the official presentation ofhis first model was set for the 1963 Turin Auto Show in November. This means that in just sevenmonths, Ferruccio set up a fully functioning factory (and one that is widely recognised as beingan unrivalled ultra modern structure for its time), collected the necessary equipment, and hiredteams of mechanics, engineers and designers to develop and build his concept. Astonishingly,he pulled it off - and the result was the 350 GTV prototype. It was a success, and the 360 hpV12 that was powered it - designed by former Ferrari chief engineer Giotto Bizzarrini - was tohave a significant impact on future models. 1964 saw the birth of the 350 GT and the 400 GT,which featured the first gearbox designed specifically by Lamborghini, and an engine upped to afour litre.

Lamborghini 400GT

Swinging Sixties’ Supercar: Miura

The sixties was a period of creativity and success, during which time Lamborghini produced a

surprisingly large number of models and started to gain notoriety around the world. One suchmodel that would set the bar high for future Lamborghini designs was the now infamous Miura.

Lamborghini Miura

What to say about the Miura? Named after the strongest of all fighting bulls, choosing this namedrew parallels between Ferruccio’s first powerful supercar and the fiercest, most intelligentfighting bull. It started off as a secret project codenamed 400 TP, the concept of which was toproduce a road model to zoom around the countryside; more centred on the idea of a race carrather than another reshape of the traditional GT. Safe to say the Miura was anything but.Thetwo young engineers in charge of the project - Dallara and Stanzani - designed the car with the4 litre 12 cylinder engine of the 400 GT uniquely mounted behind the cockpit; something thathad previously never been done in a road going sports car. When Ferruccio saw the project, heloved it (apparently this was quite a relief to D & S, who had been slightly apprehensive aboutwhat the big boss man would think about their controversial engine placement). He thought thatit would be good advertising for the brand if the car was built, though it would ‘clearly never sellmore than fifty worldwide’. How wrong he was... Once again, a prototype was put together justin the nick of time for the Turin Auto Show and was a hit. The Lamborghini team now had a newtarget: to go from rolling prototype to viable road going and sellable car in just four months,ready for a grand unveiling at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show in February. Everyone on theproject worked seven days a week in order to get the job done - though rumour has it that the

engine didn’t quite fit in the engine bay in time so they added ballast to the compartment so thatno one would notice anything untoward, and kept the engine cover locked against prying eyes...Despite this the car was a hit, and Ferruccio hyped the Miura even more by taking a brightorange model to the Monte Carlo Grand Prix and parking it in front of the Hotel de Paris Casinowhere it set tongues wagging and onlookers gawking.

Brand Evolution & Setbacks: Ferruccio Wants Out

Following the success of the Miura, Lamborghini proved it was at the forefront ofexperimentation and design as it continued to evolve. One of the most notable models from thislate 60s early 70s period was the Espada; a car that was predominantly glass with a futuristicshape, but with space for all the family as a four seater. Handy, and so very 70s.

Lamborghini Espada

And what can we say about the Countach? This hyper futuristic, super fast (with a top speed of192 mph) frankly bizarre looking model was a runaway hit, with a production run that lasted forover 16 years. In a short space of time, Lamborghini gained a reputation as one of the leadingsuper car manufacturers in the world.

Lamborghini Countach

Sadly, this was not to last. In the early 70s came a number of external events that had drasticeffects for Lamborghini: an oil crisis, worldwide financial crisis, problems with labour strikes inItaly AND a tractor deal with the Bolivian government that went very wrong... The company washit hard, and in 1972 Ferruccio sold 51% of his stake in the company to Swiss Georges HenriRossetti. The following year he sold his remaining shares to his friend, René Leimer. With that,the founder of the company was out. It didn’t get much better after that - Lamborghini was

passed around various owners and filed for bankruptcy in 1978.Lamborghini Jalpa

In 1980 foodie entrepreneurs Mimran brothers took it, and contributed the Jalpa sports car andthe shockingly ugly Jeep esque LM002 off road vehicle before selling it onto the ChryslerCorporation in 1987. Chrysler swiftly discontinued both of these flops of vehicles and replacedthe Countach with the Diablo, Lamborghini’s key money maker for the 90s. In 1994 Lamborghiniwas sold on once again; this time to a group of Indonesian investors who all but ran Lambo intothe ground with poor management, directional uncertainty and some frankly shocking businesschoices - like trying to bring back the LM002, that awful incredibly unsuccessful off roader fromthe 80s.

Lamborghini Diablo

A New Dawn for Lamborghini: Partnership with Volkswagen

Rescue for Lamborghini came in 1998, when the company was sold to Volkswagen and placedunder the control of Audi. Audi breathed life back into the dying company, and in 2001Lamborghini’s first new design in over 11 years was released - the Murciélago.

Lamborghini Murciélago

This beauty of a two seater with its 6.2 litre V12 engine and gull wing doors was exactly whatwas needed to get Lamborghini back on track. It was swiftly followed by the Gallardo in 2003,and 2011’s Aventador LP 700 4 - better known as the most recent Batmobile.

Lamborghini Aventador

In sum, the Volkswagen partnership was a success. 2013 saw Lamborghini celebrate its 50thanniversary; a milestone it once looked like it would never reach. To mark the occasion, Lamboreleased a cracking car - the £2.8 million racing prototype Veneno, of which only 3 wereproduced - and staged a Grand Tour across Italy, in which 350 Lamborghinis drove in a 4km long convoy from the Piazza Castello in Milan to the company’s birthplace in Sant’AgataBolognese.

Lamborghini Veneno

This year, Ferrucio Lamborghini would have been 100 years old. In celebration of the birthday ofits founder, Lamborghini has produced something slightly better than a birthday cake, and it’scalled the Centenario. Coming in at a hefty £1.7 million per 760bhp all carbon fibre hypercar,the 40 models - 20 roadsters and 20 coupes - sold almost instantly. And the amazing thing? Allthat money was handed over before the grand unveiling at this year’s Geneva Show, meaningthat these customers parted with their cash based only on a few sketches. Oh to have that fewmillion lying around...

Lamborghini Centenario

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