Tuesday, May 6, 1963. Exactly sixty years have passed since Ferruccio Lamborghini founded his company, now one of the most prestigious, exclusive, and celebrated in the world. Lamborghini’s entrepreneurial project has deep roots in the past. However, its founding is traditionally traced back to an argument between Enzo Ferrari and none other than Ferruccio himself.
60 years of Lamborghini through six designs that made history
A history of the company from Sant'Agata Bolognese through its key models, from the first car to more recent evolutions, passing through a precursor SUV and the Gandini-designed Countach, which redefined supercar design.
Courtesy Lamborghini
Courtesy Lamborghini
Courtesy Lamborghini
Courtesy Lamborghini
Courtesy Lamborghini
Courtesy Lamborghini
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- Federico M. Fabbri
- 27 February 2023
The latter, a successful entrepreneur in the tractor business – as well as in the boilers and air conditioners ones – owned a Ferrari 250 GT and often complained about its faulty clutch. Fed up with the costly replacement of this component, he wrote to The Drake to sit down and have a chat. The Drake replied, not without a good dose of pride, that he should go and focus on his agricultural machinery. Lamborghini thus decided to set up his own supercar company. Thanks to his considerable financial resources, he could summon brilliant technicians: Franco Scaglione for the coachwork, Gian Paolo Dallara and Paolo Stanzani for the chassis, and Giotto Bizzarrini for the engine.
The first Lamborghini in history – the 350 GTV – wasn’t particularly successful because of its perhaps too futuristic design: it remained a one-off. The project was then entrusted to the Milan-based coachbuilder Touring, who, while respecting pre-existing standards, developed a more classic design. Most 350 GTs were equipped with a 3.5-liter 320 CV V12 engine. Others were fitted with a 4-liter V12 engine, which still delivered the same power, but with more torque and a more comfortable ride. The fairy tale had begun.
Few cars have changed the automotive world like the Miura. With its rear-center engine and fascinating body designed by Marcello Gandini for Bertone, the Miura broke all the rules. It was sensual, bold, and very fast. It was 1966 when, thanks to this model, Lamborghini shaped and defined the concept of supercar. Skeptical about the possibility of selling it in large numbers, Ferruccio agreed to a small production run. Between 1966 and 1969, 275 Miuras with 350 CV engines were built, followed by more powerful versions. The last Miura SV was delivered in January 1973 in Milan, Italy.
Along with the Miura, the Countach represented the backbone of the Sant’Agata Bolognese company’s legend. Once again, Marcello Gandini drew for Bertone an unmistakable car that still makes the list of today’s supercars. The Countach left everyone speechless with its wedge-shaped, clean, contemporary, and futuristic body. It was just over a meter high and its doors opened vertically. The Countach founded the concept of the modern supercar. This car set a benchmark, an aesthetic and construction paradigm that endures to this day. Under the bonnet, the V12 was mounted lengthwise; on the outside, its geometric, essential design was both iconic and elegant, and a stunning sight. The last of this lineage was born in the summer of 1990, when the first Diablo rolled off the assembly line.
In the late 1970s, Mobility Technology International participated in the XR311 project to develop a military ground vehicle for the U.S. Army. The result was a car that resembled a large dune buggy with the engine in the rear center position. The project, which failed, was proposed again in 1981, and after a few prototypes, Lamborghini presented the LM002 to the general public. It was 1986. This powerful off-roader, equipped with the Countach engine, boasted and still boasts muscular lines and pharaonic proportions, and easily exceeded 200 km/h. Nothing like it had ever been seen before.
The company from Sant’Agata Bolognese wanted a supercar with a top speed of at least 320 km/h. Lamborghini’s maestros succeeded in fulfilling this wish – and even exceeded it. With a top speed of 325 km/h and 0-100 km/h acceleration of 4.5 seconds, the Diablo ranked first in performance among supercars. It became the worthy heir of the Miura and Countach: it was wide, low, and aggressive, almost intimidating. Needless to say, it immediately struck a chord with enthusiasts, so much so that nearly 3,000 units were sold in eleven years.
In 1998, Automobili Lamborghini was acquired by the Volkswagen Group, and in 2001 the stunning Murcielago debuted to herald the new road ahead. But if the V12-powered flagship put off many, the “smaller” Gallardo arrived in 2003 to rocket the Emilian brand’s budgets. The front section was reduced and the windshield pushed forward – the classic wedge shape evolved and stretched out to the front, reinterpreting the brand’s signature design in its own special way. Powered by a fierce V10 engine with a spine-tingling sound, the Gallardo was produced in more than 35 versions and 14,000 units by 2013, becoming the best-selling Lamborghini ever at its time. It was all downhill from there, with the Urus, Huracán, and Aventador setting one sales record after another.