|
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.,
commonly known as Lamborghini, is a manufacturer of high performance
sports cars based in the small Italian village of Sant'Agata Bolognese,
near Bologna. The company was founded in 1963 by Ferruccio Lamborghini
(1916–1993) as a spin-off from his very successful tractor factory,
Lamborghini Trattori S.p.A.. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Ferruccio Lamborghini was an enthusiastic owner of sports cars, including a
Ferrari. There are several versions of why Lamborghini started his own
company, all of them involving a conflict between himself and Enzo Ferrari.
The most common version, as told by Lamborghini's son, is that Ferruccio
Lamborghini went to meet Enzo Ferrari at the Ferrari factory to complain
about the quality of the clutch in Lamborghini's Ferrari 250 GT. Enzo
Ferrari sent him away telling him to go and drive tractors because he was
not able to drive cars. Lamborghini went back to his factory, had his
Ferrari's clutch dismantled and realized that the clutch manufacturer was
the same who supplied the clutches for his tractors. In his spare part
warehouse he found a spare part which he thought suitable, he installed it
and solved the problem. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Featuring bodies designed by
Franco Scaglione, Touring of Milan, Zagato,
Mario Marazzi, Bertone, ItalDesign, Marcello Gandini and Luc Donckerwolke,
Lamborghini's cars are not only amongst the most expensive and powerful
road-going vehicles made, but are also considered by many to be amongst the
most stunning and impressive in appearance. Contrary to a frequent
misunderstanding, Ferruccio himself never was a bullfighting supporter but
loved bulls and was a Taurus, which explains why most models have a name
somehow related to bulls. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Lamborghini's products include the 350GTV (1963), 350GT (1964), 400GT
(1965), Miura (1966), Flying Star II (1966), Marzal (1966), Espada (1968),
Islero (1968), Jarama (1970), Countach (1974), Bravo (1974), Silhouette
(1976), Jalpa (1982), LM002 (1986), Diablo (1990), Cala (1995), Murciélago
(2001) and the Gallardo (2003). Although Lamborghini has continuously shown
engineering expertise with the more civil models such as 350GT, 400GT,
Espada, Jarama, Jalpa and Gallardo, it is the outrageous supercars that have
established the Lamborghini name and look with the public. The Miura, the
Countach, the Diablo, and the Murciélago continue to be the most desired
sportscars of all of their peers. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
The current (2006) range consists of the Murciélago LP640, the Murciélago
Roadster and the smaller, less expensive Gallardo and Gallardo Spyder. All
are very fast, mid-engined 2-seaters with four-wheel-drive as standard. The
styling is largely the work of Belgian designer Luc Donckerwolke. Future
models may include a revived Miura Supercar to rival the Ferrari Enzo. A
rear-wheel-drive version of the Gallardo and possibly an SUV in the spirit
of the LM002 might also appear. Future Lamborghini models will be penned by
Walter de'Silva, who designed the 2006 Miura concept car and who replaced
Luc Donckerwolke as head of Centro Stile Lamborghini, Lamborghini's in-house
design department. |
|
