Lamborghini, la sensazione Italiana
Ferruccio Lamborghini was originally a tractor manufacturer in Italy and Spain. After a dispute with Enzo Ferrari and his dismay with a patronizing reply by Ferrari, in 1963 Lamborghini decided to embark himself on the development and construction of a sports car with the attacking bull in the logo.
The first Lamborghini, the 350 GTV, was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1963, just 4 months after the order was placed. It had a 3.5 litre V12 engine with a capacity of 360 HP, developed by an engineering firm called Società Autostar. Giotto Bizzarrini, a former Ferrari engineer, was the brains behind this engine. The bodywork was designed by Carrozzeria Touring.
The prototype of this 350 GTV became the model for the Lamborghini 350 GT. It remained in production for 2 years. 120 of these cars were ultimately sold. In 1965, Gian Paolo Dallara improved the Bizzarini V12. The cylinder capacity was increased to 3.9 litres and it was brought on the market as the 400 GT (later also as 2+2).
In the meantime, the P400 was developed, which would hit the car market in 1967 as the legendary Miura. It set the standard for sports car with a middle engine.
The 400 GT was followed up by the Islero, but this was not a commercial success. Ferruccio Lamborghini called on the services of Mario Marazzi, a designer at Bertone. He designed the Marzal, a four-seater on the elongated chassis of the Miura. The Marzal never went into production however.
In the meantime, Gian Paolo Dallara left Lamborghini because he was not pleased about the fact that Lamborghini would not embark on automobile sport. He went to work for De Tomaso, and was replaced by his assistant, Paolo Paolo Stanzani.
Bertone convinced Lamborghini to make a real 4-seater. Marcello Gandini designed the Lamborghini Espada, driven by a 3.9 litre V12 engine placed in front. The Espade was a success. More than 1,200 of these cars were sold in 10 years. It formed the basis for the Jarama.
As a reaction to the amended Italian taxation legislation and as an opponent of the Dino 246, the Maserati Merak and the Porsche 911, Lamborghini built the Urraco. This car had a V8 engine and 220 HP.
At the Geneva Motor Show in 1971 Lamborghini unveiled the prototype of the LP500, which would go subsequently go down in history as the Countach – again with a 4.9 litre V12 engine.
In the beginning of the 1970s, Lamborghini’s tractor company ran into serious financial problems. An order cancelled because of state intervention by Bolivia delivered the fatal blow. All the staff were taken over by the tractor manufacturer SAME.
The financial problems spread also to the car production. The production version of the LP500 was not finished and the engine capacity was cut to 4 litres. In the meantime, Lamborghini sold the majority stake in his company to his Swiss friend Georges-Henri Rosetti.
The Countach was launched in 1974 and would remain in production until 1988.
In 1978 Lamborghini went bankrupt. The Swiss brothers Mimran were appointed temporary administrators by the court. They launched the Jalpa and the Silhouette during this period.
In 1984 the Mimran brothers became the fully-fledged owners of Lamborghini. Their first car was the LM002 SUV. It turned out to be a failure. Fortunately, the upgrade of the Countach, the Quattrovalvole – which boasted 455 HP – managed to salvage the situation somewhat.
And yet the Mimran brothers could not keep the ship afloat. It was Lee Iacocca, the boss of the Chrysler corporation who took over Lamborghini, unbeknownst to the shareholders of Chrysler. Chrysler decided to launch Lamborghini in auto racing.
The Diablo was unveiled in 1990. It was the fastest car in the world at the time, and accounted for good sales, enabling Lamborghini to return to the black. Lamborghini then started to develop V12 engines for racing boats.
The success of the Diablo was short lived. The price tag of $240,000 was too high.
Chrysler went again in search of a buyer and fond one in Indonesia. The Diablo was updated and managed to turn a profit again.
The financial crisis which hit Asia in 1998 meant that Lamborghini changed hands again. The new CEO of Volkswagen AG, Ferdinand Piëch, was hunting for a bargain and had previously bought Bentley and Bugatti. Lamborghini also wound up in the hands of Audi AG.
After 11 years of production, it was time to replace the Diablo. The successor was the Murciélago, designed by the Belgian designer Luc Donckerwolke, who had in the meantime taken over the reins at Lamborghini.
In 2003, the “baby-Lambo” was launched. The Gallardo, as it was named, was equipped with a V10 engine. It remained in production until 2013, and a total of 14,022 such cars were built. It was in turn followed by the Huracàn LP610, which thanks to a 610 HP engine, could achieve a top speed of 325 km/hour and accelerated from 0 to 100 km in 3.2 seconds.
The 700 HP Aventador was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2011 as the successor of the Murciélago.
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