Lamborghini history

Over the entire period of its existence, and this is already about 57 years, the Italian company Lamborghini, which has become part of a huge concern, has earned a reputation as a global brand that commands the respect of competitors and the delight of fans of a wide variety of models - from roadsters to SUVs. And this despite the fact that production started practically from scratch and was on the verge of stopping several times. We propose to follow the history of the development of a successful brand that linked the names of the models of its collection with the names of the famous bulls participating in the bullfight.

The creator of amazing sports cars and his idea were initially considered insane, but Ferruccio Lamborghini was not interested in the opinions of others. He stubbornly pursued his dream and, as a result, presented the world with a unique and beautiful model, which was subsequently improved, changed, but at the same time retained a unique design.

The ingenious idea of ​​vertically opening scissor doors, which is now used by many manufacturers of sports cars, is called "lambo doors" and has become a trademark of the successful Italian brand.

Currently, Automobili Lamborghini SpA, under the auspices of Audi AG, is part of the huge Volkswagen AG concern, but has its headquarters in the small provincial town of Sant'Agata Bolognese, which is part of the Emilia Romagna administrative region. And this is in some 15 km from the city of Maranello, where the famous racing car factory - Ferrari is based.

Initially, the production of cars was not included in Lamborghini's plans. 

The enterprise was engaged exclusively in the development of agricultural machinery, and a little later, industrial refrigeration equipment. But starting from the 60s of the last century, the direction of the factory's activities changed dramatically, which served as the beginning for the release of high-speed supercars.

The merit of founding the company belongs to Ferruccio Lamborghini, who was reputed to be a successful entrepreneur. The official date of foundation of Automobili Lamborghini SpA is May 1963. Success came immediately after the release of the first copy, which took part in the Turin exhibition in October of the same year. It was the prototype Lamborghini 350 GT that went into series production less than a year later.

Prototype Lamborghini 350 GT

Soon, no less interesting model Lamborghini 400 GT was released, high sales from which allowed the development of the Lamborghini Miura, which became a kind of "visiting card" of the brand.

The first difficulties Lamborghini faced in the 70s, when the founder of Lamborghini had to sell his share of the founder (production of tractors) to his competitors - Fiat. The act was related to the breakdown of a contract under which South America pledged to accept a large batch of cars. Now tractors under the Lamborghini brand are produced by Same Deutz-Fahr Group SpA

The seventies of the last century brought considerable success and profits to the Ferruccio factory. Nevertheless, he decided to sell his rights as a founder, first the majority (51%) to the Swiss investor Georges-Henri Rosetti, and the rest to his compatriot Rene Leimer. Many believe that the reason for this was the indifference of the heir - Tonino Lamborghini - to the production of cars.

Meanwhile, the global fuel and financial crisis forced Lamborghini owners to change. The number of customers was decreasing due to delays in deliveries, which, in turn, depended on imported spare parts, which also missed deadlines. 

To amend the financial situation, an agreement was concluded with BMW, according to which Lamborghini undertook to fine-tune their sports car and start production. But the company was sorely lacking time for the "foster", as more attention and funds were paid to its new model Cheetah (Cheetah). But the contract was nevertheless terminated, despite the fact that the design and development of BMW were completed.

Lamborghini's successors had to file for bankruptcy in 1978. By the decision of the English court, the company was put up for auction and bought by the Swiss - the Mimram brothers, the owners of the Mimran Group. And already in 1987 Lamborghini came into the possession of Chrysler (Chrysler). Seven years later, this investor could not stand the financial burden, and after changing another owner, the Italian manufacturer was finally admitted to the large concern Volkswagen AG as part of the firmly on its feet Audi.

Thanks to Ferruccio Lamborghini, the world saw inimitable supercars of a unique design that are still admired today. It is believed that only a select few can become owners of a car - successful and self-confident people.

In the 12th year of the new millennium, an agreement was concluded between the Burevestnik Group and the Russian Lamborghini Russia on the recognition of the official dealership of the latter. Now a service center has been opened in the Russian Federation on behalf of a renowned brand with the opportunity not only to get acquainted with the entire Lamborghini collection and to buy / order the selected model, but even to purchase exclusive overalls, various accessories and spare parts.

Founder

A small clarification: in Russian, the company is often mentioned in the sound of "Lamborghini", probably because attention is drawn to the letter "g" (ji), but this pronunciation is incorrect. Italian grammar, however, like in some cases English, provides for the pronunciation of the combination of letters "gh", like the sound "g". This means that the pronunciation of Lamborghini is the only correct option.

Ferruccio Lamborghini (April 28.04.1916, 20.02.1993 - February XNUMX, XNUMX)

It is known that the creator of unique brands of sports cars from childhood was fascinated by the secrets of various mechanisms. Not being a great psychologist, his father Antonio nevertheless showed parental wisdom and arranged a small workshop for a teenager within the confines of his farm. Here the future founder of the famous Lamborghini company mastered the necessary basics of design and even managed to invent mechanisms that were successful.

Ferruccio gradually honed his skills to professionalism in the Bologna engineering school, and later acting as a mechanic, while in the army. And at the end of World War II, Ferruccio returned to his homeland in the province of Renazzo, where he was engaged in the reconstruction of military vehicles into agricultural equipment.

The successful venture marked the beginning of the opening of its own business, so the first company owned by Ferruccio Lamborghini appeared - Lamborghini Trattori SpA, which produced a tractor completely developed by a young businessman. The recognizable logo - a fighting bull on a shield - appeared literally right away, even on the first tractors of its own design.

A tractor designed by Ferruccio Lamborghini

The end of the 40s became significant for an entrepreneur-inventor. The successful start was the reason to think about the founding of a second company. And in 1960, the production of heating equipment and industrial cooling equipment appeared - the Lamborghini Bruciatori company. 

The incredible success brought an unexpected enrichment that allowed one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Italy to set up his own garage with the most expensive sports car models: Jaguar E-type, Maserati 3500GT, Mercedes-Benz 300SL. But the favorite of the collection was the Ferrari 250 GT, of which there were several copies in the garage.

With all his love for expensive sports cars, Ferruccio saw imperfections in every design that he wanted to fix. Therefore, the idea arose to create a perfect and unique car of our own production.

Many witnesses claim that the master was pushed to a serious decision by a quarrel with the famous racing car manufacturer Enzo Ferrari, already known in those years. 

Despite his adherence to his favorite car, Ferruccio had to repeatedly resort to repairs, he told the sports car manufacturer about this.

Being a hot-tempered man, Enzo replied sharply, in the spirit of "take care of your tractors if you know nothing about the mechanisms for racing cars." Unfortunately (for Ferrari), Lamborghini was also Italian, and such a statement hooked him with the Super-Ego, because he, too, was well versed in cars.

Getting angry in earnest, the foreman, upon returning to the garage, decided to independently determine the cause of the poor clutch performance. Having disassembled the machine completely, Ferruccio discovered a great similarity of the transmission to the mechanics in his tractors, so it was not difficult for him to fix the problem.

Then, an instant decision was made to fulfill his old dream - to create his own high-speed car to spite Enzo Ferrari. However, he promised himself that his cars, unlike Ferrari, will never take part in racing tournaments. His idea was considered insane, deciding that the future founder of Automobili Lamborghini SpA just decided to go broke.

As history has shown, to the surprise and admiration of observers of the development of the company, Lamborghini has shown the world the extraordinary abilities of his talent. Altogether founder

Emblem

The Italian manufacturer does not seek to put on stream the production of incredibly expensive cars, the small legendary Lamborghini headed the management of affairs for about 10 years, but continued to follow decisive events until the end of his life (1993). The last model he found was the Lamborghini Diablo (1990). The batches are designed for ambitious and wealthy buyers. This idea, perhaps, lies in the company's logo, which symbolizes incredible power, strength and self-confidence. 

The emblem changed slightly in color until it received the final version - a golden fighting bull on a black background. It is believed that the author of the idea was Ferruccio Lamborghini himself. Perhaps a certain role was played by the zodiac sign under which the master was born (28.04.1916/XNUMX/XNUMX - the sign of Taurus). Plus, he was a big fan of bullfighting.

The bull's pose is skillfully captured in a fight with a matador. And the names of the models are given in honor of the famous toros, who distinguished themselves in battle. No less symbolic is the connection between the formidable strong animal and the power of the machine, first created by Lamborghini - the tractor. 

The bull is placed on a black shield. There is a version that Ferruccio "borrowed" it from Enzo Ferrari in order to annoy him somehow. The colors of the Ferrari and Lamborghini logos are diametrically opposed, a black reared horse from the Enzo cars emblem is located in the middle of the yellow shield. But what Lamborghini was actually guided by when creating his distinctive sign - now no one will say for sure, it will remain his secret.

Automotive brand history in models 

The very first prototype, the prototype Lamborghini 350 GTV, was shown at the Turin Exhibition in mid-autumn 1963. The car accelerated to 280 km / h, had 347 horsepower, a V12 engine and a two-seater coupe. Literally six months later, the serial version has already debuted in Geneva.

Lamborghini 350 GTV (1964)

The next model Lamborghini 400 GT, which has no less success, was exhibited in 1966. Its body was made of aluminum, the body was slightly changed, the engine power (350 horsepower) and volume (3,9 liters) increased.

Lamborghini 400 GT (1966)

The car was successfully sold, which made it possible to start designing the legendary model Lamborghini Miura, presented to the “spectator's judgment” in March of the same 1966 at the Geneva exhibition, and which became a kind of brand identity. The prototype was demonstrated by Lamborghini himself at the 65th Turin Auto Show. The car differed from previous versions by the location of the front moving headlights. This brand has brought the brand worldwide fame.

Lamborghini Miura (1966–1969)

And two years later (in 1968) the sample was modified in the Lamborghini Miura P400S, which was equipped with a more powerful engine. She had the dashboard updated, chrome-plated in the windows added, and the power windows were equipped with an electric drive.

Modification of the Lamborghini Miura - P400S (1968)

Also in 1968, the Lamborghini Islero 400 GT was released. The name of the brand is associated with the bull that defeated the famous matador Manuel Rodriguez in 1947.

Lamborghini Islero 400 GT (1968)

The same year saw the release of the Lamborghini Espada, which translates as "matador's blade", it was the first four-seater model designed for a family.

Lamborghini Espada (1968)

The power of the cars continues to grow, and in the 70th year, with the suggestion of the designer Marcello Gandini, the Urraco P250 compact car (2,5 liters) appears, followed by the Lamborghini Jarama 400 GT with a V12 engine of 4 liters.

Lamborghini Urraco P250 (1970)

The real boom occurred in 1971, when the revolutionary Lamborghini Countach was created, which later became a "chip" of the brand, the design of the doors of which was borrowed by many supercar manufacturers. It was equipped with the most powerful at that time V12 Bizzarrini engine with 365 horsepower, which allowed the car to gain speed up to 300 km / h.

The car was launched into the series three years later, having received the refinement of the ventilation system in accordance with the requirements of aerodynamics, and in an improved form it became a serious competitor to Ferrari. The name of the brand is associated with surprise (this is how an exclamation sounds in one of the Italian dialects at the sight of something beautiful). According to another version, "Countach" means a delighted exclamation of "holy cow!"

Prototype Lamborghini Countach

The conclusion of a contract with the Americans made it possible to develop and present in 1977 at the Geneva Motor Show a completely new concept - an army off-road vehicle Lamborghini Cheetah ("cheetah") with a Chrysler engine. The model surprised even the most notorious skeptics, who did not expect anything new from the company.

Lamborghini Cheetah (1977)

The change of ownership in 1980 - the Mimran Group with President Patrick Mimran - resulted in two more models: a follower of the Cheetah called the LM001 and the Jalpa roadster. In terms of power, the LM001 surpassed its predecessor: 455 horsepower with a 12 liter V5,2 engine.

Lamborghini Jalpa with targa body (early 80s) Lamborghini LM001 SUV

In 1987 the company is taken over by Chrysler ("Chrysler"). And soon, at the beginning of winter 1990, the brand at the exhibition in Monte Carlo showcases the successor of the Countach - Diablo with an even more powerful engine than the LM001 - 492 horsepower with a volume of 5,7 liters. In 4 seconds, the car picked up a speed of about 100 km / h from a standstill and accelerated to 325 km / h.

Countach follower - Lamborghini Diablo (1990)

And almost six years later (December 1995) an interesting version of Diablo with a removable top debuts at the Bologna Auto Show.

Lamborghini Diablo with removable top (1995)

The last owner of the brand since 1998 was Audi, which took over Lamborghini from an Indonesian investor. And already in 2001, after Diablo, a significantly modified format appears - the Murcielago supercar. It was the most massive production of a car equipped with a 12-cylinder engine.

Lamborghini Murcielago (2001)

Further, in 2003, the Gallardo series followed, distinguished by its compactness. The great demand for this model made it possible to produce a little less than 11 copies within 3000 years.

Lamborghini Gallardo (2003)

The new owner improved the Murcielago model, giving it even more power (700 horsepower) and supplying it with a 12-liter 6,5-cylinder engine. And in 2011, the Aventador supercar rolled off the assembly line.

Three years later (2014) the Lamborghini Gallardo was upgraded. Its successor, the Huracan, received 610 horsepower, 10 cylinders (V10) and an engine capacity of 5,2 liters. The car is capable of speeds up to 325 km / h.

Lamborghini Aventador (2011 .) Lamborghini Huracan

Bottom line: The company never ceases to amaze the followers of the brand to this day. Lamborghini's story is surprising when you consider that the founder of the brand began to create the best high-speed cars right after the tractors. No one could even imagine that a young and ambitious master is quite capable of competing with the famous Enzo Ferrari.

Supercars manufactured by Lamborghini have been appreciated since the very first model, released back in 1963. Espada and Diablo were the most preferred from the collection in the late 90s. Along with the newer Murcielago, they are still successful today. Now the company, which is part of the huge Volkswagen AG concern, has great potential and produces at least 2000 cars a year.

Questions and answers:

What are the types of Lamborghini? In addition to supercars (Miura or Countach), the company produces crossovers (Urus) and tractors (the founder of the brand also had a large tractor manufacturing company).