Lamborghini
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Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly known as Lamborghini, is a subsidiary of Audi AG. It 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 (April 28, 1916 - February 20, 1993) as a spin-off from his very successful tractor factory, Lamborghini Trattori S.p.A..
Lamborghini President and CEO is Mr Stephan Winkelmann
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 [link], 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 warehouse he found a spare part which he thought suitable, and when it was installed the problem was solved.
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.
The Lamborghini tractor business, started in 1947, was acquired by SAME (now Same Deutz-Fahr) in 1971, after Ferrucio had lost interest in tractors in the late 1960s. The Lamborghini tractors are still sold today, as part of the SAME Deutz-Fahr Group.
Models
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 all-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.
Model List
| Vehicle | Year | Engine | Displacement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 350GT | 1964-1967 | Lamborghini V12 | 3464 cc |
| 400GT 2+2 | 1965-1968 | Lamborghini V12 | 3929 cc |
| Miura | 1966-1973 | Lamborghini V12 | 3929 cc |
| Espada | 1968-1978 | Lamborghini V12 | 3929 cc |
| Islero | 1968-1970 | Lamborghini V12 | 3929 cc |
| Jarama | 1970-1978 | Lamborghini V12 | 3929 cc |
| Urraco | 1970-1979 | Lamborghini V8 | 2463 cc/2996 cc/1994 cc |
| Countach | 1974-1989 | Lamborghini V12 | 3929 cc/4754 cc/5167 cc |
| Silhouette | 1976-1977 | Lamborghini V8 | 2996 cc |
| Jalpa | 1982-1989 | Lamborghini V8 | 3485 cc |
| LM002 | 1986-1992 | Lamborghini V12 | 5167 cc |
| Diablo | 1990-2001 | Lamborghini V12 | 5707 cc/5992 cc |
| Murciélago | 2001-Present | Lamborghini V12 | 6192 cc/6496 cc |
| Gallardo | 2003-Present | Lamborghini V10 | 4961 cc |
Ownership
Lamborghini has had a number of owners, as shown in this simplified list:- Ferruccio Lamborghini 1963–1972
- Georges-Henri Rossetti and René Leimer 1972–1977
- bankrupt 1977–1984
- Patrick Mimram (managed 1980–1984) 1984–1987
- Chrysler 1987–1994
- Megatech 1994–1995
- V'Power, Mycom 1995–1998
- Volkswagen Group (Audi) since 1998
External links
- [Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.]
- [Lambocars, the enthusiast site]
- [Lamborghini Registry]
- [KLD Concept, Lamborghini enthusiast site]
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