Lamborghini Diablo GT.jpgMost companies originate because a person or persons has an inspiring vision that they've pursued most of their life. Then there are those companies that are founded on stories that would make great films. The origins of Lamborghini certainly fall into this category.
Lamborghini is, of course, the exotic sports car company in Italy. The company has made famous brands ranging from the Countach to the Diablo GT. They are beautiful cars as one has come to expect from the Italian tradition of exotic cars design. The origin of the company, however, is something entirely different.
Ferruccio Lamborghini created the car company bearing his name. He was not by nature a car designer. Born in 1916, he was an industrialist know for manufacturing heaters and tractors. In fact, Lamborghini tractors are still sold today. Regardless, he was very successful and this soon led to some serious wealth. He started buying sports cars. As his wealth increased, so did the quality of cars he bought.
Ferruccio eventually started buying Ferraris. He was a big fan and owned three of them. The only problem was he kept having clutch problems. He eventually went directly to the source to discuss the problem - Enzo Ferrari. Enzo, of course, created the Ferrari brand and line of cars. Imagine the scene - the two individuals responsible for starting Ferrari and Lamborghini having a conversation.
This epic conversation did not go well. The conversation quickly became an argument. All indications are Ferruccio accused Enzo of poor workmanship while Enzo accused Ferruccio of being an inferior driver. Ferruccio couldn't let that stand. Upon returning to his home, he decided it was time to teach Enzo Ferrari a lesson. He would build a car better than the Ferrari.
The rest, as they say, is history. Ferruccio gutted one of his tractor factories and hired two former Ferrari engineers to design the car. The result was the beautiful Lamborghini 350GT. Built in 1960, it topped out at 150 miles per hour and was generally considered the best car of its time.
Passion burns bright, but does not burn long. The promising start for Lamborghini failed to evolve into a long term success. The company has been near bankruptcy numerous times. Ferruccio finally sold off his company in 1973. Since then, it has been owned by an odd group of individuals and companies, including Chrysler for some time, before Audi finally purchased and stabilized the company.
Lamborghini is once again producing beautiful cars that few can afford. Audi has brought stability to the company. Ferrari is definitely more successful these days, but that doesn't mean Ferruccio Lamborghini won't win out in the long run!