To own a Lamborghini is the ultimate dream for many car enthusiasts.
The luxury sports car maker
has been crafting iconic vehicles since 1963
and its designs have hung on the bedroom walls
of bullish teens for generations since.
But what is it about Lamborghinis that makes them so admired?
And how have they evolved throughout the years?
This is the evolution of Lamborghini!
Despite its modern-day status as a symbol of wealth, luxury and speed,
Lamborghini actually has quite a humble origin story.
Named after its founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini,
the company started out by making, of all things, tractors!
Mr Lamborghini had served in the Italian Royal Air Force
as a mechanic during World War 2.
And after the war, he used his skills to open a repair shop.
After acquiring surplus military units,
Ferruccio converted them into tractors and made a lucrative business out of it.
In 1959, production started for a tractor that some would refer to as
the great-grandfather of all Lamborghini vehicles,
the DLA 35 Super.
It was powered by Lamborghini’s 2.2 liter, three-cylinder diesel engine
and could reach a top speed of 15 miles per hour.
In total, 117 of these beautiful beasts were made.
So if you hear a farmer say that he has a Lamborghini,
you better believe him!
But then Ferruccio also started exploring his real passion
with sports cars.
Ferruccio owned a Ferrari 250 GT back then
and funnily enough,
if it hadn’t been for Ferrari’s rude customer service
and disapproving attitude,
Lamborghini sports cars may never have even existed!
That’s because when Lamborghini complained to Ferrari
about the performance of his clutch and asked for a replacement,
his fellow Italian insulted him and told him
"it was the driver to blame,
not the vehicle."
According to one source,
Enzo Ferrari himself said something along the lines of,
“You're just a silly tractor manufacturer,
how could you possibly know anything about sports cars?"
Well, not long after that encounter,
Lamborghini unveiled his first official sports car in May 1964;
a very capable rival to Ferrari,
the Lamborghini 350 GT.
The 350 GT wasn’t quite finished when it debuted at the Turin Auto Show.
In fact, the designers had to place
a bunch of bricks where the engine should’ve been
and kept the hood shut the entire time!
A 3.5 liter V12 was eventually put in place though,
reaching a top speed of 155 miles per hour
and going from 0 to 60 miles per hour
in 6.8 seconds.
That wasn’t too bad at all in the mid 1960’s!
Despite its great performance,
Ferruccio’s sights were not set on making a race car,
but rather a smoothly driving road car,
like the Ferrari he owned.
In total, 120 units were made
and the Lamborghini was sold for $18,000 at launch.
If you can find one in pristine condition today,
you can expect to pay a lot more than that!
In fact, in 2015, a rare and exquisitely restored 350 GT
was sold at auction for a whopping $935,000!
The all-important sequel to the 350 GT
was the Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2,
released in 1966.
It had room for 4 people as opposed to just 2
and featured a more powerful 3.9 liter V12 engine.
As a result, it could hit a top speed of 168 miles per hour
and go from 0 to 60 in 7.5 seconds.
In total, 250 units were made with a cost of $14,750 at launch.
By the mid-to-late 60’s, Lamborghini had gained plenty of recognition
as a serious manufacturer of quality sports cars.
They were not just a one-hit wonder,
the raging bull was here to stay!
FUN FACT:
the famous logo was apparently chosen
because Ferruccio Lamborghini was a Taurus as a zodiac sign.
He also attended bull fights regularly,
and thought it was the perfect image to use as his company logo.
And that logo was certainly getting noticed.
In 1969, production started for the legendary Lamborghini Miura.
Many highly influential people had a Lamborghini Miura when it came out
during the same era as the 400 GT.
Rod Stewart, Elton John and Frank Sinatra all owned one.
At the time, Sinatra was quoted as saying:
"You buy a Ferrari when you want to be somebody.
You buy a Lamborghini when you are somebody."
You can bet Ferruccio Lamborghini had a big smile on his face
hearing those words.
The Miura was a 2-seater that had a top speed of 177 miles per hour,
making it the fastest production car in the world.
It could accelerate from 0 to 60 in just 6.5 seconds.
338 original Lamborghini Miuras were produced up until 1971,
each costing $20,000.
If you want to buy a Miura today, you'll have to pay about 100x that amount.
FUN FACT:
the name ‘Miura’ also doubled down on the bull theme,
as Miura is a breed of Spanish fighting bull.
1967 saw one of several concept cars designed by Lamborghini,
named the Lamborghini Marzal.
It was a 4 passenger car with a 2 liter, straight-six engine.
It maxed out at 140 miles per hour
and could go from 0 to 60 in 7 seconds.
Only one prototype of the Marzal was ever built.
Mr Lamborghini later stated that the Marzal was never intended as a production car
but rather as a form of advertising.
He said: “If you present a car like the Marzal
at automobile shows, such as Geneve, Turin and Frankfurt,
all the magazines report on the first page about it.
You would rather spend 100 million lire for building such an automobile
which is still less expensive than paying for all the advertising.
That would cost almost a billion lire.
So it compensates in any case to build such a throwaway car.”
In 2011, this so-called “throwaway car” was sold for 1.8 million dollars!
Next on the production line, between 1968 and 1970,
was the 4-seater Lamborghini Islero.
It was built to replace the 400 GT,
though it retained the same engine and had a slightly lower top speed
and marginally improved acceleration.
225 units were made and it was sold for $18,000.
The Islero got its name from a Miura bull that killed a famous matador
named Manuel Rodriguez in 1947.
Meanwhile the car’s design was kept conservative
and in line with the 400 GT’s look, unlike this next entry.
Also launched in 1968 was the Lamborghini Espada,
which didn’t have the typical sports car look.
The car’s sharp edges suited its name,
with ‘Espada’ being the Spanish word for ‘sword’.
It housed the same V12 engine as its sisters,
meaning that the 4-seat grand touring coupé was not the fastest
but it could still reach 155 miles per hour and go from 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds.
It had a price tag of $21,000
and over a decade 1,200 units were built,
making it easily the most produced Lamborghini so far.
When it came time to replace the Islero in 1970,
rather than just giving it a redesign,
Lamborghini opted to make the Jarama instead.
Just like the Espada, the car doesn’t look like the typical Lamborghini.
You’ve probably noticed by now that the Italian car company
likes to give its vehicles Spanish names and to keep the bull theme going....
and this car was no different!
The Jarama was intended to recall the fighting bulls
bred in the Jarama river area of Spain,
as opposed to the Jarama racetrack of the same name located in Madrid.
The car was powered by the same 3.9 liter Lamborghini V12 engine
used in the Islero and Espada,
giving it a top speed of 162 mph and 0 to 60 in 6.9 seconds.
328 Jarama units were built and it had a launch price of $22,500.
While this price may not seem like a lot,
adjusted for inflation it would be $150,000 today.
In 1971, Ferruccio Lamborghini surprised the world
with the new Lamborghini Miura.
In addition to subtlevisual updates,
the SV had a revamped engine and 385 horsepower,
whereas the original Miura had 370 horsepower.
This translated to a top speed of 186 mph,
making it even faster than the original.
The acceleration was also improved.
It could go from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds.
The car was sold for $21,000.
The SV was also the last and rarest model in the Miura lineup,
as only 150 of them were ever made.
If we compare all Lamborghinis so far,
we can see that the Miura SV is not only the fastest car, but also the quickest.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t even the most expensive car.
If you want to own a low-milage Miura SV today
be prepared to rob a bank,
because the price tag is 3.2 million dollars!
In 1972, shortly before the Miura was discontinued,
Ferruccio sold his controlling shares of the Lamborghini company.
Just two years later he retired and it’s believed that he retired
because he had achieved everything he had set out to do with the Miura.
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faster than the Miura SV accelerates from 0 to 60!
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Click on the video on the left to watch episode 2.