The Automotive Dream “One man and his dream had not simply left the world with an engine and four wheels; Henry Ford and his Model T had influenced people's everyday lives - where they lived, how they spent their leisure time, even how they viewed themselves.” - Gary...
Ferruccio Lamborghini
Written by Irina
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The Origin of the Bull
“When it comes to luxury, performance, and beauty, few names garner as much respect as Lamborghini.” – The Automotive Wall of Fame
A must in automobile history is the founding story of the Lamborghini car brand. The 2022 movie Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend has been criticized for its many inaccuracies about Ferruccio Lamborghini’s life. This blog post isn’t to argue on those, but to introduce you to the founding story that did mark the beginning of the brand: Ferruccio’s competition with Ferrari.
Before There Was a Lamborghini Car
Before there was a Lamborghini car, there was a Lamborghini tractor. And before there was a Lamborghini tractor, there was Ferruccio Lamborghini. Ferruccio was born in 1916 into an Italian farming family. Before serving in the Italian army during the Second World War, Ferruccio already displayed interest and aptitude in mechanics. During the war, he soon became the head of a workshop responsible for repairing and maintaining army vehicles like tractors and diesel trucks. After his military service, Ferruccio returned to Italy with plans to start his own business.
He first opened an auto repair garage and attempted racing before he set out to produce tractors. From his experience and background, and with abundantly available army surpluses, he soon made a name for himself in the agriculture machinery field. In 1949, Lamborghini Tractori SpA was born. Ferruccio wanted to make machines that would help farmers. Lamborghini tractors were affordable and easy to repair. At one point, Lamborghini Tractori was one of the leading agriculture manufacturers in Italy. Riding on this success, Ferruccio diversified production by making heating and air conditioning equipment. As Ferruccio’s personal wealth grew, he also started to buy luxury sports cars. First driving Fiats, he eventually bought cars from Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Mercedes and finally, Ferrari.
The Foundation Myth
As the story goes, one day Ferruccio got frustrated with his Ferrari because the clutch wasn’t working like he wanted. He believed that he could “fix” this issue with a transmission from his tractor business. He approached Enzo Ferrari himself to offer this well-intentioned solution to the Ferrari problem. Enzo snubbed Ferruccio offering him a reply along the lines of: “Return to your tractors!,” “The problem is that you don’t know how to drive a Ferrari!” or “Stay in your lane, you know nothing about sports cars!” This altercation was taken as a challenge and Ferrucio set out to produce a Grand Tourer car to out-Ferrari Ferrari… And he did!
One year after the alleged interaction, in 1963, he founded Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini SpA. The new company would produce the perfect car according to Ferruccio, a Grand Tourer without any of the flaws he found in other vehicles that he drove throughout his life. The same year, after only six months of development, the Lamborghini 350 GTV, capable of 360 hp, was introduced to the press. The next year, the 350 GT was produced in series and about 200 cars were sold by 1965. The rest is history.
Why Bulls?
The Lamborghini logo is a charging bull. It is believed that Ferruccio had a fascination for these animals and bullfighting. Born at the end of April, his zodiac sign was also the Taurus. Coincidence? Maybe not. The logo first branded the Lamborghini Tractori before adorning the famous cars. Apart from the logo, many Lamborghini model names are bullfighting-related. For example, the Miura is named after a famous breed of Spanish fighting bulls and the Espada is named after the bullfighter’s sword.
What Now?
By the early 1970s, Ferruccio sold his remaining interest in Lamborghini and passed away in 1993. On top of being a successful businessman and establishing an iconic car brand, he left a lasting mark on the automotive field. To this day, Lamborghini tries to conform to his vision of producing stylish, high-performance cars. Rivalries can push adversaries to bring out the best of each other. So what would the world of Italian Grand Tourers be without his intervention? Don’t miss next week’s blog post where we introduce the Lamborghini Jalpa.
