Lamborgini Pics, Stats & History

Automobili Lamborghini has been manufacturing high performance sports cars since 1963. They are located in an Italian village right in between Modena and Bologna called Sant'Agata Bolognese. Although Lamborghini's are manufactured at a very small rate, they remain some of the most exotic sports cars around and their competitive performance is amazing.

Originally Ferruccio Lamborghini owned a successful tractor company called Lamborghini Trattori. He was an enthusiastic sports car collector and among his collection was a Ferrari and a few other high-bred sports cars. The tale goes that he took his Ferrari back to the factory because it's clutch failed and Enzo Ferrari refused to meet him, basically telling Ferruccio that there was no way a tractor manufacturer could ever understand such a high performance car. So Ferruccio Lamborghini decides to head home and fix the clutch himself. Upon doing so with an unexpected ease he decides to go into business building the perfect GT(Grand Touring) car.

Ferruccio achieved unbelievable success and managed to get his bodies designed by a handful of well known designers including Mario Marazzi, Franco Scaglione, Zagato, Bertone, ItalDesign, Mercello Gandini and Luc Donckerwolke. Ferruccio happened to be a bullfighting aficionado, and almost all his car models acquired a name that is somehow related to bullfighting.

Amongst Lamborghini's products there is the Miura (1966), Countach (1974), Jalpa (1981), Diablo (1990), the Murcielago (2001) and even an off-road vehicle called the LM002 that consisted of a 5.2 liter V-12. Currently in production (2004) are the Murcielago and the cheaper, smaller Gallardo and the majority of their styling is done by the Belgian designer Luc Donckerwolke.