Ferruccio Lamborghini was an Italian mechanic, winemaker, industrialist, and entrepreneur. Ferruccio Lamborghini started his career in the field of tractors before moving to sports cars that would carry his name. Later, Lamborghini founded a luxury car company that produced some of the fastest, most expensive, and sought-after sports cars in the world.
Background
Ferruccio Lamborghini was born on April 28, 1916, in Cento, Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, to Antonio and Evelina Lamborghini. His parents were farmers, who grew grapes to make wine. His parents worked the land. Ferruccio, though, from when he was a boy had other ideas in his mind.
Education
As a boy, Ferruccio was fascinated by the mechanics of revolutionary machines such as the automobile and airplane. He started working on his father’s tractor Ferruccio played with a lot of agricultural equipment and invented a lot. One of the inventions made by them burned the entire farm. Later that Ferruccio was then sent to a technical school so that he could accept more machinery.
When he grew up, his parents arranged for him to go to study mechanics at the Fratelli Taddia technical institute near Bologna. After a few years, he graduated with a degree in industrial engineering and started working in a repair workshop.
Career
Ferruccio Lamborghini was enrolled in the Italian Royal Air Force during World War II and was assigned as the supervisor of the vehicle maintenance unit at the Italian garrison on the island of Rhodes. After the Germans surrendered Rhodes to the British at the end of the war in 1945, he was taken prisoner and was forced to work on allied vehicles until the next year. That had kept him to work in his motoring department, in this way. Ferruccio had the experience of having cars on the road for the first time, even with limited supplies.
Lamborghini’s experience in the motor pool prepared him to assume the role of an entrepreneur when he returned to Italy after the war. After the war, he started a tractor company to build farm implements using recycled parts from the Allied army surplus and abandoned German tanks.
In 1947, on his father's request, he urgently built a tractor with a six-cylinder Morris engine, a General Motors transmission, and a Ford differential for conveying power, using parts from military vehicle engines. The model, first of his Carioca tractors, contained a fuel atomizer made by him which allowed the vehicle to start on petrol and then switch to diesel to save on the pricy fuel. The young businessman was so successful with this enterprise that he purchased a large factory and workshop in Centro during the early part of 1948.
Lamborghini opened a garage in Pieve di Cento where he modified his old Fiat Topolino 500 by replacing its saloon body with an open-top two-seater frame. He also produced a special overhead-valve head for its engine and entered the 1948 Mille Miglia with his custom-made 750-cc car, even though his run ended after crashing into a local restaurant in Fiano, Turin.
During the 1950s, Lamborghini focused on his tractor business. Sales expanded rapidly, not only in Italy but soon in other war-ravaged European countries. As revenues increased, he traveled to the United States to acquire technology for the manufacture of heating systems, air conditioners, and automobile parts. During the late 1950s, one of the company’s most innovative products was an air-cooled automobile engine. The company’s financial stability provided Lamborghini with the opportunity to pursue one of his life-long ambitions: the manufacture of helicopters. Unfortunately, the Italian government refused to grant him a license.
The Italian manufacturer decided to create the Lamborghini company, with the aim of generating competition for Enzo Ferrari. It all started after the Second World War when a man acquired a Ferrari sports car, in which he observed that there were clutch components that were the same as those he used on his tractors. In addition to that, his Ferrari was presented with some flaws. For reasons like these, he decided to visit Enzo Ferrari to tell him about the problems he was presented with his car; he could not get any solution, so he decided to build a better sports car than Ferrari. In 1963 he opened a state-of-the-art factory to manufacture a sports car that would challenge the top-ranked Ferrari high-performance cars. The company earned a widespread reputation following the 1966 launch of the Miura sports coupé, which standardized the rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout for high-performance cars.
Situated in Sant’Agata, near Bologna, the Lamborghini car factory began operations in 1963. Lamborghini hired a brilliant automotive engineer by the name of Paolo Stanzani and asked him to establish one of the most technologically advanced car-making facilities in the world. The first Lamborghini sports car was delivered in 1964 and created a sensation in automotive circles. The 350 GT, an aerodynamic sports car with a four-cam VI2, five-speed transmission, four-wheel disk brakes, and four-wheel independent suspension, was soon competing for customers that had previously purchased such high-performance cars as Porsche and Jaguar. Especially gratifying to Lamborghini was the fact that his cars were as well received by automobile critics as Enzo Ferrari’s.
In 1966 the company produced the 400 GT, while at the same time building its own transmissions. During the same year, Lamborghini S.p.A. produced the Miura P400, which created a buzz in the crowd during the Geneva Motorshow due to its compact 3929 cc transverse VI2 powertrain and bare chassis. In 1968 the Islero 400 GT was introduced, featuring a luxury interior, four-wheel independent suspension, disc brakes, and an all-aluminum quad-cam V12 engine. Also in 1968, Lamborghini produced the Espada, a four-seater engineered with a one-piece, solid steel body. Within a short time, the Espada became one of the most popular of all the Lamborghini models, and sales of the model remained brisk for years. The company was now known around the world for its sleek, low-slung sports cars, and sold models to celebrities including Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra, who ordered a custom-made Lamborghini and requested that the interior decoration include genuine leopard skin.
From 1970 to 1972 the company was at the height of its success. A new version of the Miura P400, the Miura P400 SV, was introduced and featured a completely redesigned suspension system and leather interior. Another new prototype, the Countach LP500, had its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 1971. The design included a handmade aluminum body, aerodynamic contours for high-speed performance, and a dramatic new "wedge" look. In 1972 the company introduced the Urraco P250 at the Turin Motor Show and later introduced the Jarama 400GTS. With a unique hood scoop, five-bolt wheels, and significantly increased horsepower, the Jarama was the last Lamborghini sports car to exhibit a front-engine. With such new and exciting models, the company seemed destined for even greater financial rewards and international recognition.
Unfortunately, the year 1973 was a turning point for the company. Automobili Lamborghini was hit hard by the oil embargo and by the crisis created by the worldwide recession. The market for high-speed, gas-guzzling sports cars suddenly dried up, and the firm was confronted with rapidly decreasing sales. Disappointed, Ferruccio Lamborghini decided to sell his shares of the company and retire to a 740-acre estate on Lake Trasimeno. Lamborghini Automobili was controlled by the government for a short time, then suffered the indignity of compulsory liquidation.
Yet, due to the determination of the remaining employees, the company continued to manufacture sports cars. In 1974 the Countach LP400 went into production with a 3.9-liter V12 engine and a tubular chassis. In 1975 the Urraco 300 was manufactured and, one year later, the Silhouette was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show. In 1977, in an attempt to revive the company’s profitability, the production of off-road vehicles for the military was initiated. However, the design of the prototype vehicle was altered when management discovered that the general public was more interested in purchasing the models than was the military.
After giving up a controlling share in the company, he gradually detached himself from the company's affairs, and following the 1973 worldwide stock-market crash and the oil crisis, sold the rest of the shares. However, he continued to run Lamborghini Calor, the heating and air conditioning company, as well as Lamborghini Oleodinamica, hydraulic valves, and equipment manufacturing company. He retired to a country estate in Umbria, where he established an automobile museum, cultivated grapes, and produced premium table wine.
His red wine came onto the market with the name Colli di Trasimeno. It quickly acquired the colloquial name Sangue Di Miura - Miura blood. Lamborghini’s wines have received many awards. They are well established in the international high-end segment due to their exceptional quality.
Many luxury automobile manufacturers also have a racing team. For example, both Ferrari and Maserati have teams that compete in motor racing events. However, motor racing is something that Ferruccio Lamborghini has always disagreed with. The famous Italian engineer considered it a waste of time and resources and refused to start a racing team. This became a strict rule within the Lamborghini company.
Quotations:
"When you stop working, you start to die!"
"I had never stopped thinking about the ideal motor car… All I had to do was construct a plant to build it."
"I never planned on getting into the automobile-industry, but I knew a better car could be built."
Personality
Ferruccio Lamborghini was a big fan of Spanish bullfighting. It was something he enjoyed watching in his spare time and was passionate about. He enjoyed the drama and entertainment of the bullfighting events and could see what a powerful animal the bull is. He likened this power to the power of his vehicles. For these reasons, he decided that he would use the names of famous Spanish fighting bulls for his cars. The first model to take the name of a bull was the Lamborghini Miura. This became a theme and many more models of cars were produced that took on the name of a famous bullfighting bull.
In an interview with English-Italian journalist Mirco Decet, Ferruccio Lamborghini revealed the favorite cars he owned were Ferraris.
Interests
Bullfighting
Sport & Clubs
Golf
Connections
Ferruccio married Clelia Monti at an early age, in 1947 they had a son Antonio Lamborghini, also called Tonino, unfortunately, Clelia died giving birth. She was buried in the family grave and later on Ferruccio remarried, this time with Annita Borgatti. But this second marriage didn't last either, Ferruccio divorced her and married a third time. Maria-Teresa Cane became the mother of Ferruccio's daughter Patrizia. His son Tonino moved to Japan and started a few shops selling designer clothing under the Lamborghini name. His daughter now runs the Lamborghini winery on his Umbria estate.