From Nought To Sixty

Lamborghini celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Time to look back at six decades of hits, misses, corporate mayhem, and unforgettable cars

Where would the world of Italian supercars be without Lamborghini? Thinking of the country’s most famous motoring brands –such as Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo – Lamborghini is actually the baby of the group, and a mere 60 years old this year. It has certainly carved a niche for itself in that time, producing superexpensive, refined, ultra-fast vehicles, big on design, yet a more comfortable alternative to the likes of, say, Ferrari.

To help mark the 60th anniversary of this legendary brand, publisher teNeues is releasing The Lamborghini Book by motoring journalist Michael Köckritz. Packed with glorious images of key models, with pages dedicated to each, the author has also sourced interviews with Lamborghini personnel, and delved behind the scenes to look at how the cars are designed and built. Setting out his intentions, and helping to distinguish the carmaker from its rivals, Köckritz states early on, “You buy a Ferrari when you want to be somebody. You buy a Lamborghini when you are somebody.” Does that mean founder Ferruccio Lamborghini wanted to be somebody?

Back in 1958, he had bought himself a Ferrari 250 GT two-seater coupé, followed by a 250 GT SWB Berlinetta and a 250 GT 2+2 four-seater. In fact, as a successful entrepreneur, starting his own tractor company, Lamborghini Trattori, in 1948, he had indulged his passion for cars and built quite the collection, with Alfa Romeos, Maseratis, a Mercedes-Benz 300SL, and a Jaguar E-Type. But the Ferraris troubled him, as he thought them too noisy and rough, with sub-standard parts, though he was quickly dismissed when voicing his concerns to a certain Enzo Ferrari during one particular trip to the company’s headquarters in Maranello. Lamborghini’s response was to take the bull by the horns, or rather visit the ranch of a friend who bred Spanish fighting bulls and, after being so impressed with the strength and grace of the animals, deciding to use their image as the badge of his very own car company, basically creating what he thought Ferrari should be. In 1963, Automobili Lamborghini was born, with its first model, the 350 GT, a two-door coupé designed by Italian coachbuilders Carrozzeria Touring, with a V12 engine from exFerrari engineer Giotto Bizzarrini. The first car to really put Lamborghini