The history of Automobili Lamborghini is a fascinating story of a challenge overcome and of records broken. It began in the early 1960s, when Ferruccio Lamborghini, the determined owner of a tractor factory and a successful entrepreneur, resolved to build a new luxury super sports car.
His company bore his name, and a bull was chosen as a logo to express the strength and power symbolized by his astrological sign, Taurus.
The very first supercar to go into production was the 350 GTV in 1964, Gran Turismo prototype with a longitudinal, front-mounted V12 engine. The first true Lamborghini, it had been redesigned by Carrozzeria Touring to have a less extreme look. The engine was again the V12, but this time it was detuned (320 HP). This was the first in a series of automotive masterpieces destined to make the Lamborghini brand a worldwide legend.
350 GTV 1964
The next model is internationally renowned as an automotive icon: the Miura. Designed in 1965 by a Lamborghini engineering team headed by Gian Paolo Dallara and Paolo Stanzani, and with a body conceived by Marcello Gandini for Carrozzeria Bertone, it immediately became a highly coveted car for those who could afford it.
It featured a look that was sleek and sensual. It was only 105 centimetres tall and had a minimum ground clearance of just 135 millimetres. When the Miura was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1966, it became an overnight international sensation destined to transform the sports car world. Its transverse rear 4-liter 60° V12 mid-engine, which was joined to a transaxle to form a single unit, churned out 350 HP at 7000 RPM and powered the Miura to a record maximum speed (at the time) of 280 km/h.
With the Miura, which took its name from Edoardo Miura, who was a close friend of founder Ferruccio Lamborghini and a famous breeder of bulls, Lamborghini began the tradition of giving its cars names inspired by the world of Spanish bullfighting.
Miura 1966
There are many early vehicles that redefined Lamborghini – like the the Espada 1968, Countach LP 500 1971 and LM002 1982. The masterpiece introduced in 1990 was the Diablo. This model also bore the name of a fierce fighting bull and incorporated some surprising features, an aerodynamic and spectacular modern design, with a 12-cylinder engine that churned out 492 HP at 7300 RPM. It sprinted from 0 to 100 km/h in only 4.03 seconds, with an impressive top speed of 325 km/h, the highest ever reached by a standard-production car at that time. Automobili Lamborghini had broken yet another record, further establishing its powerful presence in the industry.
Diablo 1990
Lamborghini has continued to anticipate the future and create innovative models that always outperform their predecessors; and has expanded all the way to Perth. Discover the range of luxury models that draw from their Italian traditions and are engineered to create the best driving experience, ever.
