New Lamborghini Cars

For one of today’s most prestigious manufacturers of exclusive sports cars, Lamborghini originally came from very humble beginnings. Prior to 1963, the Lamborghini name was known for tractor production in Italy.

The car company was founded in 1963 by businessman Ferruccio Lamborghini and based in the small Italian village of Sant’Agata Bolognese near Bologna.

Lamborghini’s first car was the 350GT which was swiftly followed by the more successful 400GT. Profits from these models gave the company ample capital to design its first sports car, the Lamborghini Miura. 111 Miuras were sold in 1967. In all 761 were made. The Miura propelled Lamborghini into the small and expensive world of exotic car manufacturers.

In 1971, Lamborghini produced the Countach prototype. It was named after an Italian dialect term uttered in surprise by Nuccio Bertone upon seeing the car for the first time. The production Countach was introduced three years later. The Countach's V12 engine initially had the same 4-litre capacity as the Miura, but this was enlarged to five litres upon the introduction of the LP500S Countach in 1982.

In 1987 in a surprise move the troubled company was purchased by Chrysler. Lamborghini was then working on the Countach's successor, the Diablo. The basic design of the Diablo was by Marcello Gandini, who designed the Miura and the Countach while at Bertone. The design was further developed by Chrysler, which brought its resources, including design input, pollution controls, and new manufacturing techniques, into this development.

In January 1994, poor economic circumstances and the political climate at Chrysler forced them to sell Lamborghini to Megatech, an Indonesian investment group. Under the new management, Lamborghini began a renaissance in the world markets, with a complete revision of its international dealer network and the implementation of highly proactive marketing strategies.

Megatech sold the company in 1997 as a result of changing circumstances in Indonesia and its inability to fund the future business plan. Lamborghini was bought by Audi AG who had gained interest in the Italian company after being one of several major manufacturers approached as possible technical suppliers of components for future Lamborghini models.

Now with the backing of the whole Volkswagen Group, Lamborghini is today in very rude health. Its model range includes the Murcielago LP640 and LP640 Roadster, the Gallardo V10 Coupe and Spyder as well as the latest Reventon V12.