Did you know that Ferruccio Lamborghini started Lamborghini Automobili as a company that built tractors? Well, I should back up just a hair. He founded Lamborghini Trattori as a tractor company in 1948 and Lamborghini Automobili followed in 1963.
Mr. Lamborghini built his tractor factory and made millions in the late 40’s and the 50’s. However, he was not satisfied with tractors and wanted to domuch more. Lamborghini wanted to build sports cars. So, after World War II he founded a car company. Of course, he continued to make tractors that rivaled other brands and the company still does to date. In 2013 Lamborghini Trattori introduced the Nitro tractor that is sold in Europe for more than $440,000 (U.S. $).
Looking back to the 1960’s, people thought Mr. Lamborghini was a mad man when he said that his next plan was to build a sports car that would rival Ferrari. He was already a multi-millionaire, but friends and family feared he would squander his money away building cars.
Ferruccio Lamborghini’s first car to roll off the production line was the 1963 V-12 350 GTV followed by the 1965 350 GT and then the 400 GT.
As time rolled on, Lamborghini proved to be a brand that was not going under and Mr. Lamborghini’s millions multiplied swiftly. Of course, he produced a few flops. But, the 1970’s was when Lamborghini built the Countach masterpiece.
At the end of 1973 Lamborghini manufactured the first lime green Countach that came standard with a V-12 engine. The Countach, which was manufactured on a regular basis in 1974, became the backbone of Lamborghini. It appeared in movies, TV shows and more.
Pictured is the V-10 Lamborghini Gallardo. This small demon does 0 to 60 in about 3.9 seconds. It was produced between 2004 and 2014. It was one of the best selling Lamborghini’s ever. A total of 14,022 were built. The Gallardo is named after a famous breed of fighting bulls.
