(Italian: Lamborghini is an Italian brand and
manufacturer of luxury sportscars and, formerly, SUVs, which is owned by the
Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary brand division Audi. Lamborghini's
production facility and headquarters are located in Sant'Agata Bolognese. In
2011, Lamborghini's 831 employees produced 1,711 vehicles.
Manufacturing
magnate Italian Ferruccio Lamborghini founded Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini
S.p.A. in 1963 with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to
compete with offerings from established marques such as Ferrari. The company's
first models were released in the mid-1960s and were noted for their
refinement, power and comfort. Lamborghini gained wide acclaim in 1966 for the
Miura sports coupé, which established rear mid-engine, rear wheel drive as the
standard layout for high-performance cars of the era.
Lamborghini grew
rapidly during its first decade, but sales plunged in the wake of the 1973
worldwide financial downturn and the oil crisis. The firm's ownership changed
three times after 1973, including a bankruptcy in 1978. American Chrysler
Corporation took control of Lamborghini in 1987 and sold it to Malaysian
investment group Mycom Setdco and Indonesian group V'Power Corporation in 1994.
In 1998 Mycom Setdco and V'Power sold Lamborghini to the Volkswagen Group where
it was placed under the control of the group's Audi division. New products and
model lines were introduced to the brand's portfolio and brought to the market
and saw an increased productivity for the brand Lamborghini. In the late 2000s,
during the worldwide financial crisis and the subsequent economic crisis,
Lamborghini's sales saw a drop of nearly 50 percent.
Lamborghini's
Sant'Agata Bolognese production facility produces V12 engines and finished
cars. Lamborghini currently produces only the V12-powered Aventador, though the
replacement for the V-10-powered Gallardo, the Huracán, is due in 2014.
Origin
A green and red
1951 Lamborghini farm tractor parked in a gravel patch with trees and hills in
the background
Ferruccio
Lamborghini, the man who would found Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A. in
1963, was the child of viticulturists living in Renazzo di Cento, Province of Ferrara ,
in the Northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna
region. After serving as a mechanic in the Italian Royal Air Force during World
War II, Lamborghini went into business building tractors based on surplus WWII
military hardware. By the mid-1950s, Lamborghini's tractor company, Lamborghini
Trattori S.p.A., had become one of the largest agricultural equipment manufacturers
in the country. He was also the owner of a successful gas heater and air conditioning
manufacturer.
Lamborghini's
wealth allowed him to cultivate a childhood interest in cars, owning a number
of luxury automobiles, including Alfa Romeos, Lancias, Maseratis, and a
Mercedes-Benz. He purchased his first Ferrari, a 250GT, in 1958, and went on to
own several more. Lamborghini was fond of the Ferraris, but considered them too
noisy and rough to be proper road cars, likening them to repurposed track cars.
When Lamborghini discovered that the clutch on his Ferrari was broken, and was
actually the same clutch that he used on his tractors, Lamborghini went to
Ferrari and asked for a better replacement. Ferrari responded, saying that he
was just a tractor maker, and could not know anything about sports cars.Lamborghini
decided to pursue an automobile manufacturing venture with the goal of bringing
to life his vision of a perfect grand tourer.
Early 1960s - Start-up and 350GT
Prior to
founding his company, Lamborghini had commissioned the engineering firm Società
Autostar to design a V12 engine for use in his new cars. Lamborghini wanted the
engine to have a similar displacement to Ferrari's 3-litre V12; however, he
wanted the engine to be designed purely for road use, in contrast to the
modified racing engines used by Ferrari in its road cars. Autostar was led by
Giotto Bizzarrini, a member of the "Gang of Five" of Ferrari
engineers, who had been responsible for creating the famous Ferrari 250 GTO,
but left the company in 1961 after founder Enzo Ferrari announced his intention
to reorganize the engineering staff. The engine Bizzarrini designed for
Lamborghini had a displacement of 3.5 litres, a 9.5:1 compression ratio, and a
maximum output of 360 bhp at 9800 rpm. Lamborghini was displeased with the
engine's high revolutions and dry-sump lubrication system, both characteristic
of the racing engines he specifically did not wish to use; when Bizzarrini
refused to change the engine's design to make it more
"well-mannered", Lamborghini refused to pay the agreed-upon fee of
4.5 million Italian lire (plus a bonus for every unit of brake horsepower the
engine could produce over the equivalent Ferrari engine). Lamborghini did not
fully compensate the designer until ordered to do so by the courts.
Lamborghini
designed and built the Lamborghini 350GTV in only four months, in time for an
October unveiling at the 1963 Turin Motor Show. Due to the ongoing disagreement
with engine designer Giotto Bizzarrini, a working powerplant was not available
for the prototype car in time for the show. The car went on display in Turin without an engine
under its hood; according to lore, Ferruccio Lamborghini had the engine bay
filled with bricks so that the car would sit at an appropriate height above the
ground, and made sure that the bonnet stayed closed to hide the missing engine.
The motoring press gave the 350GTV a warm response.
Automobili
Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A. was officially incorporated on 30 October 1963.
Ferruccio Lamborghini purchased a 46,000 square metres (500,000 sq ft) property
at Via Modena, 12, in the township of Sant'Agata Bolognese, less than 30
kilometres (19 mi) from Cento. This location was close to the centre of Italy 's
automobile industry and provided easy access to skilled labour and facilities.
The township was chosen as the location for the factory due to a favorable
financial agreement with the city's communist leadership, who promised
Lamborghini a 19% interest rate on the company's profits when deposited in the
bank, in addition to charging zero tax on the profits. As part of the
agreement, the factory would be required to unionize its workers.
Despite the
favorable press reviews of the 350GTV, Ferruccio Lamborghini decided to rework
the car for production. The production model, which would be called the 350GT,
was restyled by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan ,
and a new chassis was constructed in-house. Bizzarrini's V12 engine would be
detuned for mass production, developing only 280 hp (210 kW) rather than the
designer's intended 360 hp (270 kW). The completed design debuted at the 1964
Geneva Motor Show, once again garnering positive reviews from the press.
Production began shortly afterwards, and by the end of the year, cars had been
built for 13 customers; Lamborghini sold each car at a loss in order to keep
prices competitive with Ferrari's. The 350GT remained in production for a
further two years, with a total of 120 cars sold.
1965–1966 - 400GT and Miura
In 1965, Gian
Paolo Dallara made improvements to the Bizzarrini V12, increasing its
displacement to 3.9 litres, and its power output to 320 hp (240 kW) at 6,500
rpm.[31] The engine was first installed in the 400GT, essentially a 350GT with
the larger engine. At the 1966 Geneva Auto Show, Lamborghini debuted the 400GT
2+2, a stretched revision of the 350GT/400GT that featured 2+2 seating and
other minor updates. The 400GT 2+2, like its predecessors, was well received by
the motoring press. The revenue from sales of the 2+2 allowed Lamborghini to
increase the labour force at his factory to 170 employees, and expand services
offered to Lamborghini customers.
During 1965,
Dallara, Stanzani, and Wallace invested their personal time into the
development of a prototype car that they envisioned as a road car with racing
pedigree, capable of winning on the track as well as being driven on the road
by enthusiasts. They hoped to sway Ferruccio Lamborghini away from the opinion
that such a car would be too expensive and distract from the company's focus.
When finally brought aboard, Lamborghini allowed his engineers to go ahead,
deciding that the car, known as the P400, would be useful as a potential
marketing tool, if nothing more.
The car's
rolling chassis, featuring an unusual transversely mounted mid-engine layout,
was displayed at the Turin Salon in 1965, impressing showgoers. A version with
bodywork styled by Bertone was finished only days before its debut at the 1966 Geneva motor show. As had
happened three years earlier at the debut of the 350GTV, an ill-fitting engine
meant the prototype's engine bay was filled with ballast, and the hood kept
locked. The favorable reaction to the P400 at Geneva led Lamborghini to slate
the car for production by 1967, under the name Miura. The Miura's layout and
styling would become the standard for mid-engine two-seat high-performance
sports cars, a trend that continues today.
Lamborghini now
had an offering that positioned the fledgling automaker as a leader in the
world of supercars, while the 400GT was the sophisticated road car that
Ferruccio Lamborghini had long desired to build. By end of 1966, the workforce
at the Sant'Agata factory had expanded to 300, and enough deposits were made by
prospective buyers to begin final development on the Miura in 1967. The first
four cars produced were kept at the factory, where Bob Wallace continued to
improve and refine the car. By December, 108 cars had been delivered.
1967–1968 - Islero replaces 400GT, Stanzani
replaces Dallara
Production of
the 400GT continued, with Ferruccio Lamborghini seeking to replace the
four-year-old design. Lamborghini commissioned Touring, which had styled the
350GT and original 400GT, to design a possible replacement based on the same
chassis. Touring's 400 GT Flying Star II did not win Lamborghini's approval.
Giorgio Neri and Luciano Bonacini, of Neri and Bonacini coachbuilders in Modena produced their own design, the 400GT Monza , which was rejected
as well. Facing mounting financial difficulties, Touring would close its doors
later that year.
Ferruccio
Lamborghini turned to Bertone designer Mario Marazzi, who had formerly worked
at Touring. Together with Lamborghini's engineers, he created a four-seater
named the Marzal. The car rode on a stretched Miura chassis, and it was powered
by an in-line six-cylinder that was made from one-half of Lamborghini's V12
design. Despite an innovative design that featured gullwing doors and enormous
glass windows, Lamborghini rejected the design. Eventually, a toned-down
version became the Islero 400GT. While the car was not the full four-seater
that he desired, Ferruccio Lamborghini thought the car represented a well-developed
gran turismo product. It failed to attract buyers, with only 125 cars produced
between 1968 and 1969.
New versions of
the Miura arrived in 1968; the Miura P400 S (more commonly known as the Miura
S) featured a stiffened chassis and more power, with the V12 developing 370 bhp
at 7000 rpm. At the 1968 Brussels
auto show, the automaker unveiled the Miura P400 Roadster (more commonly the
Miura Spider), an open-top version of the coupé. Gandini, by now effectively
the head of design at Bertone, had paid great attention to the details,
particularly the problems of wind buffeting and noise insulation inherent to a
roadster. For all of Gandini's hard work, sales manager Ubaldo Sgarzi was
forced to turn potential buyers away, as Lamborghini and Bertone were unable to
reach a consensus on the size of a theoretical roadster production run. The
Miura Spider was sold off to an American metal alloy supplier, who wanted to
use it as a marketing device. 1968 was a positive time for all of Ferruccio's
businesses, and Automobili delivered 353 cars over the course of the year.
In August 1968,
Gian Paolo Dallara, frustrated with Ferruccio Lamborghini's refusal to
participate in motorsport, was recruited away from Sant'Agata to head the
Formula One programme at rival automaker De Tomaso in Modena . With profits on the rise, a racing
programme would have been a possibility, but Lamborghini remained against even
the construction of prototypes, stating his mission as: "I wish to build
GT cars without defects – quite normal, conventional but perfect – not a
technical bomb. With cars like the 400GT and the Islero, his aim to establish
himself and his cars as equal or superior to the works of Enzo Ferrari had been
satisfied. Dallara's assistant, Paulo Stanzani, replaced him as technical
director.
1969 - Espada and union trouble
Bertone was able
to persuade Lamborghini to allow them to design a brand-new four-seater. The
shape was penned by Marcello Gandini, and a bodyshell delivered to Ferruccio
for inspection. The businessman was less than pleased with the enormous
gullwing doors that Gandini had included, and insisted that the car would have
to feature conventional doors. The car that resulted from the collaboration was
debuted at the 1969 Geneva
show with the name Espada, powered by a 3.9-litre, front-mounted evolution of
the factory's V12, producing 325 bhp (242 kW). The Espada was a success, with a
total production run of 1,217 cars over ten years of production.
In 1969,
Automobili Lamborghini encountered problems with its fully unionized work
force, among which the machinists and fabricators had begun to take one-hour
token stoppages as part of a national campaign due to strained relations
between the metal workers' union and Italian industry. Ferruccio Lamborghini,
who often rolled up his sleeves and joined in the work on the factory floor,
was able to motivate his staff to continue working towards their common goal
despite the disruptions.
Throughout that
year, Lamborghini's product range, then consisting of the Islero, the Espada,
and the Miura S, received upgrades across the board, with the Miura receiving a
power boost, the Islero being upgraded to "S" trim, and the Espada
gaining comfort and performance upgrades, which allowed it to reach speeds of
up to 160 mph (260 km/h). The Islero was slated to be replaced by a shortened
yet higher-performing version of the Espada, the Jarama 400GT. The 3.9-litre
V12 was retained, its compression ratio increasing to 10.5:1.
1970–1971 - Jarama, Urraco, prototype Countach,
and financial woes
By the time the
Jarama was unveiled at the 1970 Geneva
show, Paulo Stanzani was at work on a new clean-sheet design, which would use
no parts from previous Lamborghini cars. Changes in tax laws and a desire to
make full use of the factory's manufacturing capacity meant that the Italian
automaker would follow the direction taken by Ferrari, with its Dino 246 and
Porsche, with its 911, and produce a smaller, V8-powered 2+2 car, the Urraco.
The 2+2 body style was selected as a concession to practicality, with Ferruccio
acknowledging that Urraco owners might have children. The single overhead cam
V8 designed by Stanzani produced 220 bhp at 5000 rpm. Bob Wallace immediately
began road testing and development; the car was to be presented at the 1970 Turin motor show.
In 1970,
Lamborghini began development of a replacement for the Miura, which was a
pioneering model, but had interior noise levels that Ferruccio Lamborghini
found unacceptable and nonconforming to his brand philosophy. Engineers
designed a new, longer chassis that placed the engine longitudinally, further
away from the driver's seat. Designated the LP 500 for its 4.97-litre version
of the company's V12, the prototype was styled by Marcello Gandini at Bertone.
The car that was presented was debuted at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, alongside
the final revision of the Miura, the P400 SuperVeloce. Completing the
Lamborghini range were the Espada 2, the Urraco P250, and the Jarama GT.
As a world
financial crisis began to take hold, Ferruccio Lamborghini's companies began to
run into financial difficulties. In 1971, Lamborghini's tractor company, which
exported around half of its production, ran into difficulties. Cento,
Trattori's South African importer, cancelled all its orders. After staging a
successful coup d'état, the new military government of Bolivia cancelled a large order of tractors that
was partially ready to ship from Genoa .
Trattori's employees, like Automobili's, were unionized and could not be laid
off. In 1972, Lamborghini sold his entire holding in Trattori to SAME, another
tractor builder.
1972 - Ferruccio sells control of the
company
The entire
Lamborghini group was now finding itself in financial troubles. Development at
the automaker slowed; the production version of the LP 500 missed the 1972
Geneva Show, and only the P400 GTS version of the Jarama was on display. Faced
with a need to cut costs, Paulo Stanzani set aside the LP 500's powerplant,
slating a smaller, 4-litre engine for production. Ferruccio Lamborghini began
courting buyers for Automobili; he entered negotiations with Georges-Henri
Rossetti, a wealthy Swiss businessman and friend of Ferruccio's, as well as
being the owner of an Islero and an Espada.[48] Ferruccio sold Rossetti 51% of
the company for US$600,000, thereby relinquishing control of the automaker he
had founded. He continued to work at the Sant'Agata factory; Rossetti rarely
involved himself in Automobili's affairs.
1973–1977 - Rossetti
The 1973 oil
crisis plagued the sales of high performance cars from manufacturers around the
world; the rising price of oil caused governments to mandate new fuel economy
laws, and consumers to seek smaller, more practical modes of transportation.
Sales of Lamborghini's exotic sports cars, propelled by high-powered engines
with high fuel consumption, suffered.
In 1974
Ferruccio Lamborghini sold his remaining 49% stake in Lamborghini Automobili to
René Leimer, a friend of Georges-Henri Rossetti.
Having severed
all connections with the cars and tractors that bore his name, Lamborghini
retired to an estate on the shores of Lake Trasimeno, in the province of Perugia
in central Italy ,
where he would remain until his death.
The car shown as
the LP 500 in 1971 entered production in 1974 as the Countach LP 400, powered
by a smaller, 4.0-litre V12. The first production model was delivered in 1974.
In 1976, the Urraco P300 was reworked into the Silhouette, featuring a Targa
top and a 3-litre V8. Its poor build quality, reliability, and ergonomics all
worked against it, as did the fact that it could only be imported into the U.S. via the
"grey market". Only 54 were produced. The Countach was also hampered
by its lack of direct participation in the American market until the LP 500S
version, released in 1982.
In the 1977
Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghini unveiled its first prototype military vehicle,
the "Cheetah", powered by a rear-mounted Chrysler V8 engine. However,
the only prototype was not destroyed during testing as rumored, but performed
poorly and as such lost the contract. The resources used to develop the Cheetah
were diverted from the M1 which ultimately led to the cancellation of the
contract from BMW.
1978–1986 - Bankruptcy and Mimran
As the years
passed, Lamborghini's situation worsened; the company entered bankruptcy in
1978, and the Italian courts took control. In 1980, the Swiss brothers Jean-Claude
and Patrick Mimran, famed food entrepreneurs with a passion for sports cars,
were appointed to administer the company during its receivership. During
administration, the automaker reworked the failed Silhouette into the Jalpa,
which was powered by a 3.5-litre V8 that had been modified by former Maserati
great, Giulio Alfieri. More successful than the Silhouette, the Jalpa came
closer to achieving the goal of a more affordable, livable version of the
Countach. The Countach was also updated, finally allowing it to be sold in the U.S. with the
release of the LP 500S model in 1982. By 1984, the company was officially in
the hands of the Mimrans. The new owners began a comprehensive restructuring
programme, injecting large amounts of capital into the floundering automaker.
The Sant'Agata facilities were rehabilitated, and a worldwide hiring campaign
to find new engineering and design talent began in earnest.
The immediate
results of the investment were good. A Countach Quattrovalvole, producing 455
PS (335 kW; 449 hp), was released in 1984; further work on the failed Cheetah
project resulted in the release of the Lamborghini LM002 sport utility vehicle
in 1986. Lamborghini were also looking toward the future, displaying the
Countach Evoluzione, a prototype supercar completely made of carbon fiber, to
the international press in 1986. The Evoluzione was shown during its testing
schedule, which ended with its destruction in a crash test. However, despite
the Mimrans' efforts, the investments proved insufficient to revive the
company. Seeking a large, stable financial partner, the brothers met with
representatives of one of America 's
"Big Three" automakers, the Chrysler Corporation.
1987–1993 - Chrysler
On 24 April
1987, in an acquisition spearheaded by Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca, Chrysler
Corporation took control of Nuova Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A.,
paying US$25.2 million to the Mimrans. The Mimran brothers were the only owners
of Lamborghini to ever make money owning the company, having sold it for many
times the dollar amount they paid for it six years earlier.
Iacocca, who had
previously orchestrated a near-miraculous turnaround of Chrysler after the
company nearly fell into bankruptcy, carried out his decision to purchase
Lamborghini with no challenges from the board of directors. Chrysler executives
were appointed to Lamborghini's board, but many of Lamborghini's key members
remained in managing positions, including Alfieri, Marmiroli, Venturelli,
Ceccarani and Ubaldo Sgarzi, who continued in his role as head of the sales department.
To begin its revival, Lamborghini received a cash injection of $50 million from
its new owner. Chrysler was interested in entering the "extra
premium" sports car market, which Chrysler estimated at about 5,000 cars
per year, worldwide. Chrysler aimed to produce a car to compete with the
Ferrari 328 by 1991, and also wanted the Italians to produce an engine that
could be used in a Chrysler car for the American market.
Chrylser made
the decision to take the company into motorsport for the first time; the effort
to develop engines for Grand Prix teams would be known as Lamborghini
Engineering S.p.A. The new division was based in Modena , and was given an initial budget of $5
million. Danielle Audetto was chosen to be the manager and Emile Novaro the president;
their first recruit was Mauro Forghieri, a man with a stellar reputation in the
world of motorsport, who had formerly managed Ferrari's Formula 1 team.
Forghieri set about designing a 3.5-litre V12 engine, independent of road-car
engine design undertaken at Sant'Agata. At the time, Lamborghini was working on
a successor to the Countach, the Diablo. The Diablo's original design had been
penned by Marcello Gandini, the veteran who had penned the exterior appearances
of the Miura and the Countach while working for coachbuilder Bertone. However,
Chrysler executives, unimpressed with Gandini's work, commissioned the American
car-maker's own design team to execute a third extensive redesign of the car's
body, smoothing out the trademark sharp edges and corners of Gandini's original
design; Gandini was unimpressed with the finished product. The Diablo had been
intended for release in time for September 1988, when Lamborghini would
celebrate its 25th anniversary; once it was clear that mark would be missed, a
final version of the Countach was rushed into production instead.
By the end of
1987, Emile Novaro had returned from his long recovery, and used his authority
to halt Chrysler's increasing interference in the development of the Diablo.
Much to the chagrin of the Fighting Bull, Chrysler exhibited a four-door
concept car at the Frankfurt Auto Show, badged as a 'Chrysler powered by
Lamborghini'. The Portofino
was poorly received by the motoring press and Lamborghini's employees alike,
but it went on to become the inspiration for the Dodge Intrepid sedan.
In April 1988,
the Bertone Genesis, a Quattrovalvole V12-powered, Lamborghini-branded vehicle
resembling a minivan was debuted at the Turin
motor show. The unusual car, intended to gauge public reactions, was abandoned,
a misfit in both Lamborghini's and Chrysler's product ranges. The Genesis had
been commissioned alongside the new "baby Lambo" that would replace
the Jalpa, occupying the then-empty space below the Diablo in Lamborghini's
lineup. The project had been allocated a $25 million budget, with the prospect
of selling more than 2,000 cars per year.
The Diablo was
released to the public on 21 January 1990, at an event at the Hotel de Paris in
Monte Carlo .
The Diablo was the fastest car in production in the world at the time,[citation
needed] and sales were so brisk that Lamborghini began to turn a profit. The
company's U.S.
presence had previously consisted of a loosely affiliated and disorganized
private dealer network; Chrysler established an efficient franchise with full
service and spare parts support. The company also began to develop its V12
engines for powerboat racing. Profits increased past the $1 million mark in
1991, and Lamborghini enjoyed a positive era.
The uptick in
fortunes was to be brief; in 1992, sales crashed, as the $239,000 Diablo proved
ultimately to be inaccessible to American enthusiasts. With Lamborghini
bleeding money, Chrysler decided that the automaker was no longer producing
enough cars to justify its investment.
1994–1997 - MegaTech and V'Power
Chrysler began
looking for someone to take Lamborghini off its hands, and found it in a
holding company called MegaTech. The company was registered in Bermuda and wholly owned by Indonesian conglomerate
SEDTCO Pty., headed by businessmen Setiawan Djody and Tommy Suharto, the
youngest son of then-Indonesian President Suharto. By February 1994, after $40
million had changed hands, Lamborghini had left American ownership, and
MegaTech took over the automaker, its Modena
racing engine factory, and the American dealer interest, Lamborghini USA . Djody, who
also owned a 35% stake in troubled American supercar manufacturer Vector
Motors, thought Vector and Lamborghini might be able to collaborate to improve
their output. Michael J. Kimberly, formerly of Lotus, Jaguar and executive
vice-president of General Motors, was appointed president and managing
director. After reviewing the entire Lamborghini operation, Kimberly concluded
that the company needed to expand its offerings from more than just one or two
models, and provide a car accessible to American car enthusiasts. He
implemented a marketing strategy to raise awareness of Lamborghini's heritage
and mystique. In 1995, Lamborghini produced a hit, when the Diablo was updated
to the top-end SuperVeloce model. But in 1995, even as sales were climbing, the
company was restructured, with Tommy Suharto's V'Power Corporation holding a
60% interest, MyCom Bhd., a Malaysian company controlled by Jeff Yap, holding
the other 40%.
Never leaving
the red despite its increase in sales, in November 1996 Lamborghini hired
Vittorio di Capua as President and CEO, hoping that the veteran of more than 40
years at auto giant Fiat S.p.A. could finally make the sports car maker
profitable again. Di Capua immediately launched cost-cutting measures, letting
go of a number of company executives and consultants, and overhauling
production in order to achieve a 50 percent gain in productivity. In 1997,
Lamborghini finally passed its break-even point, selling 209 Diablos, thirteen
more than it needed to be profitable. Di Capua also leveraged the Lamborghini
name and identity, implementing aggressive merchandising and licensing deals.
Development of the "baby Lambo" finally began, moving forward with a
$100 million budget.
1998–2007 - Reorganization, Murciélago, and
Gallardo
The financial
crisis that gripped Asia in July of that year
set the stage for another ownership change. The new chairman of Volkswagen AG,
Ferdinand Piëch, grandson of Volkswagen's founder, Ferdinand Porsche, went on a
buying spree through 1998, purchasing Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini.
Volkswagen subsidiary AUDI AG acquired Lamborghini in September 1998 for around
US$110 million.[64] Audi spokesman Juergen de Graeve told the Wall Street
Journal that Lamborghini "could strengthen Audi's sporty profile, and on
the other hand Lamborghini could benefit from [Audi's] technical
expertise."
Only five years
after leaving American ownership, Lamborghini was now under German control. Yet
again, the troubled Italian automaker was reorganized, becoming restructured
into a holding company, Lamborghini Holding S.p.A., with Audi president
Franz-Josef Paefgen as its chairman. Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. became a
subsidiary of the holding company, allowing it to focus specifically on
designing and building cars while separate interests took care of the company's
licensing deals and marine engine manufacturing. Vittorio Di Capua originally
remained in charge, but eventually resigned in June 1999. He was replaced by
Giuseppe Greco, another industry veteran with experience at Fiat, Alfa Romeo,
and Ferrari. The Diablo's final evolution, the GT, was released, but not
exported to the U.S., its low-volume production making it uneconomical to go
through the process of gaining emissions and crashworthiness approval. During
the Diablo's 11-year series production run, Lamborghini produced 2,900
examples.
In much the same
way that American ownership had influenced the design of the Diablo,
Lamborghini's new German parent played a large role in the creation of the
Diablo's replacement. The first new Lamborghini in more than a decade, known
internally as Project L147, represented the rebirth of Lamborghini, and was
named, fittingly, for the bull that originally sired the Miura line that had inspired
Ferruccio Lamborghini almost 40 years before: Murciélago. The new flagship car
was styled by Belgian Luc Donckerwolke, Lamborghini's new head of design.
Under German
ownership, Lamborghini found stability that it had not seen in many years. In
2003, Lamborghini followed up the Murciélago with the smaller, V10-equipped
Gallardo, intended to be more accessible and more livable than the Murciélago.
In 2007, Wolfgang Egger was appointed as the new head of design of Audi and
Lamborghini, replacing Walter de'Silva, who was responsible for the design of
only one car during his appointment, the Miura Concept of 2006.
2008–2010 - Reventón, production peak, end
of Murciélago
Towards the end
of the 2000s, Lamborghini produced a number of revisions of the Murciélago and
Gallardo. Lamborghini released the Reventón, a limited-edition derivative of
the Murciélago featuring a newly designed body with more angular styling, and a
roadster the following year. The final update to the Murciélago came in 2009
with the release of the LP 670–4 SV ("SuperVeloce").
After ten years
of Murciélago series production, Lamborghini produced the 4,000th example, an
LP 670–4 SV destined for China ,
in February 2010. Lamborghini produced the last Murciélago, number 4,099, on 11
May 2010, but did not officially mark the end of production until six months
later on 5 November 2010.
Lamborghini
achieved its highest ever yearly sales figure in 2008, selling 2,430 vehicles.
During this decade the Asia-Pacific market became more important to the
company's sales performance, growing to represent 25 percent of Lamborghini's
overall worldwide sales. Despite the strength of the Asia-Pacific market, the
effects of the world financial crisis that began in 2007 caused Lamborghini's
sales to drop almost 50% below their 2008 peak, selling 1,515 vehicles in 2009
and 1,302 vehicles in 2010. CEO Stephan Winkelmann predicted in 2009 that poor
sales figures for supercars would continue through 2011; history would prove
him right.
2011–present - Aventador, end of Gallardo
The Aventador,
the 349 km/h (217 mph) replacement for the Murciélago, debuted on 1 March 2011
at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
Lamborghini
revealed the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570–4 Super Trofeo Stradale at the 2011
Frankfurt Motor Show.
In 2012, Lamborghini
released the Sesto Elemento (Sixth Element) for track use only.
In March 2013,
Lamborghini released the Veneno. Lamborghini made four Venenos, one prototype
and three customer cars.
Lamborghini is
currently working on some final matters with the Urus that is scheduled to be
released in the year 2016. Lamborghini is planning on making 3,000 each year
with half of them produced being sold in the United States .
In October 2013,
Lamborghini released the Lamborghini Veneno Roadster based on the Veneno.
Production of
the Gallardo ended on 25 November 2013, after 14,022 had been produced. At the
time of its discontinuation, the Gallardo was the highest selling Lamborghini
model, with almost half of all Lamborghini automobiles ever produced being
Gallardos. The Gallardo's replacement, the Huracán LP610-4, was announced in
December 2013, and is expected to make its auto show debut at the 2014 Geneva
Auto Show. The Huracan will have 602 bhp 0–100 kilometres per hour (0–62 mph)
in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of over 202 miles per hour (325 km/h). This is
powered by a 5.2 litre V10. The car will be all-wheel drive. The main aim of
the car is to rival the Ferrari 458 and the McLaren 12C.
Automobiles
Main article:
List of Lamborghini automobiles
As of the 2013 model
year, Lamborghini's automobile product range consists of two model lines, both
of which are mid-engine two-seat sports cars. The V12-powered Aventador line
consists of the LP 700–4 coupé and roadster. The Lamborghini Gallardo line, all
powered by V10-engines, include the LP 550-2 coupé and spyder (convertible),
the Gallardo LP 560-4 coupé and spyder, the LP 570-4 Superleggera and
Superleggera Edizione Tecnica, the LP 570-4 Performante and Performante
Edizione Tecnica, and the LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale.
Aside from the
Aventador and Gallardo production series, a number of special and limited
editions were produced:
Gallardo LP
570-4 Squadra Corse
Gallardo
Bicolore
Gallardo LP
550-2 Tricolore
Aventador LP
720-4 50° Anniversario
Aventador J
Sesto Elemento
(Sixth Element)
Veneno
Marine engines
Motori Marini
Lamborghini produces a large V12 marine engine block for use in World Offshore
Series Class 1 powerboats. A Lamborghini branded marine engine displaces
approximately 8,171 cc (499 cu in) and outputs approximately 940 hp (700 kW).
Branded merchandise
Lamborghini
licenses its brand to manufacturers that produce a variety of
Lamborghini-branded consumer goods including scale models, clothing, accessories
and electronics.
Motorsport
In contrast to
his rival Enzo Ferrari, Ferruccio Lamborghini had decided early on that there
would be no factory-supported racing of Lamborghinis, viewing motorsport as too
expensive and too draining on company resources. This was unusual for the time,
as many sports car manufacturers sought to demonstrate the speed, reliability,
and technical superiority through motorsport participation. Enzo Ferrari in
particular was known for considering his road car business mostly a source of
funding for his participation in motor racing. Ferruccio's policy led to
tensions between him and his engineers, many of whom were racing enthusiasts;
some had previously worked at Ferrari. When Dallara, Stanzani, and Wallace
began dedicating their spare time to the development of the P400 prototype, they
designed it to be a road car with racing potential, one that could win on the
track and also be driven on the road by enthusiasts. When Ferruccio discovered
the project, he allowed them to go ahead, seeing it as a potential marketing
device for the company, while insisting that it would not be raced. The P400
went on to become the Miura. The closest the company came to building a true
race car under Lamborghini's supervision were a few highly modified prototypes,
including those built by factory test driver Bob Wallace, such as the Miura
SV-based "Jota" and the Jarama S-based "Bob Wallace
Special".
In the
mid-1970s, while Lamborghini was under the management of Georges-Henri
Rossetti, Lamborghini entered into an agreement with BMW to develop, then
manufacture 400 cars for BMW in order to meet Group 4 homologation
requirements. BMW lacked experience developing a mid-engined vehicle and
believed that Lamborghini's experience in that area would make Lamborghini an
ideal choice of partner. Due to Lamborghini's shaky finances, Lamborghini fell
behind schedule developing the car's structure and running gear. When
Lamborghini failed to deliver working prototypes on time, BMW took the program
in house, finishing development without Lamborghini. BMW contracted with Baur
to produce the car, which BMW named the M1, delivering the first vehicle in
October 1978.
In 1985,
Lamborghini's British importer developed the Countach QVX, in conjunction with
Spice Engineering, for the 1986 Group C championship season. One car was built,
but lack of sponsorship caused it to miss the season. The QVX competed in only
one race, the non-championship 1986 Southern Suns 500 km race at Kyalami in South Africa ,
driven by Tiff Needell. Despite the car finishing better than it started,
sponsorship could once again not be found and the programme was cancelled.
Lamborghini was
an engine supplier in Formula One between the 1989 and 1993 Formula One
seasons. It supplied engines to Larrousse (1989–1990,1992–1993), Lotus (1990),
Ligier (1991), Minardi (1992), and to the Modena
team in 1991. While the latter is commonly referred to as a factory team, the
company saw themselves as a supplier, not a backer. The 1992
Larrousse–Lamborghini was largely uncompetitive but noteworthy in its tendency
to spew oil from its exhaust system. Cars following closely behind the
Larrousse were commonly coloured yellowish-brown by the end of the race.
In late 1991, a
Lamborghini Formula One motor was used in the Konrad KM-011 Group C sports car,
but the car only lasted a few races before the project was canceled. The same
engine, re-badged a Chrysler, Lamborghini's then-parent company, was tested by
McLaren towards the end of the 1993 season, with the intent of using it during
the 1994 season. Although driver Ayrton Senna was reportedly impressed with the
engine's performance, McLaren pulled out of negotiations, choosing a Peugeot
engine instead, and Chrysler ended the project.
Two racing
versions of the Diablo were built for the Diablo Supertrophy, a single-model
racing series held annually from 1996 to 1999. In the first year, the model
used in the series was the Diablo SVR, while the Diablo 6.0 GTR was used for the
remaining three years. Lamborghini developed the Murciélago R-GT as a
production racing car to compete in the FIA GT Championship, the Super GT
Championship and the American Le Mans Series in 2004. The car's highest placing
in any race that year was the opening round of the FIA GT Championship at Valencia ,
where the car entered by Reiter Engineering finished third from a fifth-place
start. In 2006, during the opening round of the Super GT championship at
Suzuka, a car run by the Japan Lamborghini Owners Club garnered the first
victory (in class) by an R-GT. A GT3 version of the Gallardo has been developed
by Reiter Engineering. A Murciélago R-GT entered by All-Inkl.com racing, driven
by Christophe Bouchut and Stefan Mücke, won the opening round of the FIA GT
Championship held at Zhuhai International Circuit, achieving the first major
international race victory for Lamborghini.
Brand identity
The world of
bullfighting is a key part of Lamborghini's identity. In 1962, Ferruccio
Lamborghini visited the Seville
ranch of Don Eduardo Miura, a renowned breeder of Spanish fighting bulls.
Lamborghini, a Taurus himself, was so impressed by the majestic Miura animals
that he decided to adopt a raging bull as the emblem for the automaker he would
open shortly.
Vehicle nomenclature
After producing
two cars with alphanumeric designations, Lamborghini once again turned to the
bull breeder for inspiration. Don Eduardo was filled with pride when he learned
that Ferruccio had named a car for his family and their line of bulls; the
fourth Miura to be produced was unveiled to him at his ranch in Seville .
The automaker
would continue to draw upon the bullfighting connection in future years. The
Islero was named for the Miura bull that killed the famed bullfighter Manolete
in 1947. Espada is the Spanish word for sword, sometimes used to refer to the
bullfighter himself. The Jarama's name carried a special double meaning;
intended to refer only to the historic bullfighting region in Spain , Ferruccio was concerned
about confusion with the also historic Jarama motor racing track.
After
christening the Urraco after a bull breed, in 1974, Lamborghini broke from
tradition, naming the Countach not for a bull, but for countach, an exclamation
of astonishment used by Piedmontese men upon sighting a beautiful woman. Legend
has it that stylist Nuccio Bertone uttered the word in surprise when he first laid
eyes on the Countach prototype, "Project 112". The LM002 (LM for
Lamborghini Militaire) sport utility vehicle and the Silhouette (named after
the popular racing category of the time) were other exceptions to the
tradition.
The Jalpa of
1982 was named for a bull breed; Diablo, for the Duke of Veragua's ferocious
bull famous for fighting an epic battle against "El Chicorro" in
Madrid in 1869; Murciélago, the legendary bull whose life was spared by
"El Lagartijo" for his performance in 1879; Gallardo, named for one
of the five ancestral castes of the Spanish fighting bull breed; and Reventón,
the bull that defeated young Mexican torero Félix Guzmán in 1943. The Estoque
concept of 2008 was named for the estoc, the sword traditionally used by matadors
during bullfights.
Concept vehicles
Throughout its
history, Lamborghini has envisioned and presented a variety of concept cars,
beginning in 1963 with the very first Lamborghini prototype, the 350GTV. Other
famous models include Bertone's 1967 Marzal, 1974 Bravo, and 1980 Athon,
Chrysler's 1987 Portofino ,
the Italdesign-styled Cala from 1995, the Zagato-built Raptor from 1996.
A retro-styled
Lamborghini Miura concept car, the first creation of chief designer Walter
de'Silva, was presented in 2006. President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann denied
that the concept would be put into production, saying that the Miura concept
was "a celebration of our history, but Lamborghini is about the future.
Retro design is not what we are here for. So we won’t do the [new] Miura.”
At the 2008
Paris Motor Show, Lamborghini revealed the Estoque, a four-door sedan concept.
Although there had been much speculation regarding the Estoque's eventual
production, Lamborghini management has not made a decision regarding production
of what might be the first four-door car to roll out of the Sant'Agata factory.
At the 2010
Paris Motor Show, Lamborghini unveiled the Sesto Elemento. The concept car is
made almost entirely of carbon fibre making it extremely light, weighing only
999 kg. The Sesto Elemento shares the same V10 engine found in the Lamborghini
Gallardo. Lamborghini hopes to signal a shift in the company's direction from
making super cars focused on top speed to producing more agile, track focused
cars with the Sesto Elemento. The concept car can reach 0–62 in 2.5 seconds and
can reach a top speed of over 180 mph.
At the 2012
Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghini unveiled the Aventador J – a roofless,
windowless version of the Lamborghini Aventador. The Aventador J uses the same
700 hp engine and seven-speed transmission as the standard Aventador.
At the 2012
Beijing Motor Show, Lamborghini unveiled the Urus SUV. This is the first SUV By
Lamborghini since the LM002.
As part of the
celebration of 50 years of Lamborghini, the company unveiled the Egoista.
Egoista is for one person's driving and only one of Egoista is to be made.
Structure
As of 2011,
Lamborghini is structured as a wholly owned subsidiary of AUDI AG named Automobili
Lamborghini S.p.A.
Automobili
Lamborghini S.p.A. controls five principal subsidiaries: Ducati Motor Holding
S.p.A., a manufacturer of motorcycles; Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A., a
90.1%-owned design and prototyping firm that provides services to the entire
Volkswagen Group; MML S.p.A. (Motori Marini Lamborghini), a manufacturer of
marine engine blocks; and VOLKSWAGEN GROUP ITALIA S.p.A. (formerly AUTOGERMA
S.p.A.), which sells Audi and other Volkswagen Group vehicles in Italy.
Automóviles Lamborghini Latinoamérica
Automóviles
Lamborghini Latinoamérica S.A. de C.V. (Lamborghini Automobiles of Latin
America Public Limited Company) is an authorized distributor and manufacturer
of Lamborghini-branded vehicles and merchandise in Latin America and South America. [117]
In 1995,
Indonesian corporation MegaTech, Lamborghini's owner at the time, entered into
distribution and license agreements with Mexican businessman Jorge Antonio
Fernandez Garcia. The agreements give Automóviles Lamborghini Latinoamérica
S.A. de C.V. the exclusive distributorship of Lamborghini vehicles and branded
merchandise in Latin America and South America .
Under the agreements, Automóviles Lamborghini is also allowed to manufacture
Lamborghini vehicles and market them worldwide under the Lamborghini brand.
Automóviles
Lamborghini has produced two rebodied versions of the Diablo called the Eros
and the Coatl. Automóviles Lamborghini plans to start producing auto parts in
the Argentine province
of Santiago del Estero
0 nhận xét:
Post a Comment