Description
By: Anthony Pritchard .
Ferruccio Lamborghini, an immensely successful Italian industrialist, built a new factory, employed some of Italy's most talented automobile engineers and sired the Lamborghini 350GT, first seen in GTV prototype form at the 1963 Turin Motor Show.
The production 350GT followed a year later and the world's top car boffins were unable to decide who built the better GT cars, Lamborghini or Ferrari. After introducing the more powerful, more spacious 400GT, Lamborghini startled the automobile world at the Geneva Salon in 1966 by exhibiting the iconic Miura. Named after a famous breed of fighting bull, the Miura was way ahead of its rivals, with mid-mounted transverse V12 engine, styling of impeccable grace by Bertone, and a top speed of 170mph. There was nothing to match this.
Then came the almost futuristic Countach, which was to sustain Lamborghini production for so many years. By 1971 Lamborghini was in serious financial trouble, however, and forced to sell the company. A succession of new models and different owners did little to improve things. Eventually, in 1990, the beautiful Diablo replaced the Countach and the marque staggered on until it was acquired by Audi in 1998. Under inspired German management, Lamborghini has been transformed — the current Murciélago and Gallardo models are among the most successful of all high-speed GT cars.
This superbly illustrated book provides a full history of Lamborghini from 1963 to the present day, complete with driving impressions, full specifications and buying hints. It is a thrilling story that will delight all motoring enthusiasts.
Anthony Pritchard, a respected automotive historian, is the author of Haynes's successful Sports Racing Cars: Expert assessment of fifty motor racing greats, Scarlet Passion: Ferrari's famed sports prototypes and competition sports cars 1962-73 and Maserati: A racing history
