Most car fans, especially those super-fast and powerful, know that Lamborghini was the first to produce tractors. However, do you know who he was and what was the founder of company?
In the text in which we briefly described Enzo Ferrari rich life, we mentioned one of his biggest competitors, Ferruccio Lamborghini. This is a story about him.
The beginnings
Ferruccio Lamborghini was born on April 28, 1916 in house number 22, in the small village of Pieve di Cento, in the district of Ferara, in the area of northern Italy. His parents, Antonio and Evelina, were engaged in agriculture, more precisely the vineyards, and were valid for one of the most reputable families. Otherwise, his horoscope was a bull, an animal that marked his entire life, which he was looking at with awe and how many people said, the animal whose traits he possessed.
As a young boy, Feruc was much more attracted to the machine used by his father to process the land, than the agriculture itself. Together with his father, he often repaired the tractors, waking up in his interest in mechanics, so he decided not to go to his father’s feet. This interest prompted him to enter a technical institute in Bologna named “Fratelli Tadia”, who graduated in 1940. It has also developed a passion for fast cars and motorcycles.
Specifically, whether he graduated or prevented him from being recruited in the Italian army in 1940, and today is being debated. Like all the people who lived in that period, the Second World War has had many influences on his life. During the war Ferruccio was stationed in Rhodes, where he was a mechanic and where he worked in logistics. During 1944 he was captured by the British forces and held him briefly as a prisoner. During that time he repaired their cars, where he also gained experience on how to fit road vehicles even with the lack of parts. At the end of the war, he was sent back to Italy.
Post-war years
His first business venture was a car repair garage in the Pieve di Cento settlement, opened at the end of 1946, where he held cars, trucks and tractors in the cargo area.
During that time, Ferrovos married, but his wife, Clelia Monti, unfortunately died at birth. She brought her to the world of a little boy named Tonino.
Like many of his contemporaries, Lamborghini had a second-hand Fiat Topolino, which, using little spare time and money, had turned into a racing car. With him in 1948 he participated in the Mille Miglia race. During the race he fled from the road to the town Ferruccio destroyed the wall of a restaurant. His father had to pay a restaurant repair. In the race Fiat was completely destroyed, and Lamborghini realized that glory and wealth would not be acquired as a racing car driver. What’s interesting is that Ferari’s car won the race, the latest in Italy.
The first tractor
His father was indirectly responsible for hearing Lamborghini throughout Italy. He was urgently needed a new tractor, and to make up for paying for the restoration of the restaurant he had destroyed, Ferruccio promised to make one. The tractor consisted of a Moris six-cylinder engine, a General Motors transmission, and a Ford differential. As Italy refined its agriculture, which was devastated by the consequences of war, the replica of Ferruccio’s tractor became highly sought after, primarily by his father’s friend. Lamborghini was in this saw opportunity and in 1949 the Lamborghini Trattori factory was established. The design has evolved, the business flourished and Ferro became one of the largest producers of agro-cultural equipment in Italy. His tractors became known as the best in Italy and Fergus began even to organize bidding on a tractor traction, just to show how much his machines are superior.
Tractor production made him a rich man, and soon he founded another factory that produced air conditioners and central heating equipment. This factory brought more money to Lamborghini and quickly became one of the richest people in Italy. As he had a lot of money, he left the days when he drove the Fiat behind and started buying and driving the cars Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Mercedes and of course Ferrari.
Conflict with Enzo Ferrari
When Lamborghini drove his Ferari 250 GT to a regular service, he saw that the transmissions has the same solution as the one he had in his tractors.Lamborghini asked Ferrari to change the alternator’s solution, he had an idea of how to be better, to which he replied that he was just a stupid tractor manufacturer, and he did not know anything about sports cars. The rising Italian blood grew, Lamborghini spit between Ferrari`s legs , turned and began to make his luxury cars. Lamborghini was insulted, but instead of gripe, he decided to do something concrete. He tried to make a car that would be a “better Ferrari than Ferrari”. He combined his passion with his knowledge and created the empire. He started as a car enthusiast, and later became a legend of auto industry. He did not allow anything to be prevented from doing his dream. Even though many people, when he said he wanted to make a super car, thought he was out of mind.
As the tractor’s production process went very well and there was no need to oversee the factories, he decided to carry out his plan and start the new car production process. In 1962 Lamborghini Automobiles was founded. He made a factory near Ferrari`s and employed his two former workers, Gian Paolo Dallara and Bob Wallace, who asked him to develop his car. The V12 engine was made by a man who also worked for Ferrari, Giotto Bizzarrini. The first car in production was the Lamborghini 350GT model, which was far superior to Ferari`s. He sold 13 models, and for only two years Ferruccio`s achieved dream about producing a GT car and about winning Ferari in his game. It became a world-renowned car manufacturer after in 1966 introduced the Lamborghini P400 model that had 350 horsepower, and later named Lamborghini Miura.
A ragged bull
Lamborghini’s logo, gold-black bull, was designed by founder Ferruccio Lamborghini, and a bull, a symbol of his horoscope, was added to the central location. The reason was that about a year earlier, Ferruccio visited a ranch in Seville known for breeding Spanish fighter bulls and was so impressed with these animals that he decided to use them in his company’s logo and thus demonstrated the supremacy he had planned on the market to achieve . Later he began to give names to his cars by known bulls. The legend says that Mr. Lamborghini intentionally copied Ferari’s shield, replaced the areas of yellow and black fields to hurt the ego of Enzo Ferrari. However, as both actors of this typical male story of spite and succulence have died, we will never find out the truth.
Economic crisis and pension
Unfortunately, in the seventies of the last century, things have become harder for Ferruccio. He had several poor commitments with a tractor company, which, together with the economic crisis, led to the company having to sell most of its companies and lead to retirement. He retired to his estate where he began to produce wine, known as the “Blood of the Miura”. He married again in 1974 at the age of 58, and became father for the second time.
The Lamborghini factory has changed owners, and today it is owned by the German manufacturer Audi AG, which is in fact a Volkswagen group company.
Ferruccio Lamborghini died in Perugia in 1993, and was still remembered by his features and intrusion.
The question about which super car fans have been arguing for decades, is who is really better cars? Ferrari or Lamborghini? Both camps have their own arguments. We will probably not find a true, but it is not important either because their creators made empires from nothing and give us the precious cars that we admire and they become the legends of auto industry.
