Ferruccio Lamborghini, founder of Lamborghini Automobile, was born in 1916 in a small town in Renaissance Italy. As a child, he worked in his family's vineyards and later became interested in mechanics. After studying mechanics, he worked as a tractor technician and was later drafted into the Italian Air Force, where he became a maintenance supervisor.
After World War II, Lamborghini returned home and started a small workshop in his garage to manufacture tractors using surplus war truck engines. The business was a success, and he began to manufacture his own engines. In the late 1950s, Lamborghini became a racing driver and developed a passion for sports cars.
In 1962, Lamborghini decided to create his own sports car after being belittled by Enzo Ferrari. Despite being told by loved ones that the project would bring losses, Lamborghini ignored them and founded the Lamborghini Automobili company in 1963. He presented his first supercar, the 350 GTV, at the Turin Motor Show in 1963.
Although the initial model did not do well, Lamborghini's team created a sensational design with the Lamborghini Miura in 1967. The company became known for its high-end sports cars, but Lamborghini's finances suffered due to the high cost of production.
In the 1970s, Lamborghini sold a large part of his company to various investors and eventually sold the rest, leaving him with only 25% of the company. He abandoned the tractor business and focused on his vineyard.
Ferruccio Lamborghini died in 1993 at the age of 77. Today, the Lamborghini brand is owned by the Volkswagen Group and is one of the top 5 most prestigious car brands, generating annual profits of over $2 billion.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Ferruccio Lamborghini was born in 1916.
2. He grew up in a small town in Renaissance Italy.
3. Ferruccio's parents were winegrowers.
4. As a child, Ferruccio helped his parents with work tasks in the vineyards.
5. Ferruccio's father hoped he would become a farmer.
6. Ferruccio studied mechanics at an institute in Italy.
7. In 1928, Ferruccio worked as a tractor technician.
8. In 1940, he was called by the Italian Air Force to be a maintenance supervisor.
9. Ferruccio joined the Second World War and was promoted to captain.
10. He was taken as a prisoner of the German army.
11. After the war, Ferruccio was released and returned home.
12. He found that the war had left a great shortage of agricultural machinery.
13. In a few years, Ferruccio decided to open a small workshop to manufacture tractors.
14. He used surplus war truck engines to build his tractors.
15. Ferruccio's invention was a success, and the business quickly grew.
16. He began to manufacture his own engines.
17. In 1947, Ferruccio married a woman named Clelia Monti.
18. In 1948, Ferruccio founded a company called Lamborghini Trattori.
19. The company grew rapidly, and Ferruccio became a wealthy man.
20. In the late 1950s, Ferruccio became a racing driver.
21. He bought several sports cars, including a Ferrari 250 GT.
22. Ferruccio was not satisfied with the quality of the Ferrari and visited the Ferrari service twice.
23. He was dissatisfied with the response of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Ferrari.
24. Ferruccio decided to create his own sports car.
25. In 1962, Ferruccio began the project of his sports car.
26. In 1963, he founded the Lamborghini Automobili company.
27. Ferruccio bought a large piece of land and built a factory.
28. He worked on the project for a full year and hired former Ferrari employees.
29. In 1963, Ferruccio presented his first supercar, the 350 GTB, at the Turin Motor Show.
30. The 350 GTB did not do well, but it helped Lamborghini become known in the sports car market.
31. Two years later, Ferruccio's team created a sensational design, the Lamborghini Miura.
32. The Miura was a perfect mix of originality, power, and elegance.
33. Ferruccio's company, Lamborghini Automobili, became a rival to Ferrari.
34. In 1967, Ferruccio created a prototype, the Lamborghini Marzal.
35. In 1968, he presented the Lamborghini Espada in Geneva.
36. Ferruccio invested a large amount of money in the factory, but many orders were canceled.
37. In 1972, Ferruccio sold a large part of his company, including various investors.
38. Until around the 1980s, Ferruccio only had 25 percent of Lamborghini Automobile.
39. In the 1980s, a young car designer named Horacio Pagani worked for Lamborghini.
40. Horacio suggested to Ferruccio to change some materials of the cars for carbon fiber.
41. Ferruccio did not accept the suggestion, and Horacio resigned from Lamborghini to found his own company, Pagani Automobile.
42. Due to the sum of losses, Ferruccio abandoned the tractor business.
43. He sold the rest of his company, and it became managed by other businessmen.
44. Ferruccio decided to go live in a vineyard he had bought and dedicate himself to agricultural work.
45. Ferruccio Lamborghini died in Perugia, Italy, on February 20, 1993, at the age of 77.
46. The company no longer belongs to the founder's family and became the property of the Volkswagen group.
47. Lamborghini's super cars are listed in the top 5 of the largest car brands in prestige.
48. The annual profits that Lamborghini generates around the world are close to just over two billion dollars.