Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
Luxury Automotive ManufacturingFounded 1963- Updated July 2025
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Last reviewed: July 2025
CorpDigest
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
Company History
Founded 1963 in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy
Last reviewed: 2025-07-15 · By Swet Parvadiya
The first Lamborghini was not a car. By 1963, Ferruccio Lamborghini had already built a successful tractor manufacturing business — Lamborghini Trattori — and had accumulated enough wealth to drive Ferraris recreationally. He reportedly complained to Enzo Ferrari about the clutch behavior on his personal car and received a dismissive response. Whether Enzo Ferrari actually told him to leave sports cars to professionals is debated. What is not debated is that Ferruccio hired away Franco Scaglione for styling, Giotto Bizzarrini for engine work, and Gian Paolo Dallara for chassis engineering — all either recently departed or in discussion about departing from Ferrari — and began building a GT car in a new factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese.
The 350 GT appeared at the Turin Motor Show in 1964. The Miura followed in 1966 and changed automotive history: a mid-engine sports car with a transversely mounted V12, designed by Dallara with a body by Bertone, which automotive historians widely credit as the founding document of the modern supercar concept.
Ferruccio Lamborghini retired in 1974, selling his shares after the oil crisis and labor unrest of the early 1970s had damaged the business financially. The company passed through receivership in 1978, and through several subsequent ownership changes — including a period under the Mimran brothers, who stabilized the finances, and a Chrysler acquisition in 1987 that introduced American capital and distribution — before Audi AG, operating within the Volkswagen Group, acquired it in 1998.
Under Volkswagen Group ownership, Lamborghini gained access to shared platform engineering, electronic systems, and chassis technology that allowed it to develop the Urus using the same underpinnings as the Bentley Bentayga, Porsche Cayenne, and Audi Q7 — dramatically reducing the development cost of a vehicle that would become the company's highest-volume product.
Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) was the primary engineering genius and industrialist behind the founding of Automobili Lamborghini, possessing an intuitive understanding of mechanical systems that allowed him to build a highly successful tractor manufacturing empire, Lamborghini Trattori, in the post-World War II Italian economic boom. His invention of the Carioca tractor, which utilized a customized Morris Commercial engine and a unique fuel vaporization system that allowed it to run on cheap diesel fuel, established him as one of Italy's most successful industrialists and generated the immense wealth that would eventually fund his entry into the sports car market. Ferruccio's leadership style was pragmatic, demanding, and deeply rooted in his belief that mechanical robustness and daily usability were paramount, values that would later define the philosophy of his sports car company. Following his confrontation with Enzo Ferrari in 1958 over the clutch failures of his Ferrari 250 GT, Ferruccio established Automobili Lamborghini in 1963 in Sant'Agata Bolognese, recruiting some of the brightest engineering talents in Italy, including Giotto Bizzarrini and Giampaolo Dallara, to develop his first vehicle. The first prototype, the 350 GTV, was unveiled at the Turin Auto Show in 1963, featuring a sleek, aggressive design and a sophisticated independent suspension system, while the first production vehicle, the 350 GT, was introduced in 1964, establishing Lamborghini as a credible competitor to Ferrari. Ferruccio's most significant contribution to the automotive industry was the development of the Miura, introduced in 1966, which revolutionized the sports car industry by placing the V12 engine in a mid-rear position, a layout that would define the modern supercar for the next six decades. Despite his success, Ferruccio faced significant financial challenges in the 1970s due to the 1973 oil crisis and the mismanagement of his expansion into military vehicle production, leading to the sale of his tractor company and eventually his automotive company. Ferruccio retired from the automotive industry in 1974, spending his later years at his estate in Umbria, where he focused on winemaking and his foundation, until his death in 1993. His legacy is defined by his unwavering commitment to mechanical excellence, his rebellious spirit, and his belief that a sports car should be not only fast but also reliable and usable for daily driving, a philosophy that continues to influence Lamborghini's corporate culture and product development strategy to this day.
Ferruccio Lamborghini establishes Automobili Lamborghini in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, recruiting Giotto Bizzarrini and Giampaolo Dallara to develop the 350 GTV prototype, marking the beginning of what would become one of the world's most iconic ultra-luxury automotive brands.
Lamborghini introduces the 350 GT, its first production vehicle, featuring a 3.5-liter V12 engine producing 280 horsepower, establishing the company as a credible competitor to Ferrari and setting the foundation for its powertrain philosophy.
The company unveils the Miura at the Geneva Motor Show, revolutionizing the sports car industry by placing the V12 engine in a mid-rear position, a layout that would define the modern supercar for the next six decades and establishing Lamborghini's reputation for aggressive, futuristic design.
Facing financial difficulties due to the 1973 oil crisis and the mismanagement of his expansion into military vehicle production, Ferruccio Lamborghini sells his remaining stake in the automotive company and retires to his estate in Umbria, marking the end of the founder's era.
Automobili Lamborghini is forced into bankruptcy due to financial mismanagement and the global economic downturn, leading to the company being placed in receivership and eventually purchased by the Mimran brothers in 1980, who stabilized the company and introduced the iconic Countach.
Chrysler Corporation, led by Lee Iacocca, acquires Lamborghini for $25 million, attempting to use the brand to enhance its premium image, but the partnership fails to generate significant volume or profitability, leading to the sale of the company to Megatech in 1994.
Audi AG, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, acquires Lamborghini for approximately $110 million, providing the company with the financial stability, engineering resources, and shared platform architectures required to compete consistently with Ferrari and achieve long-term profitability.
Lamborghini introduces the Gallardo, its first vehicle developed under Volkswagen Group ownership, which becomes the best-selling Lamborghini model in history with over 14,000 units produced, establishing the brand's dominance in the entry-level supercar segment.
The company launches the Aventador, featuring a new 6.5-liter V12 engine and a carbon fiber monocoque chassis, replacing the Murcielago and setting a new standard for performance and technology in the flagship supercar segment.
Lamborghini introduces the Urus, the world's first super SUV, built on the Volkswagen Group's MLB Evo platform, which accounts for over 60% of total vehicle volume and provides the massive cash flow required to fund the development of its halo cars, transforming the company's financial profile.
Lamborghini launches the Revuelto, the first V12 plug-in hybrid super sports car, utilizing a naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 engine paired with three electric motors, producing a combined 1,001 horsepower, marking the beginning of the brand's transition to hybridized powertrains under the 'Direttrice' plan.
Lamborghini generates $3.2 billion in consolidated revenue and achieves a record-breaking operating margin of 26.5%, solidifying its position as one of the most profitable automotive brands globally on a per-unit basis, driven by the massive success of the Urus and the Ad Personam customization program.
Audi AG, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, acquired Lamborghini from the Indonesian ownership group V'Power and Megatech to add a ultra-luxury, high-performance marque to the group's portfolio, driven by Ferdinand Piëch's recognition of the brand's potential to compete with Ferrari and Porsche.
The 1973 oil crisis collapsed demand for Lamborghini's fuel-thirsty V12 cars just as the company sank capital into the failed 'Cheetah' military off-road vehicle, which never won a US production contract. Those combined shocks forced the company into receivership in 1978, and its assets were bought by the Mimran brothers in 1980 to keep it alive.
The Miura, launched in 1966, introduced a transverse mid-mounted V12 layout that became the template for the modern supercar. It shifted Lamborghini from building refined grand tourers like the 350 GT into the exotic mid-engine performance segment that still defines the brand nearly six decades later.
The wedge-shaped Countach, designed by Marcello Gandini and first shown in 1971, ran in production from 1974 to 1990. Its dramatic scissor-door silhouette became Lamborghini's signature visual language and carried the brand's cultural relevance through the financially turbulent 1970s and 1980s.
Lamborghini's first showpiece was the 350 GTV prototype revealed in 1963, followed by its first production model, the front-engine 350 GT grand tourer, in 1964. These early V12 grand tourers established Lamborghini as a credible rival to Ferrari before the Miura redefined the company in 1966.