Ferruccio Lamborghini

Biography

Ferruccio Lamborghini was born in Renazzo di Cento, Emilia-Romagna, on 28 April 1916 and trained as a mechanic. In 1948 he founded Lamborghini Trattori, which grew into a major maker of agricultural machinery, and in 1959 he opened Lamborghini Bruciatori, an oil-burner factory that later moved into air conditioning.

In 1963 he set up Automobili Lamborghini in Sant'Agata Bolognese, and the first prototype, the 350 GTV, appeared the same year. The 400 GT and the mid-engined Miura coupé followed in 1966. A visit in 1962 to the Seville ranch of the bull breeder Don Eduardo Miura gave the company its emblem and the tradition of naming cars after fighting bulls — a tradition the Countach broke.

In 1969 he founded a hydraulics company, Lamborghini Oleodinamica. In 1972 he sold Lamborghini Trattori to SAME and a majority of the car company to Georges-Henri Rossetti; by 1974 he had sold his remaining 49% and retired to an estate in Umbria to make wine. Ferruccio Lamborghini died in Perugia on 20 February 1993.