Lamborghini facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.

Headquarters in Sant'Agata Bolognese
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1963; 62 years ago (1963)
Founder	Ferruccio Lamborghini
Headquarters	Sant'Agata Bolognese, Emilia-Romagna , Italy
Number of locations	135 dealerships
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Stephan Winkelmann (CEO)
Production output	9,233 vehicles (2022)
Revenue	€2.38 billion (2022)
Operating income	€614 million
Net income	€10.1 million (2014)
Total equity	€1.832 billion (2014)
Number of employees	1,779 (December 2020)
Parent	Audi AG
Subsidiaries	Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. Italdesign Giugiaro

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is an Italian company. It makes very fancy sports cars and SUVs. The company is based in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy.

Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) was an Italian businessman. He started Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A. in 1963. He wanted to build cars that could compete with Ferrari. Lamborghini cars were known for having their engine in the middle, at the back. This design helped them handle well.

The company grew quickly in its first ten years. But sales dropped a lot after a big money crisis in 1973. Lamborghini's ownership changed many times after that. It even went bankrupt in 1978. The American company Chrysler Corporation took over in 1987. Then, it was sold to groups from Malaysia and Indonesia in 1994. In 1998, the Volkswagen Group bought Lamborghini. It was then put under the control of Volkswagen's Audi brand.

New cars were made, and the company started doing better. But in the late 2000s, during another big money crisis, Lamborghini's sales dropped by almost half.

Today, Lamborghini makes the Huracán sports car. It also makes the Urus SUV. Soon, they will also make the Revuelto. This car will be a hybrid, using both a powerful engine and electric motors. Lamborghini also builds powerful V12 engines for offshore powerboat racing.

It's interesting to know that Lamborghini Trattori is a separate company. Ferruccio Lamborghini founded it in 1948. It still makes tractors in Italy.

The Story of Lamborghini

Ferruccio Lamborghini started his car company in 1963. He wanted to build fancy touring cars. These cars would compete with famous brands like Ferrari. Lamborghini's first cars, like the 350 GT, came out in the mid-1960s. A very famous car was the 1966 Miura sports car. It was special because its engine was in the middle, at the back.

Lamborghini became popular very fast. But sales went down after a big money problem in 1973. Ferruccio Lamborghini sold the company in 1974 and retired. The company faced tough times and went bankrupt in 1978. Brothers Jean-Claude and Patrick Mimran took over in 1980. They bought the company in 1984 and put a lot of money into it.

Under the Mimrans, Lamborghini made more types of cars. They added the Jalpa sports car and the LM002 off-road vehicle. These joined the famous Countach.

In 1987, the Mimrans sold Lamborghini to Chrysler Corporation. Chrysler made the Diablo to replace the Countach. They stopped making the Jalpa and LM002. In 1994, Chrysler sold Lamborghini to groups from Malaysia and Indonesia. Then, in 1998, these groups sold it to the Volkswagen Group. Volkswagen put Lamborghini under its Audi division.

New cars were made, and Lamborghini started to grow again. But in the late 2000s, during a global money crisis, sales dropped by almost half.

In 2021, Lamborghini's CEO said that all their car models will be hybrid by 2024. This means they will use both gasoline and electric power.

Who Owned Lamborghini

Years	Owner
1963–1972	Ferruccio Lamborghini
1972–1977	Georges-Henri Rossetti and René Leimer
1977–1984	Receivership (company was managed by others)
1984–1987	Patrick Mimran
1987–1994	Chrysler Corporation
1994–1995	MegaTech
1995–1998	V'Power and Mycom Sedtco
1998–present	Audi AG

Lamborghini's Amazing Products

Awesome Automobiles

As of 2018, Lamborghini makes three main types of cars. Two are two-seat sports cars with the engine in the middle. The third is an SUV with the engine in the front and all-wheel drive.

Cars You Can Buy Now

• Revuelto

The new Revuelto started being made in mid-2023. It will be delivered in late 2023 as a 2024 model. This car has a 6.5-liter V12 engine. It also has three electric motors. Together, they make over 1,000 horsepower!

• Huracán

The Huracán uses a V10 engine. There are different versions, like the LP 610-4 with all-wheel drive. There's also a simpler rear-wheel-drive LP 580-2. The LP 640-4 Performante is made for racing tracks. You can get them as a coupe (closed roof) or a Spyder (convertible).

• Urus

Lamborghini wanted to sell twice as many cars by 2019. So, they added the Urus SUV to their lineup. It has a powerful twin-turbo V8 engine. The Urus has its engine in the front and uses all-wheel drive.

Boat Engines

Motori Marini Lamborghini makes big V12 boat engines. These are used in powerful Class 1 racing boats. A Lamborghini boat engine is about 8.17 liters in size. It makes around 940 horsepower.

Lamborghini Motorcycle

In the mid-1980s, Lamborghini made a few special motorcycles. They were 1,000cc sports bikes. Only 24 of them were made. They had a special Lamborghini frame and a Kawasaki engine. These motorcycles were designed by Lamborghini's own stylists.

Cool Stuff with the Lamborghini Name

Lamborghini lets other companies use its brand name. These companies make all sorts of Lamborghini-branded items. You can find model cars, clothes, bags, and even laptop computers.

• 

  L900 marine engine

Lamborghini in Racing (Motorsport)

Lamborghini Motorsport Division, Squadra Corse

Trade name	Squadra Corse
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Automobile Motorsports
Headquarters	Sant'Agata Bolognese , Italy
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Stephan Winkelmann (CEO of Automobili Lamborghini)
Owner	Automobili Lamborghini
Parent	Audi AG

Race Cars Made by Lamborghini

Lamborghini's racing division, called Squadra Corse, builds GT3 cars. They also make cars for their Super Trofeo races. These cars are based on the Gallardo and Huracán road cars. Squadra Corse also builds special cars for customers who ask for them.

GT3 and Super Trofeo Race Cars

• Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo
• Gallardo LP 560-4 Super Trofeo
• Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo EVO
• Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo EVO2
• Huracán Super Trofeo GT2
• Huracán GT3
• Huracán GT3 Evo
• Huracán GT3 Evo 2

Special Customer Cars

These cars were built by Squadra Corse for special customer requests:

• Essenza SCV12
• SC18 Alston
• SC20

Racing Events by Lamborghini

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Races

The Super Trofeo is a racing series organized by Squadra Corse. They use special Super Trofeo cars. These are racing versions of the road-legal Huracán and Gallardo models.

Super Trofeo races happen in America, Asia, and Europe. Many private racing teams join these events. Each series has six rounds. Each round includes practice, qualifying, and two 50-minute races. Drivers are grouped into different categories. The season ends with the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final.

Lamborghini GT3 Races

The Lamborghini GT3 is another racing series. Squadra Corse uses Huracán GT3 cars for these events. These cars follow special rules set by the FIA (a big racing organization). Any customer who owns a Huracán GT3 can join.

Lamborghini currently uses Huracán GT3 Evo cars for these races. More than 60 private racing teams take part.

Current Factory Drivers

These are the professional drivers who race for Lamborghini.

Factory Drivers

GT3 Junior Drivers

Super Trofeo Junior Drivers

Lamborghini in Formula One Racing

Lamborghini as a Formula One engine manufacturer

Notable staff	Mauro Forghieri
Formula One World Championship career
First entry	1989 Brazilian Grand Prix
Last entry	1993 Australian Grand Prix
Races entered	80
Chassis	Lola, Lotus, Lambo, Ligier, Minardi, Venturi, Larrousse
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0
Race victories	0
Podiums	1
Points	20
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0

Unlike his rival Enzo Ferrari, Ferruccio Lamborghini decided early on not to have a factory racing team. He thought racing was too expensive and used up too many company resources. This was unusual because many sports car makers raced to show how fast and good their cars were.

Ferruccio's decision caused some arguments with his engineers. Many of them loved racing and had worked at Ferrari before. When some engineers secretly started building the P400 prototype, they designed it for both road and track. When Ferruccio found out, he let them continue. He saw it as a way to promote the company, but he still said it wouldn't race. The P400 later became the famous Miura.

The closest Lamborghini came to building a real race car under Ferruccio was a few special test cars. These were built by test driver Bob Wallace.

In the mid-1970s, Lamborghini agreed to help BMW build 400 cars for racing. But Lamborghini had money problems and fell behind. BMW took over the project themselves. The car they made was called the M1.

In 1985, a British importer of Lamborghini cars developed a racing version of the Countach. It was called the Countach QVX. Only one car was built, but it didn't get enough money to race much. It only competed in one race in South Africa.

Lamborghini also supplied engines for Formula One racing teams from 1989 to 1993. They provided engines to teams like Larrousse and Lotus. Lamborghini's best result in Formula One was a third-place finish. This happened with the Larrousse team at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix.

In 1993, McLaren tested a Lamborghini Formula One engine. Even though driver Ayrton Senna liked it, McLaren chose a different engine.

Lamborghini also built racing versions of the Diablo for a special racing series. Later, they developed the Murciélago R-GT. This car raced in big international championships. In 2006, a Murciélago R-GT won its class in a race in Japan. In 2007, a Murciélago R-GT won a major international race in China. This was a big victory for Lamborghini. A racing version of the Gallardo, called the GT3, was also developed.

How Lamborghini Shows Itself (Marketing)

Brand Identity: The Raging Bull

The world of bullfighting is a very important part of Lamborghini's identity. In 1962, Ferruccio Lamborghini visited a ranch in Spain. It belonged to Don Eduardo Miura, a famous breeder of fighting bulls. Ferruccio was so impressed by these powerful bulls. He decided to use a raging bull as the symbol for his new car company.

How Lamborghini Names Its Cars

After making two cars with numbers and letters, Lamborghini looked to the bull breeder again. Don Eduardo was very proud when he learned that Ferruccio named a car after his family and their bulls. The fourth Miura car ever made was shown to him at his ranch.

Lamborghini kept using bullfighting names for many years. The Islero was named after a bull that killed a famous bullfighter. Espada is a Spanish word for a sword, sometimes meaning the bullfighter himself. The Jarama's name had two meanings. It referred to a historic bullfighting area in Spain. But Ferruccio was also careful about confusion with a famous race track.

After naming the Urraco after a bull breed, Lamborghini changed things in 1974. They named the Countach after a Piedmontese word. It's an exclamation of surprise! The story says that a designer said this word when he first saw the Countach prototype. The LM002 SUV and the Silhouette were also exceptions to the bullfighting names.

Other cars like the Jalpa, Diablo, Murciélago, Gallardo, and Reventón were all named after famous bulls or bull breeds. The Estoque concept car was named after the estoc, a sword used by bullfighters.

Cool Concept Cars

Throughout its history, Lamborghini has shown many concept cars. These are special cars built to show new ideas. The first was the 350GTV in 1963. Other famous ones include the 1967 Marzal and the 1974 Bravo.

In 2006, a retro-style Miura concept car was shown. But the company's CEO said it wouldn't be made. He said Lamborghini is about the future, not just looking back.

At the 2008 Paris Motor Show, Lamborghini showed the Estoque. This was a four-door sedan concept. People wondered if it would be made, but Lamborghini hasn't decided yet.

In 2010, Lamborghini showed the Sesto Elemento. This concept car was made almost entirely of carbon fiber. This made it super light, weighing only 999 kg (about 2,200 lbs). It uses the same V10 engine as the Gallardo. Lamborghini wanted this car to show they would make more agile, track-focused cars. It can go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.5 seconds!

At the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghini showed the Aventador J. This was a version of the Lamborghini Aventador with no roof or windows. It used the same powerful engine as the regular Aventador.

At the 2012 Beijing Motor Show, Lamborghini showed the Urus SUV. This was the first SUV from Lamborghini since the LM002.

For Lamborghini's 50th birthday, they created the Egoista. This car was made for only one person to drive. Only one Egoista was ever built.

At the 2014 Paris Motor Show, Lamborghini showed the Asterion LPI910-4. This was their first hybrid concept car. It was named after a creature from Greek stories that was half-man, half-bull. It combined the Huracán's V10 engine with three electric motors. Together, they made over 900 horsepower!

How Lamborghini Works (Corporate Affairs)

Company Structure

As of 2011, Lamborghini is a company fully owned by Audi AG. Its official name is Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. controls several other companies. These include Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A., which makes motorcycles. It also owns Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A., a design company. MML S.p.A. makes marine engine blocks. Volkswagen Group Italia S.p.A. sells Audi and other Volkswagen cars in Italy.

Lamborghini's main office and factory are in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. When they started making the Urus SUV, the factory size doubled.

On November 13, 2020, Stephan Winkelmann became the new CEO of Lamborghini. He also leads Bugatti, another famous car brand.

How Many Cars Lamborghini Sells

In 2004, the most important places for Lamborghini car sales were the U.S. (41%), Germany (13%), Great Britain (9%), and Japan (8%). Before the Gallardo car came out in 2003, Lamborghini made about 400 cars each year. In 2011, they made 1,711 cars.

Annual Lamborghini New Car Sales

Year	Sales
1968	353
	Data missing
1991	673
1992	166
1993	215
	Data missing
1996	211
1997	209
	Data missing
1999	265

Year	Sales
2000	296
2001	297
2002	424
2003	1,305
2004	1,592
2005	1,600
2006	2,087
2007	2,406
2008	2,430
2009	1,515

Year	Sales
2010	1,302
2011	1,602
2012	2,083
2013	2,121
2014	2,530
2015	3,245
2016	3,457
2017	3,815
2018	5,750
2019	8,205

Annual Lamborghini New Car Sales

Licensing and Other Business

Lamborghini in Latin America

Automóviles Lamborghini Latinoamérica S.A. de C.V. is a company that sells and makes Lamborghini-branded items in Latin and South America.

In 1995, the company that owned Lamborghini at the time made a deal with a Mexican businessman. This deal gave Automóviles Lamborghini Latinoamérica the right to sell Lamborghini cars and products. They can also make Lamborghini vehicles and sell them around the world.

Automóviles Lamborghini has made two special versions of the Diablo car. They were called the Eros and the Coatl. They also announced plans to make a speedboat called the Lamborghini Glamour.

Lamborghini Museums

There are two museums in Bologna, Italy, that are all about the Lamborghini brand.

Museo Lamborghini

This museum is next to the main Lamborghini factory. It has two floors and shows the history of Lamborghini cars and SUVs. You can see many old and new models. The museum uses cars, engines, and photos to tell the story of Lamborghini's important moments.

Museo Ferruccio Lamborghini

This museum is about Ferruccio Lamborghini himself. It's a large space with several cars and early designs. You can also see his personal items and family photos from when he was young.

See also

In Spanish: Lamborghini para niños

• List of automobile manufacturers of Italy
• Automotive industry in Italy