Ferruccio Lamborghini was still tuning Fiat 500s in 1946, but in 1949 he started building tractors. By 1966, Lamborghini tractors were being turned out of Bologna at a rate of 20 a day.
Ferruccio had always been a Ferrari fan but in 1963 decided to build what he termed 'a better car'. Equipped with a 3.5-litre, four-cam V12, and no less than six Weber DCOE carburettors, the first Lamborghini sports car churned out 360bhp, a healthy output for the day.
All-round independent suspension, Girling disc brakes and a five-speed ZF gearbox gave the first Lamborghini GT impressive handling and performance, while the body styling was the work of Gian Paolo Dallara.
Around 200 of the GT models were built and, in 1966, a four-litre version was introduced, this time with Lamborghini's own gearbox and final drive unit. Also in 1966, the company launched the stunning Lamborghini Miura P400 coupe, a beautiful, low-slung, two-door design with a dry-sump, four-litre engine mounted transversely behind the cockpit, and capable of 288km/h.
Financial woes saw the company fall into Chrysler's hands for a while but Lamborghini is now back in private hands, only this time it is owned by the Indonesian and Malaysian syndicate Megatech, which took over in 1994 and now produces the fabulous Lamborghini Diablo and Diablo Roadster.
Capable of more than 325km/h, the Diablo can rightly claim to be the world's fastest production sports car.