The Lamborghini brand originated from complaints made by a successful producer of Ferruccio Lamborghini tractors about the clutch of the vintage F250 GTB. Such complaints were personally raised to Enzo Ferrari. Due to the animosity, Ferruccio thought of building their own vehicles, particularly after discovering the issues on his F250 clutch, which were almost the same as those found in the tractors.
There are several fascinating tales in the world of business, and one of such is the epic rivalry of the two famous Italian labels that argued to make the best sports vehicles–Lamborghini and Ferrari.
The two names are synonymous in terms of resource and speed, and they have been at each other’s throat because both came from the same region in Italy– Emilia-Romagna.
Ferruccio Lamborghini
Ferruccio Lamborghini was born to grape farmers who had a fondness for mechanics. Following his service from the Royal Italian Air Force back in World War II, he grabbed the opportunity in the post-war setting to modify trucks and other war vehicles to farm tractors.
His masterpieces brought too much money that led Ferruccio to acquire Alfa Romeos, Maseratis, Lancias, and Mercedes-Benz, all luxury cars. Back in 1958, he finally purchased his first-ever Ferrari–250GT. He loved the unit, and the collection of vehicles grew bigger. This led him to join in professional events. Due to his penchant for mechanics, he later found a couple of aspects in his car that can be developed. He thought that Ferrari vehicles were too loud and rough to drive on the road.
Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Ferrari tried to join the fiat automotive firm back in the post-First World War era. Unfortunately, he wasn’t good enough. He purchased a second-hand unit of Alfa Romeo that he developed to join a professional competition. A few years later, Enzo introduced the Scuderia Ferrari.
But during the war, Ferrari was obliged to operate in Benito Mussolini’s fascist government. Several years later, their vehicles would belong to the most notable cars in the industry of professional racing. During that time, one of the Ferraris owned by Lamborghini broke down. When he tried to repair the vehicle, Ferruccio discovered the problematic clutch, which happened to be similar to the one he had in the tractors. Overwhelmed by such a discovery, he went immediately to Enzo and requested him to modify the parts to be more resistant. Ferrari got upset and told Lamborghini that he didn’t know anything because he was a mere tractor producer.
Lamborghini 350 GTV
The Cost Of Humiliation
Ferruccio got humiliated and thought of transforming his interest into an instrument to counter Ferrari’s impression of him. From then on, there exists an intense rivalry between the two gentlemen as Lamborghini vowed to produce the best sports car ever. He quickly built a factory at the Sant’Agata Bolognese, and a few months following the confrontation, he launched the Lamborghini 350 GTV at one of the motor shows in 1963. A year later, Ferruccio was able to sell more than ten units of his first car.
