Monday 18th June 2012

Lamborghini: the museum

We visit the Lambo museum ... just as the museum visits London!

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To visit Lamborghini and its public museum is to understand why supercars and farming go hand in hand. The leafy town of Sant'Agata Bolognese, just north of Bologna, is flat. Norfolk flat. The roads are bit like those in Norfolk too - long straights punctuated with sudden 90-degree corners.

350 GT is Ferruccio's original riposte to Ferrari

No wonder engineering whizzkid Ferruccio Lamborghini did so well making and selling tractors here. There are sadly no tractors in the museum, situated within the 200,000 square-metre car factory, but the Lamborghini 350 GT on show is still a pretty good place to start the story.

This car, built a year after the car company was founded in 1963, is result of the famous Ferruccio-versus-Enzo Ferrari spat, where Enzo refused to hear our tractor maker's complaints about the workmanship on his 250 GT. In this context the 350 is an astonishingly brazen two-fingered salute to Modena, situated just 12 miles up the road from here. This one is rampant red, which is good start. And if that wasn't provocative enough Ferruccio poached the very bloke responsible for much of the 250 GT's engineering - Giotto Bizzarrini - to build the famous Lamborghini V12 engine.

Look around the museum further, and the size of the mistake Ferrari made annoying the tractor maker becomes clear.

One Lambo that'll need no introduction

The 400 GT that superceded it kept the same elegant, uncontroversial 2+2 lines, but then comes the car that propelled Lamborghini past Ferrari for styling, engineering and sheer supercar chutzpah. The mid-engined Miura from 1966 - just THREE years after Feruccio had founded the company - is a lovely thing to gaze at. The museum's Gold 400 S boasts the famous eyelashes and straked engine louvres that definitely increase its static top speed. Somewhat eclipsed is the burgundy version of the Islero grand tourer that lasted just two years at the height of the Miura's fame but is arguably last of the elegant Lamborghinis.

The star of the museum has to be the Countach LP400 from 1974. This is the first prototype with chassis number 001 and it hogs the limelight in Kermit green, eclipsing even the gold Diablo nearby. A bit of wheedling with our hosts and we get to sit inside - wow. You'd need to be a contortionist to slide under those scissor doors on a daily basis. But once the wide, leather-clad sill has been straddled and cleared, you're rewarded with one of the world's finest driving positions.

Nick tries the first ever Countach for size

It scores for its view out of the wide windscreen and the heavenly position of the wheel and gearshift. Dainty feet - or leather socks - are required to operate the pedals though. The sensational exterior design has a purity to it on these early cars you don't really expect, the nearby 25th Anniversary edition underlining just how much addenda was tacked onto the Countach over its lifetime. Parallels with the Lotus Esprit there perhaps?

The most bonkers car to be fitted with the V12 is undoubtedly the 'Rambo Lambo' LM002, aka the Cheetah. It was ordered by a American company hoping to win a US military contract, albeit with a Chrysler V8. They didn't, but instead 301 were built with the V12. An unhappy car for Lamborghini given its toll on the finances, but great to see it here. Let's hope the Urus SUV is less of a blind alley.

P147 Acosta concept among the rarities

The museum is great for reminding you of all the 'forgotten' Lamborghinis, like the 'Countach-lite' V8 Jalpa from the 1980s. The four-seater Espada is about as practical as you get for a coupe, but even Lambo's immaculate example is a long way from beautiful.

Upstairs in the double-deck museum is reserved for concepts and very low-volume cars - and a mixed bunch they are.

The lime green Miura concept from 2006 is stunning, but then anything copying the original would be. Next to the Reventon (a precious one of just 20) and the Estoque saloon that might yet get built is the curious P147 Acosta concept from 1997. Verging on pink, this Diablo precursor has awkward detailing like a stepped nose - very 2012 F1!

Amusing ad posters (think about it) tickled

The museum is by appointment only and costs between 35-42 euros to get in. A tad pricey, but an essential stop on the tour of the Terra di Motori (literally "engine country"). Do it next year and you'll land in the middle of Lamborghini's 50th anniversary celebrations too...

 

 

 

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Classic Lambos hit London
If you like the sound of the Lamborghini museum but Sant'Agata is a bit of a trip away there's good news - a selection of the cars from the official collection will be visiting London this week and on display in various locations across the capital. The collection comprises the 350 GT, Miura SV, Countach 25th Anniversary, Diablo 6.0 SE and Murcielago LP640 Roadster.

Starting this today and hosted by HR Owen, the exotic quintet will be on show at Duke Of York Square off the King's Road on Monday and Tuesday before moving to Finsbury Square near the city for Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday they'll be beside Tower Bridge and on Saturday at Marble Arch. So if all the Lambo talk of late has got you inspired and you live or work in London it's a great chance to get up close to some fabulous and rarely seen cars.

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More on the theme of those amusing Lambo ads:

 

[camel_landy]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 18 June 2012 at 16:00

[Blown2CV]

they took the P147 and with a few subtle tweaks a few years later made the gallardo, it would appear!

[thewheelman]

Hmmmm.........i see an Islero

[pagani1]

Let's hope Pistonheads photographs the cars in LONDON

[CAPP0]

I had to check "Macelleria" but I got the general idea!

[Genelec]

Rather like those Adverts, will have to take the 1 year old along. Get him started early!

[myhandle]

Blown2CV said:

they took the P147 and with a few subtle tweaks a few years later made the gallardo, it would appear!

No, the P147 Acosta is a V12 flagship car and was meant to be a heavily facelifted Diablo. It's pretty hideous, so thankfully they came up with the dramatic L147 Canto Zagato instead - that's the copper car with the enormous air intakes just visible behind the Acosta in the picture. http://carpr0n.tumblr.com/post/734515161/showtime-... The Canto was nearly launched but Audi took control first, and launched the Diablo 6.0 and GT as a stopgap and re-engineered the L147 Canto into the Murcielago.

Meanwhile, in V10 world, the first go at this was the P140 which is also in the museum : http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Lamborghini+p140&am...

Lack of funds meant this was never launched, but a rebodied version appeared in 1995 as the Italdesign Cala : http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lam...

This was not launched either, so we had to wait until 2003 for the Gallardo to finally emerge.

[Captain Muppet]

PH said:

The mid-engined Miura from 1966 - just THREE years after Feruccio had founded the company - is a lovely thing to gaze at. The museum's Gold 400 S boasts the famous eyelashes and straked engine louvres...

Automotive geek fact coming up: each of those strakes is a very slightly different shape. I spent a happy hour talking to a man in a shed who was restoring one once - the different shapes mean that the "square" grill fits all the curves of the body that would have been there if it wasn't a grill. Massive pain to make, massive pain to rebuild.

[Enricogto]

CAPP0 said:

I had to check "Macelleria" but I got the general idea!

Butcher shop, that's the way we call them here!
BTW the horse means that the shop sells horse meat - yes, we actually do eat it.

Enrico

Edited by Enricogto on Monday 18th June 17:14

[detomaso]

article said:

Ferruccio poached the very bloke responsible for much of the 250 GT's engineering - Giotto Bizzarrini - to build the famous Lamborghini V12 engine (the one that Dan's been enjoying in the new Aventador).

I thought the Aventador's engine is an all new V12 and not related to the Bizzarini engine?

[Tuscan Rat]

pagani1 said:

Let's hope Pistonheads photographs the cars in LONDON

If your on facebook check out Lamborghini Londons page for pictures of the cars in London.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/LondonLamborghini

[Burnham]

Genelec said:

Rather like those Adverts...

Me too, any more PH?

Love reading about Lamborghini, much more so than Ferrari. I'm no hater, just love seeing the underdog get one over from time to time.

Some more pics would have been great!

[Magic919]

I don't think it costs 35-40 Euros to get in the museum. Maybe that's a guided tour rate or includes the factory.

[Mattsv]

I went there last year - the 35euro charge also includes a factory tour which lasts about 60 mins I think - well worth it

[loudlashadjuster]

Nice day out.

My brother sent me one of the scissor gate cards when he visited a few years ago - very cool

[iva cosworth]

The museum is NOT by invitation only as said in article.It wasn't when i turned up in 2008 for a

look around.

The factory tour bit i believe IS.

[tommy vercetti]

Tuscan Rat said:

pagani1 said:

Let's hope Pistonheads photographs the cars in LONDON

If your on facebook check out Lamborghini Londons page for pictures of the cars in London.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/LondonLamborghini

Great pictures.

[kazino]

Fantastic, love the adverts and the photos on facebook.

[rgw2012]

tommy vercetti said:

Tuscan Rat said:

pagani1 said:

Let's hope Pistonheads photographs the cars in LONDON

If your on facebook check out Lamborghini Londons page for pictures of the cars in London.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/LondonLamborghini

Great pictures.

If you aren't on facebook (like most sensible people ) then you can see the cars and updates from the tour here www.lamborghiniuncovered.co.uk

[Jessop]

Backpacking round Italy in 3 weeks.. this was on my list of things to check out.. along with the Ferrari effort