We aren't ashamed to admit it, we have a serious love affair with Lamborghinis! We know we are not alone. Lamborghini has become one of the most iconic statement cars in the world of luxury sport vehicles. West Coast Dream Machines brings you the finest selection of these world class supercars, from the classic and rare to performance enhanced super beasts!
ITALIAN LUXURY AND INNOVATION
The Lamborghini brand was founded by Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963 as a direct competition to Ferrari. The company was famous for producing a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout first shown in the 1966 Miura sports coupé.
THE FIRST LAMBORGHINI - 350 GTV
The 350 GTV was introduced to the public at the 1963 Turin Auto Show. The unveiling of this V12 - 342HP prototype was used to cultivate interest in a fast but comfortable production version. Ferruccio Lamborghini was dissatisfied with several design features of the 350 GTV and with the state of tune of the engine. He commissioned a redesign the car to be more practical and had the engine detuned to 270HP at 6,500 rpm for use in the production car. The new body and retuned engine resulted in the first production Lamborghini, the 350 GT.
THE ORIGIN OF THE "BULL"
The origin of the "bull": The world of bullfighting is a key part of Lamborghini's identity. In 1962, Ferruccio Lamborghini visited the Seville ranch of Don Eduardo Miura, a renowned breeder of Spanish fighting bulls. Lamborghini was so impressed by the majestic Miura animals that he decided to adopt a raging bull as the emblem for his brand. The Islero was named for the Miura bull that killed the famed bullfighter Manolete in 1947. Espada is the Spanish word for sword, sometimes used to refer to the bullfighter himself and the Jarama's name referred to the historic bullfighting region in Spain.
A BREAK FROM TRADITION - 1974 COUNTACH
The Diablo was named for a legendary bull, famous for fighting an epic battle against El Chicorro in Madrid in 1869. in 1974, Lamborghini broke from tradition, naming their next model the Countach, a Piedmontese expletive. Legend has it that stylist Nuccio Bertone uttered the word in surprise when he first saw the Countach prototype.
The Jalpa of 1982 was named after a bull breed and the Murciélago for the legendary bull whose life was spared by El Lagartijo for his performance in 1879. Gallardo, named for one of the five ancestral castes of the Spanish fighting bull breed, and Reventón, the bull that defeated young Mexican torero Félix Guzmán in 1943. The later Estoque concept of 2008 was named for the estoc, the sword traditionally used by matadors during bullfights.
