Lamborghini

Automobili Lamborghini was established in Sant'Agata Bolognese on 7 May 1963. That October, its 350 GTV prototype appeared at the Turin Motor Show, with body design by Franco Scaglione and an engine and chassis project by engineer Giotto Bizzarrini. The prototype anticipated the production car that followed in 1964.^[1]

The 350 GT, presented at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show, was Lamborghini’s first production car. Paolo Stanzani developed its V12 from Giotto Bizzarrini’s 3.5-litre engine, while Milan’s Carrozzeria Touring reshaped the bodywork. The production car followed the 350 GTV prototype with both mechanical and visual changes.^[1]

The Miura debuted at Geneva in 1966 with a V12 mounted transversely behind the cockpit and ahead of the rear wheels. Carrozzeria Bertone designed its body. It was Lamborghini’s first mid-engined production car, with P400, P400 S and SV versions following one another; the SV remained on sale through 1973.^[1,2]

The Countach LP500 arrived as a prototype at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. Lamborghini links its name to a Piedmontese exclamation of amazement at Bertone’s angular shape. The road-going LP400 followed later, giving a production future to the name first seen on the show car.^[1]

Ferruccio Lamborghini commissioned typographer Paolo Rambaldi to design the marque’s bull emblem in 1963. The animal referred to Ferruccio’s zodiac sign and to an expression he used about his strength. After early multi-colour badge designs, the black-and-gold shield was introduced in 1964 and appeared on models including the Miura and Countach.^[3,4]

Both Miura and Countach place a V12 behind the occupants, but they turn it in different directions. Miura mounts it transversely to keep the wheelbase short. Countach uses a longitudinal arrangement, with the gearbox ahead of the engine, almost between the seats. “Mid-engined Lamborghini” therefore leaves a major engineering distinction unresolved.^[2,5]

The exterior comparison follows naturally: Miura’s low rounded front and headlamp eyelashes contrast with Countach’s wedge and scissor doors. Keep the versions visible in that comparison. The SV removes the Miura’s eyelashes and widens the rear arches; a later Countach with enlarged arches is another step beyond the narrow-bodied LP400. Shape is a record of development, not a single frozen brand style.^[2,5]