Today in Technology History
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February 20
The creator of the ritzy Lamborghini line of automobiles died exactly one decade ago.
Ferruccio Lamborghini was born in 1916 in Cento, Italy. Lamborghini's youthful love of cars and motorcycles led him to study industrial technology instead of remaining on the family farm.
Lamborghini served in the Italian military during WWII, then he opened a garage where he kept pre-war cars and tractors in working order. His father was desperately in need of a new tractor so the junior Lamborghini built one out of spare parts. He then built more tractors for his father's friends -- sometimes recycling components from German tanks deserted in Italy -- and soon he was running a profitable tractor business. The company continued to grow during the 1950s, becoming one of Italy's largest farm equipment manufacturers. Lamborghini next started a company to make oil heating systems, and within three years, that company became Italy's second-largest heating business.
Although tractors and heating made Lamborghini his fortune, it was cars that made him internationally famous. Dissatisfied with the car he was then driving, in 1959 Mr. Lamborghini decided to complain directly to the founder of the company that made his car: Mr. Enzo Ferrari. When Ferrari refused to meet with him, Lamborghini angrily decided to start making cars on his own.
Thus was born the flashy line of Lamborghini sports cars renowned for speed, style, and steep costs. New Lamborghinis, with their sleek lines and outrageously powerful engines, are produced in small numbers. They can cost a few hundred thousand dollars.
Ferruccio Lamborghini retired in 1974 and died on February 20, 1993. The car company he founded has been owned by Audi for the last five years.
Related links:
Click here and here to read much more about Lamborghini cars.
Click here to see a timeline of who owned the Lamborghini car company since its founding.
Click here to learn about Lamborghini's tractor company.
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