The year was 1963. Ferruccio Lamborghini, an Italian manufacturing magnate, made the decision to begin manufacturing his own line of luxury vehicles to compete with the styling of Ferrari. Lamborghini spent much of his time studying what he could make and what he could do to compete with the luxury brand that sells for so much. What he came up with was the Lamborghini. What he came up with was a legacy. The first vehicles from the Lamborghini collection became available for the general public in the mid-60s. Critics and fans immediately noted that the line of vehicles was high-end. They were lauded for their refinement and for their exceptional luxury, but the line was mostly noted for being exceptionally powerful.
It was the 1966 Miura sports coupe that made the company famous and put it on the market as a serious contender for one of the most high-end luxury vehicles in the world. This vehicle was the one that established the rear mid-engine and made rear wheel drive a standard design for high-end sports cars with this much power and refinement. The first decade of the company’s existence was a hit. It’s the time in which Lamborghini created its reputation for upscale, high-class power and it became a vehicle that meant status. It was a status symbol. However, when the worldwide financial crisis happened in 1973, sales of these high-end sports cars began to drop significantly. It was during this time that the manufacturer and creator of this luxury line, Lamborghini himself, decided to sell his car company to Georges-Henri Rossetti and Rene Leimer. He then decided to retire from business all together only a year later.
Unfortunately, the new owners of Lamborghini did nothing to save the business. Their efforts were fruitless and the company went bankrupt in 1978. It was at that point that two brothers by the name of Jean-Claude and Patrick Mimran took over the company in 1980. They made the decision to expand the brand and investment a lot of their own money into the line. They expanded the line so that it includes vehicles such as the Jalpa and the LM002, which was an off-road vehicle with high-performance capabilities. By the time 1987 rolled around, the brothers were done with the company. They made the decision to sell the company to Chrysler, a vehicle manufacturer that makes your basic everyday vehicle.
Chrysler’s contribution to the Lamborghini legacy was to replace one of the original models with the famous Diablo and then sell the company to Mycom Setdco, a Malaysian investment group, as well as V’Power Corporation. This was in 1994. These two did very little with the company other than just run it for the next four years until they sold Lamborghini to Volkswagen Group. VW placed Lamborghini in the Audi control group. It was then that the product was expanded again and new models were introduced into the lineup of high-end vehicles.
When this happened the market and demand for a Lamborghini increased significantly. People were itching to purchase these high-end vehicles and driving up prices with every purchase. When the economy declined in 2008, Lamborghini survived yet another financial crisis across the world. However, sales of the luxury brand decreased by almost half.
Lamborghini Products
Many of the vehicles in the Lamborghini lineup are some of the most famous vehicles in the world. They’re discussed in rap songs, they’re talked about on television shows that show the homes and vehicle collections of the wealthy and the famous, and they’re still one of the biggest status symbols in the world. If you drive a Lamborghini, you have really made it. There have been several amazing Lamborghinis since the inception of the product in the 1960s, but only a few can take home the title of being the most famous and the most sought-after in the world.
The Aventador
Introduced during the Geneva auto show in 2011, the Aventador is one of the most recent and most famous vehicles that Lamborghini manufactures. This vehicle was designed to replace one of the most famous Lamborghinis in history, the Murcielago. At this time the Murcielago was more than a decade old and the line was looking to create something fresh and new to introduce to high-paying customers and to keep up with the Ferrari competition as well. Even though it was February when the automobile was introduced, it wasn’t available for delivery until the second half of 2011 and the company had already sold more than they could manufacture in a 12 month time frame within weeks of its unveiling.
The Aventador comes complete with a mid-engine, all-wheel drive 6.5-liter V12. It also has 7 speeds in the form of a semi-automatic transmission.
Diablo
The Diablo was the most famous Lamborghini in the line from 1990 to 2001, even though there are only 2884 of them ever produced. The 5-speed manual came in two different body styles; a 2-door coupe and a 2-door roadster. Additionally, it also came with a 5.7-Liter and a 6.0-Liter V12. What makes this particular Lamborghini so popular is the fact that it is the first one in the company ever to boast top speeds of more than 200 miles per hour. The name Diablo derives from the Spanish language, and it means Devil, which is an apt name for a car so fast and so sleek. This is one of the vehicles in the Lamborghini lineup with the fewest number of vehicles produced, but it was also one of the most popular.
Murcielago
There are only 4,099 Murcielagos in the world. This vehicle was manufactured and available for sale from 2001 to 2010, and it was one of the brand’s most famous sellers. It came with four different engine types, from a 6.2-liter to a 6.5-liter that features horsepower that ranges from 572 to 670. This vehicle was designed to take the place of the Diablo, and it was a hit. The vehicle was first available for the 2002 model year in the states, even thought it was introduced in 2001. It was the very first new design that was introduced by Lamborghini in 11 years, and it was much-needed. High-end vehicles aren’t in need of frequent changes, but they do have to keep up with the competition if they want to make expensive sales. Additionally, this was the first vehicle that was introduced when the brand was under the power of Audi. The car managed to go relatively unchanged for a decade, even though a roadster version of the Murcielago was introduced in 2004.
Countach
This is one of the longest-running cars in the Lamborghini lineup in terms of production time. The Countach is one of the original vehicles in the lineup and it was produced from 1974 to 1990, but there were only 2042 of them ever created. It came in one body style, which is a two-door coupe. It has a 5-speed manual engine and it has a V12 engine. At the time, the body style of this car was hugely popular. Most high-end, expensive sports cars featured a shape very reminiscent of a wedge, and it was very popular. Additionally, the design on the interior features a cabin-forward design that pushes passengers forward in order to make more room in the back for the engine. This is one of the first cars to feature a larger engine, and it’s something that the Countach is very famous for.
In 2004, Sports Car International named the Countach as the number three sports car on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1970s and number 10 on their list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.
Prices
Lamborghini is like any other vehicle when it comes to pricing. It might say it starts at this price, but by the time you’ve added all the features and upgrades you want and need in your luxury car, the start price is a distant memory. All Lamborghinis are expensive. You will not find one that’s not expensive, no matter how old or new it is. Let’s take a look at some of the price tags on these luxury vehicles.
The brand new 2014 Aventador starts at a staggering $397,500. If you want to make any changes to the model, you’re going to do so at a premium. On the flip side, however, a brand new Gallardo is only $191,000 to start.
In 1985, the Countach had a base price of $100,000. It might not sound like much today but you have to account for the price of inflation. If you can find one of the very few of these cars still available, you’re likely going to pay more than a half million dollars – or over a million – depending on the state of the vehicle and the upkeep of the vehicle. It’s now considered a classic car, which makes it very valuable. A slightly used Murcielago could cost a buyer as much as $450,000 now that the car is no longer in production. Unlike most vehicles that cost less when they’re no longer being made, the Lamborghinis cost far more. A 2004 Lamborghini Diablo could cost a buyer as much as $254,000 if it’s in excellent condition.
Even when this luxury vehicle brand was started, prices were insane. They are expensive vehicles with expensive price tags, which is why the company only makes a handful of these vehicles on an annual basis. They’re not your everyday $50,000 vehicle that everyone can afford to drive around for a few years. The clientele at Lamborghini is a bit more selective, and a lot smaller. There’s always a market for this type of vehicle for those willing to spend the money to purchase one, but they’re not the biggest clientele in the world.
Where are They Now?
The biggest question many car enthusiasts ask is where are these vehicles now? Of course you know you can go into a Lambo dealer and pick up the current model, but where you do get a Diablo or a Countach? Who owns them? There were only so many produced during the almost-decade long production of each one of these expensive luxury cars, and where are they today?
This is an excellent question. You’re not going to find a used Lamborghini at your neighborhood used car dealership, so where are you going to find one? And who owns them? For the most part, it’s high-end collectors with large car collections that own these expensive machines.
Jay Leno, late night talk show host (former) has a 1986 Lamborghini Countach in his collection of 800+ vehicles. What makes this special is the fact that this car has more than 70,000 miles on it. That is virtually unheard of mileage in an Italian sports car. The reason it has this many miles is the fact that it was Leno’s daily driver. Hey, why not? Actor Nicholas Cage has (or had) a very impressive car collection until he was in trouble with the IRS. We aren’t sure what he’s sold and what he still has in his collection, but at one time he was the owner of the Lamborghini that once belonged to the Shah of Iran – it was a Miura, which is one of the original models.
Many of the most famous Lamborghinis in history are located right in Italy at the Lamborghini museum. It’s here you will find some of the world’s most famous Lamborghinis. The museum has the classics, the new ones and the ones in between. There isn’t anything missing from this collection, and it’s a great way for people to have the opportunity to spend some time looking at these gorgeous vehicles as well as spend some time getting to know more about them and what they stand for.
Finding a classic Lamborghini is not an easy job, but it can be done. Most of the owners of these vehicles are classic car enthusiasts and collectors, and few come up for sale over the years. If you find one for sale and want to add it to your own collection, it’s best to purchase it right away to ensure it’s still available for purchase.
Photos by Getty Images
Lead Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images
