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In 1963, Ferruccio Lamborghini, an Italian industrialist with a penchant for fast cars, decided to make his own high-end grand tourer to compete with the famous Ferrari and Maserati models. He formed Automobili Lamborghini and opened a factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese to produce his new cars from scratch. From the start, Lamborghini cars have been notable for their power, style and comfort.
Lamborghini's first major hit was the Miura sports couple, whose mid-engine placement influenced high-performance car design for the period and helped, like the miniskirt and the Beatles, to define the aesthetic of the era.
The hothouse growth of that first ten years came to a shuddering halt, in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. Petrol greedy sports cars and the general economic recession hit the relatively young company hard. Although the name and factory refused to go away, several changes of ownership found the marque under the wing of Chrysler in 1987. However, neither Chrysler nor some Indonesian owners could find a way to make Lamborghini cars successful or the business profitable. This was not to happen until the German car maker Audi, a part of the Volkswagen group, bought it in 1998.
Under Audi's management, Lamborghini has rediscovered productivity, profitability, quality and stability. Lamborghini sales grew steadily to a peak in 2008, when the downturn pushed sales figures for every luxury car company back.
Fewer than 3000 Lamborghini cars can be made each year in the same factory, which the company has used since the 1960s, with its parallel production lines building the engines and bodies of the few models available. Second hand Lamborghini car values are high, with the recently discontinued V12 Murcialago couples and roadsters heading the lists. As the company's greatest achievement in design, Lamborghini still produces the Gallardo in both forms and the new Aventador is just reaching market.
