LAMBORGHINI SUPERCARS: 50 YEARS - Steve Purdy Book Review

LAMBORGHINI SUPERCARS: 50 YEARS - From the groundbreaking Miura to today's Hypercars

By Stuart Codling
Photos by James Mann
Forward by Fabio Lamborghini
Published by Motorbooks, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group USA, Inc.

BOOK REVIEW
By Steve Purdy
The Auto Channel, Michigan Bureau

Coffee table books have multiple purposes: to add color and aesthetic quality to your d�cor; to impress your guests with your interests and taste; and, perhaps most important, to provide something beautiful and enlightening for you and your guests to browse and read even when you have just short increments of time to spare.

Here is one that will appeal to lovers of exotic cars and those who understand the automobile as art: Lamborghini Supercars: 50 Years from the groundbreaking Miura to todays hypercars.

Ferruccio Lamborghini was born on a Northern Italian farm in 1916. Even as a young lad he loved cars, especially sports cars, but he was not able to afford them until he was much older. Then he became nearly obsessed. After the end of WWII he began producing tractors from left over military parts. That business grew into a variety of other successful businesses allowing him to finally indulge his love of fast and beautiful cars.

In the 1950s he bought and enthusiastically drove cars from Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Mercedes, Maserati and Jaguar but it was an encounter with Enzo Ferrari that convinced him it was time to build his own sports car. That encounter was reportedly triggered by repeated clutch problems with a succession of Ferrari 250GTs Lamborghini had owned. He went to the office of Mr. Ferrari, or Il Commendatore as he was respectfully known, and after cooling his heals for a disrespectful length of time he told Ferrari “your cars are rubbish.”

Ferrari is reported to have retorted, “Lamborghini, you may be able to drive a tractor but you will never be able to handle a Ferrari properly.”

No one can actually attest to the accuracy of that heated exchange but at this point I’ll concede it matters little. A great myth is as good as carefully recorded history in this context.

The book we’re enjoying here tells the fascinating stories of the first concept cars and the production Miura that started it all including the contributions of famous engineers and designers like Giotto Bizzarini who became famous making his own cars, Franco Scaglione who was one of Europe’s premier designers of the day and many others. The Miura was launched at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show as a concept and then underwent substantial further development including a sweet V12 engine going production about a year later. That was 50 years ago if you do the math.

Lamborghini produced many cars and even one big SUV called LM002 over the years but this book just covers those products we think of as “super cars” or as the authors call them, “hypercars.” There are but nine: Miura, Countach, Diablo, Mercielago, Gallardo, Reventon, Aventador, Sesto Elemento and Huracan. This list without a doubt represents some of the most exotic, dramatic and powerful cars ever produced.

Ferruccio Lamborghini led the company though Countach and Diablo before selling it. After a few other owners the exotic car company became part of Audi, the German auto making empire, where its ownership remains today. It is amazing that these exclusive and exotic cars continued through those business changes, and remain today, some of the most thrilling in the world.

Author Stuart Codling, a journalist, adventurer and broadcaster covering F1 Racing, does a comprehensive and masterful job of answering all the questions we would not have known to ask about Lamborghini’s business details, design and development of each car, as well as including sidebars about the company’s F1 competitions, details of many of the characters involved and other stories that add to the already colorful narratives. Each car chapter also includes specifications and production numbers of each model.

And, speaking of color - photographer James Mann, veteran car and motorcycle shooter, provides both studio and location shots including striking images of trim, engines and other details that bring each of these supercars to life. With expert layout and design this book could certainly hold its own as an object of art as well.

Lamborghini Supercars: 50 Years from the groundbreaking Miura to today’s hypercars is a large format, 10X12-inch, classic coffee table book retailing for $65 US available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and anywhere fine books are sold. Or find it at: www.QuartoKnows.com

Mine, by the way, has a prominent place on my coffee table.