Marque: Lamborghini - Company History & Models - Cars By Brand

When the 350GTV was shown at the 1963 Turin motor show, it was the first time anyone had ever seen a Lamborghini. With no time to install the engine, it was displayed alongside instead, with bricks weighing the front of the car dow n . Built in double-quick time by Modenese coach builder Neri & Bonacini, the car was criticised for its poor build quality and ugly lines; even the car’s high specification was not enough. It may have featured a five-speed ZF manual, Salisbury diff, spoked wheels, disc brakes all round and Pirelli HS tyres but was considered an embarrassment, and soon got hidden aw a y.

I t ’s one of the great show cars of the 1970s, but even if you desperately wanted to buy the Bravo you’ve had your chips, because it belongs to Bertone and it’s not for sale. Produced for the 1974 Turin Motor Show, the Bravo was based on a Urraco platform, reduced in length by 7.8 inches. The later Urraco P300 was used, with its larger, more pow e r f u l engine, and the car used several of the Countach’s styling cues - most notably the rear wheelarch shap e . More d r a m atic though were the black glazing to make the pillars disappear and the mass of vents in both the bonnet and the engine cover.

The Diablo is starting to get r e l atively affordable, when compared with the Murcielago and Miura. It’s still a pricey car to buy and run though, compared with the Heralds and Zephyrs of this world. The first cars used a 5.7- litre V12, driving the rear wheels. As the Diablo evolved there were four- wheel drive (VT) models from 1993, along with the targa-topped Roadster which arrived in 1995. The SE30 of 1993 was built to commemorate 30 years of L a m b o r g h i n i ’s existence but the fruitiest one was the 500bhp SV of 1995 - or at least it was until the full fat 6-litre edition was launched in 2000, with a hell raising 550bhp.

Although there was never actually a Lamborghini Flying Star I, Carrozzeria Touring did in fact build a series of cars in the 1930s wearing such badges. This was the same company that built the earlier 400GT on Lamborghini’s behalf, and an opportunity was quickly spotted by the coachbuilder, for a special body based on what was then Lamborghini’s main production car. Dubbed the Flying Star II, the prototype debuted at the 1966 Turin Motor Show; it was hoped this design would lead to a contract to build the 400GT’s successor, but it wasn’t to be. Only that initial car was made, and it now resides with a French collector.

Powerful cars are all the r age now a d a y s , and so are people c a r r i e r s . Put the two together and you end up with the Bertone Genesis; an MPV with a Countach engine! While the true performance MPV has yet to arrive, the Genesis appeared nearly two decades ag o , packing a V12 engine and s e ating for five in an incredibly eyec atching body that looked like a mobile (tinted) glasshouse. The Genesis looked fabulous and the interior worked pretty well to boot, but it was a pig to drive because the mechanicals had been t h r own together and the three-speed a u t o m atic gearbox gave it the accelerative qualities of a glacier.

In the rush to heap praise on the Miura, Countach, Diablo et al, one of the most affordable – and prettiest - cars to come out of Sant’Agata is often overlooked; the underrated Jalpa. This was a hastily rehashed version of the Silhouette, which meant a truly rubbish interior t h at , predictably, wasn’t especially comfortable either. But the things that m atter - the ride, handling and performance -were all top-notch. Only about 50 UK cars were made, so there aren’t many to go round - but you can buy a really nice one for little more than 20 grand, which is a bargain compared with the far more common Ferrari 308.

If you thought that the performance SUV was a recent p h e n o m e n o n , prepare to rethink. Even now, with SUVs more popular than ever, it’s not possible to buy a factory- built model with a V12 engine - but you could have done 20 years ag o . Initially developed for military use, the LM002 featured a Countach engine and seat i n g for up to 11 - at least in military form t h at is. The cars are all but extinct in the UK, so you’ll have to look overseas to find one, but brace yourself for huge bills. The fuel tank holds up to 62 gallons (and that V12 likes a good drink too) and those tyres won’t be cheap to replace… Who needs a Hummer?

Perhaps the most beautiful car ever made, the Miura was a road car without compromise, which is why it borrowed unashamedly from race car design. Aside from the one-offs, the Miura is the most collectable Lamborghini av a i l a b l e , especially in SV trim. But any derivative is highly prized, because even the P400, which is the most common, is very rare with just 474 built. T h at compares with just 140 examples of the Miura S and another 150 of the SV. Build quality is generally pretty shoddy and the Miura isn’t the easiest car to drive - so they’re usually bought by collectors who see them as nothing more than an investment.

With the oldest Murcielag o just coming up to five years of ag e , there are no bargains to be had out there. But one day prices will fall, even if they’re never actually truly affordable as such. The key requirements behind L a m b o r g h i n i ’s newest V12 were top performance and handling,with the only significant component carried over from the Diablo being the pow e r p l a n t . Despite its youth, there have already been Roadster, 40th A n n i v e r s a ryand R-GT versions of the Murcielag o , while the next generation car was recently unveiled. Badged LP640, the new derivative is even more extreme than before; you’d hardly think it possible.

The Urraco was developed to increase production volumes at Lamborghini; as a direct rival to M a s e r ati and Ferrari’s small cars, it was consequently more affordable, if not exactly cheap . Initially with a 1994cc V8, this grew to 2462cc and finally 2996cc. The Urraco now represents a pretty cheap way of getting into a Lamborghini, although it’s looked down upon because it’s not especially pretty and not that great to drive either. But it does have a charging bull on the bonnet so is automatically seen as more exclusive than anything with a prancing horse on it - despite the fact that the Ferrari invariably costs more to buy.