Lamborghini

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars founded in 1963 by Ferruccio Lamborghini to compete with established marques, including Ferrari. The company’s first models, such as the 350 GT, were released in the mid-1960s and were noted for their refinement, power and comfort.

In 1962, after a visit to the bull stables (owned by Don Eduardo Muira) near Seville, Feruccio (a Taurus himself), was so impressed by the brute force and agility of the majestic animals that he decided to adopt a raging bull as the emblem for his cars. Thereafter, he named each model after bulls or bullfighting  regions, (e.g Jalpa, Miura, Islero, Jarama, Diablo, Urraco, Gallardo, Murciélago, Reventón, and Aventador) or bullfighting terms (Espada and Estoque – both meaning sword). The Countach being an exception to this tradition, named not for a bull, but for a Piedmontese expletive. 

The Militaire and the Silhouette were other exceptions to the tradition. In 1966 the first car signed by Lamborghini with the name of a toro was named after Don Eduardo.The company gained wide acclaim for the Miura sports coupé, which established rear mid-engine, rear wheel drive as the standard layout for high-performance cars of the era.

Lamborghini grew rapidly during its first decade, but sales plunged in the wake of the 1973 worldwide financial downturn and the oil crisis. The firm’s ownership changed three times after 1973, including a bankruptcy in 1978. Lamborghini is currently owned by the Audi division of the Volkswagen Group.

Current models are the Huracán (not just the Spanish word for hurricane but also named after a famous bull in Alicante. It’s also the name of the Mayan god of wind, storm and fire.),  The Aventador ( the latest in the line of V12 Lamborghinis and successor to the Murcielago) is named after a successful fighting bull from the early 1990s. Also, the Urus SUV (named after a auroch – a giant ancestor of modern cattle).