Lamborghini Automobili, the Italian sportscar/supercar maker, began its journey with tractor production. It was known as Lamborghini Trattori. The journey started in 1948 with the founder Ferruccio Lamborghini. Ferruccio was born in 1916 into a farming family. But agricultural machinery piqued his attention. He attended technical school during World War II and worked as a mechanic in the Italian Armed Forces, inventing mechanical solutions to keep the army's trucks moving. Lamborghini used military surplus machines to build farm equipment after the war. He later founded Lamborghini Trattori, which produced economical and durable tractors.
In the 1960s, the Lamborghini founder clashed with Enzo Ferrari, the Ferrari founder, over the delicate clutch of Ferruccio's Ferrari. The Lamborghini creator had reported to have told Enzo, 'Ferrari, your cars are rubbish!' 'You may be able to drive a tractor,' Enzo answered, 'but you will never be able to handle a Ferrari properly.'
Perfect Supercar
This motivated Ferruccio to build the perfect supercar. In 1963, he came up with 350GT, the first ever Lamborghini sports car under Lamborghini Automobili.
The 350 GT had an all-aluminium alloy V12 engine mated to a five-speed ZF manual transmission. It had an aluminium body, a Salisbury limited-slip differential, four-wheel independent suspension and vacuum servo- assisted Girling disc brakes all round. The 350 GT was originally fitted with Pirelli Cinturato HS 205-section tyres.
It had a wheelbase of 2,550 millimetres (100.4 in) with a front and rear axle track of 1,380 millimetres (54.3 in). It measured 4,640 millimetres (182.7 in) long by 1,730 millimetres (68.1 in) wide and was 1,220 millimetres (48.0 in) high. With its kerb weight of 1,450 kilograms (3,197 lb), the 350 GT could accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in 6.8 seconds and go on to reach a top speed of 254 kilometres per hour.
Since the 350GT, Lamborghini has engraved its name in gold amongst the enthusiasts with its flashy and flamboyant vehicles. Later, Volkswagen’s takeover of the company in 1998 meant that Lamborghini as a brand got access to more R&D. This, in turn, has helped to introduce more models and enter newer markets.
Arrives In India
Well, the brand started official sales on the Indian shores in 2006 with three models – Gallardo, Gallardo Spyder and the Murciélago. Since then, the Indian market has gone on to become one of the most important markets for the Italian supercar maker.
At that point, Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann had said that the company had come to India not by chance but with a plan. “The Indian economy is growing. The list of billionaires and millionaires, too, is growing. This makes it an attractive and important market for us,” he had said.
And this has turned out to be true for the car-maker. Sharad Agarwal, Head, Lamborghini India, said that the company had seen immense growth in India especially from the Tier-I cities.
The Indian market has now started to become a mature one for the car-maker. Not surprisingly, Lamborghini India has thought it fit to celebrate its 60th anniversary in an Indian style.
Celebrating The Indian Way
Lamborghini India announced a collaboration with ‘The Plated Project’ to commemorate the brand's 60th Anniversary. The art project is a celebration of the seamless fusion of artistic expression and Lamborghini's innovative design in the automotive world. With this collaboration, Lamborghini India brings one-of-its-kind immersive art showcase, ‘Shadanga’, harmonizing the worlds of automotive excellence and artistic creativity.
In celebration of Lamborghini’s 60th Anniversary, the Plated Project will create a 'Limited Edition' series of 100 sets, a replica of each art piece as miniature porcelain collectible plates, making them valuable memorabilia from this exceptional project.
‘Shadanga’ is an artistic endeavour in partnership with The Plated Project that unveils the true essence of Lamborghini through the lens of the ancient ‘Shadanga’ – the six elements of Indian classical art. Six visionary artists, each dedicated to one element of Lamborghini's history, have transformed the brand's iconic design language into captivating artworks.
Each piece was then adorned by traditional Indian artisans. This finally culminated in a unique 6-piece mural of handcrafted canvases (30 inches), a set of exclusive digitally- printed collector’s edition replicas on porcelain plates (7.5 inches), as part of the art showcase
The ‘Shadanga’ components include:
· Lavanya Yojana – Miura and the traditional symbols of beauty from Indian culture
· Pramana – Countach and an Indian architectural marvel
· Sadrisya – Diablo and a bull from Indian mythology
· Rupabheda – Huracán STO and the signature roar of the V10 engine and the Indian Ragmala
· Varnika Bhanga – Lamborghini’s Ad Personam programme and the art of expression from Indian folk art, Kathakali
· Bhava – Revuelto’s futuristic design and a re-imagined Indian portrait
A Proud Collaboration
In line with The Plated Project's mission of using art against hunger, this collaboration will result in 6,000 meals being donated to the needy and it represents Lamborghini's commitment to social responsibility and the fusion of art for a greater cause.
Agarwal said,'As we celebrate 60 years of Lamborghini's relentless pursuit of excellence, we are delighted to join hands with ‘The Plated Project’ to create a truly exceptional art showcase, ‘Shadanga’. This initiative not only pays homage to our iconic brand but also contributes to a meaningful cause.
Chitresh Sinha, founder, The Plated Project, added, “Our mission has always been to tell impactful stories using the power of art. ‘Shadanga’ was the perfect opportunity to do this as it offered us incredible breadth to tell captivating stories of Lamborghini’s journey through six decades by juxtaposing them on elements from India’s art and cultural history.” He went on to add:“We worked with an incredible set of artists and artisans with each piece taking us over 120 hours to complete. We are incredibly proud of the collaboration and hope to be able to share the uniqueness of India culture through these art pieces.”
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