Today, April 28, Would Have Been Ferruccio Lamborghini’s 105th Birthday

Lamborghini is celebrating what would have been the 105th anniversary of its founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini.

The man who set the foundation stone of the famed Italian automaker, while also contributing to the development of the first supercars, was born on April 28, 1916. He was the eldest son of farmers Antonio and Evelina, and as tradition dictated, he would have inherited the family farm.

However, from a young age, Ferruccio was more attracted to mechanics than the land, so he spent most of his time in the farmstead workshop. When WWII began, he was already an experienced mechanic, and was stationed on the Greek island of Rhodes to maintain the military vehicles belonging to the Italians, Germans and British.

Read More: Ferruccio Lamborghini And His Tractors

After the war ended, he opened a small mechanical repair shop on the island, and in 1946, he returned to Italy, attracted by the incentives that supported the country’s economic recovery. He then opened a machine shop in Cento where he repaired motor vehicles and built small utility models, and while working in the shop, Ferruccio had the idea to make inexpensive tractors for small landowners.

The first tractor was made using a Morris truck, equipped with a fuel vaporizer, his own invention, and he ended up selling 11 of them in 1948, during the feast of the patron saint of Cento. This success made Ferruccio go into debt with the bank, using everything the owned, including the family farm, as collateral, to build more tractors.

In 1963, Lamborghini expanded the business to road vehicles. For this, his company needed a new logo, so he turned to local graphic designer, Paolo Rambaldi, who asked him about his personal traits. Ferruccio said he is stubborn like a bull, so the famous logo came to life from that statement, combined with his zodiac sign.

Ferruccio Lamborghini practically invented the supercar segment with the Miura in 1966. He also contributed to the creation of the Countach, which came out as a prototype in 1971 and remained in production until 1999, when it was replaced by the Diablo.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to witness the modern transformation of his company, as he passed away in 1993, but Lamborghini says he “would have been proud” of the modern supercar lineup and the Urus, which is the brand’s first super SUV.