LAMBORGHINI: past and present

In its 60 years the company has built some astounding models. Here are our favourites

WITH a full six decades of history to celebrate, Lamborghini’s Polo Storico classic division laid on a treat, with a line-up of ground-breaking models from the firm’s back catalogue for us to drool over.

COUNTACH

ARGUABLY the most well known Lamborghini of them all is the Countach – the poster car for many children (and probably adults) for two decades. Its long lifespan meant that it spawned plenty of variations to keep it fresh against anything Ferrari and other rivals could throw at it. Power from its V12 engine ranged from 375bhp in the early cars to as much as 449bhp in the final versions.

400 GT

MANY think Lamborghini is perhaps the most dramatic car company of all time, but its first offering, the 350 GT, was more of a sedate cruiser. The figure alluded to the 3.5-litre displacement of the V12 engine, which grew to 4.0 litres with the 400 GT update in 1966.

JALPA

BACK in the eighties the Countach flagship had an underling: the Jalpa. It used the same 3.5-litre V8 as the Urraco it replaced, while the design clearly mimics the Countach’s. But the Jalpa never really took off, with 410 units sold against the Countach’s 1,983.

MURCIELAGO

THE Murcielago spelled the end of the V12 engine that had been used in Lamborghini models since the 350 GT. Alongside the 6.2-litre V12 (which grew to 6.5 litres with the LP640 edition), there was a choice of either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automated ‘e-gear’ transmission.

MIURA

WIDELY regarded as the first supercar, the Miura used the same V12 engine as the 400 GT. Lamborghini never actually intended for the Miura to enter motorsport, although a single ‘Jota’ version was unofficially made by the company’s test driver, Bob Wallace.

LM002

IT’S fair to say the LM002 was a bit of a curveball. Having developed an off-roader for a military contract, Lamborghini put it into production (with a few changes). The LM002’s military connotations, plus its sheer presence, earned it the nickname “Rambo Lambo”.

GALLARDO

WITH a screaming V10 engine, angular but sleek design by Fabrizio Giugiaro, and improved build quality from parent company Volkswagen, the Gallardo was a huge success. Due to its popularity, there were many editions during the Gallardo’s decade-long production run, the most extreme being the carbon-clad Sesto Elemento.

ESPADA

ONE of Marcello Gandini’s most iconic designs, the Espada offered a mix of practicality and performance, with a shooting brake bodystyle and the Miura’s V12. When it went on sale in 1968, the Espada cost more than the Miura, but that’s definitely not the case now.

DIABLO

THE Countach was the pin-up car of the eighties, but the Diablo certainly took its fair share of wall space in the nineties. The 5.7-litre V12 engine in earlier versions was later expanded to 6.0 litres, and the most powerful were the 595bhp SE 30 models with the ‘Jota’ kit.

AVENTADOR

THE Aventador used only the second all-new V12 from Lamborghini, but it did its predecessor justice. Straight out of the box, the Aventador was quicker than the final version of the Murcielago, the SV. The Aventadorbased Sian was the firm’s first hybrid and it even laid the foundation for the return of the Countach name.