There are not many people nowadays who wouldn’t recognize a beautiful golden bull on a black shield.
This magnificent raging taurus became a symbol of speed, wildness and luxury – everything
that Lamborghini is known for.
What if I say that it might have never been that way.
Would you believe that such a huge company wouldn’t be what it is now if one silly argument
hadn't happen?
Some people might not know that the same name and the same bull appears not only on the
hoods of some of the world’s fastest supercars but also on… tractors.
Those people might also be surprised that Ferruccio Lamborghini (the company’s founder)
had been making tractors for many years before their first sports car left the factory.
While he was serving with the Air Force mechanics corps during WWII,
he became well known for his engineering skills among his colleagues.
After the war Ferruccio decided to keep his mechanic career going so he opened a small repair shop.
Later he came up with an idea to buy and make use of military machines by turning them into tractors.
This might have had something to do with the fact that Lamborghini’s family
had a long history of farming.
His business turned out to be a huge success, which allowed him to expand and make a fortune.
As every wealthy man, Ferruccio loved spending his money on cars.
Of course Lamborghini was a very aware client so he knew when something
could have been done better when it comes to mechanics.
One of the cars which he bought and disappointed Ferruccio the most was Ferrari 250 GT.
The car’s roughness, loudness and constant problems with a clutch kept on irritating him.
Ferruccio was so frustrated that he decided to address his feelings straight to the man responsible
for all this - Enzo Ferrari. Lamborghini hoped that his opinion would be considered
helpful and would cause some sort of improvement in Ferrari’s quality.
He couldn’t have been more wrong. Enzo said that he didn't need any advice from a tractor mechanic
who had no idea what he was talking about and “the problem is not with the car but with driver!”.
Thanks to his wealth and skills Lamborghini was able to start the development of his own sports car
which had only one purpose - to show Ferrari that he could do it better.
He managed to assemble a team made of former Ferrari employees,
whose task was to make a Gran Turismo car powered by a V12 engine
which would be able to reach 250 km/h on the Autostrada del Sole.
The development began in 1962 and in May 1963 Automobilli Ferruccio Lamborghini was founded.
Lamborghini’s first supercar - 350 GT - was presented to the public in 1964
and it managed to fulfill every task it was supposed to accomplish.
It reached 250 km/h on a motorway but most importantly it made Enzo Ferrari furious.
Questions:
1. Which other two companies come to your mind when you think of such rivalry?
2. Do you think that Ferrari as a company would be where it is now if there
wasn’t any competition from Lamborghini?
3. Have you ever been treated as if you were incompetent despite knowing the subject very well?
Sources:
Comments
2. Oh, I think it's hard to tell, but I would say that rivalry usually boosts our will to work and create something important and impressive. Of course there are people, that prefer to back out when facing an opponent, but if you are an owner and founder of a specific company you are willing to fight to be the best and show everyone what you are capable of. So I would say .. yes, thanks to this competition they are where they are.
3. Yes, I have. People often think that if you are an animator (or artist in general I guess) you just have to “move stuff” and they tend to ignore your suggestions. I had this situation few days ago when we had to tell the client that from now on, any change would cost him double the price. That’s because they asked us to implement changes that we have suggested at the beginning of the project, which they chose to ignore. It took us 16 hours to do something, that could take around 2h if theyonly had listened.
2. I don't thing so. Rivarly is something that boosts development. When there are no competitors on the market and a company has a monopoly they dont have to try hard to get customers. When competition arrives they mus suddenly struggle and think a lot to stay on top.
3. No nothing like this ever happened to me.
2. It is not known but competition is a natural thing and sooner or later another player would probably appear on the market. If there wasn't lambo, ferrari could grow more slowly
3. Sometimes, probably because of age, people may think that I do not know a given topic. This is often the case with a mechanic when I give the car to the service, at first you can see that they will behave as if I could not know what I am talking about only after a short conversation, it turns out that I know something there.
2. I think so because the cars of both manufacturers have a sportiness but a completely different character.
3. Luck has never happened to me.
I don't think so.
No, it never happened to me.
2. Certainly, competition is always beneficial for growth, without competition they would not have developed so quickly.
3. It often happened when I was a kayaking instructor at the age of 16.
2. It is hard to say, but propably no. It was a good move, good competition is a positive. There are a lot of advantages. As I wrote before, you are growing faster because you have to be better than the others.
3. Not really, If I know the topic very well it is hard to make it look unprofessional. What is more if you have a good "talk" it is easier to looks like professional even if you do not know much.
I think a good example can be DC rivalry with Marvel. Both companies publish comics about superheroes and fight for popularity among fans.
2. Do you think that Ferrari as a company would be where it is now if there
wasn’t any competition from Lamborghini?
I believe that competition brings positive results because it forces continuous development.
3. Have you ever been treated as if you were incompetent despite knowing the subject very well?
This has never happened to me.
2. The rivalry and competition on the market are the factors that make the companies grow dynamically. So, my answer is: definitely yes. If Lamborghini hadn’t had new ideas, Ferrari wouldn’t have developed to its current state.
3. I often face such situations in car repair garage and during overhaul. The employees often look down on me, especially when I'm not familiar with the subject.