Lamborghini
Today (A Tempo Furioso)
“We’re
ready for take-off, so please
fasten your seat belts and put your
thoughts in an upright position. We
shall be flying at ground level...”
THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK CAME ABOUT BECAUSE OF A CHANCE MEETING between Stephan
Grühsem and photographer Peter Vann, who lunched together at the Geneva Motor
Show in sight of a Lamborghini Murciélago. They discussed cars, photography
and marques and their future and thus the seeds were sown for Lamborghini
Today.
The wheel, Grühsem claims, was invented for the Lamborghini. You could almost
believe him as you admire the delectable lines of the sunshine yellow Gallardo
or the pretty Murciélago Roadster as he and Vann breeze through France, Spain
and Italy.
Using appropriate pitch black or bright yellow pages, Lamborghini Today
takes us on a voyage of discovery. To the French town of Rheims, where the long-abandoned
historic racing circuit echoes with the ghosts of motorsport. On to Bologna
and its pedestrianised centre that is only opened for the Mille Miglia; and
to the Lamborghini factory in St Agata Bolognese where Grühsem says: "the enthusiast
feels rather like a gourmet accidentally locked in a high-class delicatessen
overnight."
Illustrated with stunning photography and witty dialogue, you are treated to
every aspect of the Lamborghini — from the finest points of the engine
to the tiniest tuck of the fantastic body. Not a Lamborghini fan? Never mind,
don't mention the 'F' word because this book just might make you change your
mind.
Why do you suppose that Emilia Romagna is the birthplace of not only Ferrucio
Lamborghini, but also Enzo Ferrari, Ettore Bugatti, Alfieri Maserati and Alejandro
De Tomaso? The author offers a possible solution to that question.
We meet Ferruccio Lamborghini, who was already a successful manufacturer of
agricultural tractors when he conceived the idea of building the ultimate sports
car. His search for the finest 12-cylinder engine he could find led him to Giotto
Bizzarrini, then the manager of Ferrari's Test Department. In 1962 they signed
a working agreement, but they soon parted company. Now aged 80, Bizzarrini is
still a designer but was replaced at Lamborghini by another gifted engineer,
Gianpaolo Dallara.
Gruhsem takes us on a trip that almost makes you feel as if you are in the passenger
seat. He introduces us to Bizzarrini and to the Miura brothers — the aristocrats
of Spanish bull breeding who gave their name to a legendary Lamborghini model.
We also get to know members of the workforce and Dr Martin Winterkorn, Chairman
of the Audi Board of Management and Chief Executive of the Audi Brand Group
to which Lamborghini belongs.
There are sections on Marketing Lamborghinis, Motor Racers, Concept Cars, Variations
and Small Cars — Egidio Reali from the little Italian town of Gerenzo,
apparently makes the most splendid Lamborghini models in the world.
The Lamborghini Espada and the Countach also feature and there are details about
the trials and tribulations of Lamborghini before it came under the Audi umbrella.
We also learn that Prince Ranier and Princess Grace drove an inaugural lap at
the Monaco Grand Prix in a Marzal and that, in 1964, Dean Martin treated himself
to a Lamborghini 350GT.
Power Boat Racing is also covered — the American actor Don Johnson won
the notorious 1,000km race from New Orleans to St Louis in world record time
using a Lamborghini engine.
And there is also a section entitled 'Terms That Help You To Understand Lamborghini'.
You won't be surprised to find the word 'EUPHORIA'.
Do you know how to attune yourself to the rhythm of the Lamborghini? Has a Miura
ever flirted with you? Can you tame a sabre-toothed tiger? Visual fantasies
abound as you imagine the hot air shimmering above the engine and the countryside
blurring. Now stop drooling over the cover and get yourself inside…
• Lamborghini Today (A Tempo Furioso)
would really make somebody's year. This fantastic book is written by Stephan
Grühsem, the director of Audi's press department and a former motor journalist
in Germany, and is photographed by Peter Vann. And it's available now from all
good bookshops, priced at £35 — a massive £217,340 saving on a new Murciélago!
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