The town of Renazzo celebrated the 90th anniversary of its most famous son - Ferruccio Lamborghini - this summer with a series of high profile events that culminated in a monument, titled "Concretezza e genialità", dedicated to him, being unveiled. Renazzo is a village near Centro (Ferrara) in the heart of the Italian "motor valley" and just a stone's throw from Sant'Agata where the famous Italian supercars are still constructed to this day.

The townspeople of Renazzo wanted to commemorate the birth of Ferruccio on 28th April 1916, and id so in style with a series of events which included a superb gathering of exotic Lamborghini sportscars, including appearances from the Countach, Diablo, Murciélago and Gallardo. The highlight came from the Emiliano actor, director and automotive journalist Lorenzo Guandalini, who dreamed up an initiative to put on a musical, titled: Ferruccio Lamborghini: nel segno del toro, an event held in Renazzo which was dedicated to the legendary founder of the raging bull marque. The glamorous production was managed by ShowTeam in collaboration with the theatre company ZeroErreAccaPiù, while sponsorship came from the Regione Emilia Romagna (the Provincia di Bologna) and the Provincia di Ferrara (the Commune di Cento). "An evocative and original show for fans, directed with emotion, which demonstrates the legacy of the bull, for passion, for Emilia and for Italy," commented Guandalini.

Ferruccio Lamborghini

Born in Renazzo, a village near Bologna, in 1916. Ferruccio Lamborghini's parents were farmers, but Ferruccio's interest was in technology and mechanics. After completing his technical studies in Bologna, his abilities were put to the test when he was placed in charge of vehicle maintenance in Rhodes during World War II. On his return to Italy, he started purchasing old military vehicles and converting them into tractors, meeting the significant post-war demand for such machinery. His commercial success resulted in the purchase of a workshop in Cento where, from 1948 onward, Lamborghini tractors were produced.
 

By 1959, Lamborghini was also producing burners and air conditioning units. Now with some financial security, Ferruccio embarked on his life-long ambition of producing helicopters, but when the Italian government refused to grant him a license he made the decision to turn his attention to cars. The automotive world was never the same again.

Ferruccio Lamborghini opened a car factory in Sant'Agata in 1963, delivering the first Lamborghini, a 350 GT in 1964. From then until 1972, the company grew at a steady rate, with the only limiting factor the launch of new cars which slowed down production capacity. However, in 1972, a combination of general world recession and the oil embargo saw a drastic sales reduction and Ferruccio was forced to sell 51% of the company to a Swiss businessman, Georges-Henri Rossetti. In 1974, he sold the remaining 49% shares to a friend of Rossetti, Rene Leimer. The new shareholders did not have day to day involvement in the company and were reluctant to invest, and Automobili Lamborghini struggled to meet financial demands. Things went rapidly downhill to the point that in 1978 the company went into receivership.

The carmaker survived though, but from then on Lamborghini had many changing shareholders and was at points owned by US giant automaker Chrysler, and Malaysian company's MegaTech and V-Power, before in 1998 Audi took control, providing firm ownership, direction and significant investment that has seen the evocative brand pushing its way once more to the forefront of sportscars manufacturing.

Photos by Alan Guerzoni