Motorsport
In contrast to his rival Enzo Ferrari, Ferruccio Lamborghini had
decided early on that there would be no factory-supported racing of
Lamborghinis, viewing motorsport as too expensive and too draining on
company resources.
This was unusual for the time, as many sports car manufacturers sought
to demonstrate the speed, reliability, and technical superiority through
motorsport participation. Enzo Ferrari in particular was known for
considering his road car business mostly a source of funding for his
participation in motor racing. Ferruccio's policy led to tensions
between him and his engineers, many of whom were racing enthusiasts;
some had previously worked at Ferrari. When Dallara, Stanzani, and
Wallace began dedicating their spare time to the development of the P400
prototype, they designed it to be a road car with racing potential, one
that could win on the track and also be driven on the road by
enthusiasts.
When Ferruccio discovered the project, he allowed them to go ahead,
seeing it as a potential marketing device for the company, while
insisting that it would not be raced. The P400 went on to become the
Miura. The closest the company came to building a true race car under
Lamborghini's supervision were a few highly modified prototypes,
including those built by factory test driver
Bob Wallace, such as the Miura SV-based "Jota" and the Jarama S-based "Bob Wallace Special".
In the mid-1970s, while Lamborghini was under the management of
Georges-Henri Rossetti, Lamborghini entered into an agreement with
BMW to develop, then manufacture 400 cars for BMW in order to meet
Group 4 homologation
requirements. BMW lacked experience developing a mid-engined vehicle
and believed that Lamborghini's experience in that area would make
Lamborghini an ideal choice of partner. Due to Lamborghini's shaky
finances, Lamborghini fell behind schedule developing the car's
structure and running gear. When Lamborghini failed to deliver working
prototypes on time, BMW took the program in house, finishing development
without Lamborghini. BMW contracted with
Baur to produce the car, which BMW named the
M1, delivering the first vehicle in October 1978
In 1985, Lamborghini's British importer developed the
Countach QVX, in conjunction with
Spice Engineering, for the 1986
Group C
championship season. One car was built, but lack of sponsorship caused
it to miss the season. The QVX competed in only one race, the
non-championship 1986 Southern Suns 500 km race at
Kyalami in South Africa, driven by
Tiff Needell. Despite the car finishing better than it started, sponsorship could once again not be found and the programme was cancelled.
Lamborghini was an engine supplier in
Formula One between the
1989 and
1993 Formula One seasons. It supplied engines to
Larrousse (1989–1990,1992–1993),
Lotus (1990),
Ligier (1991),
Minardi (1992), and to the
Modena
team in 1991. While the latter is commonly referred to as a factory
team, the company saw themselves as a supplier, not a backer. The 1992
Larrousse–Lamborghini was largely uncompetitive but noteworthy in its
tendency to spew oil from its exhaust system. Cars following closely
behind the Larrousse were commonly coloured yellowish-brown by the end
of the race. Lamborghini's best result was achieved with Larrousse at the
1990 Japanese Grand Prix, when
Aguri Suzuki finished third on home soil.
In late 1991, a Lamborghini Formula One motor was used in the
Konrad KM-011 Group C sports car, but the car only lasted a few races before the project was canceled. The same engine, re-badged a
Chrysler, Lamborghini's then-parent company, was tested by
McLaren towards the end of the 1993 season, with the intent of using it during the
1994 season. Although driver
Ayrton Senna was reportedly impressed with the engine's performance, McLaren pulled out of negotiations, choosing a
Peugeot engine instead, and Chrysler ended the project. Two racing versions of the Diablo were built for the Diablo Supertrophy,
a single-model racing series held annually from 1996 to 1999. In the
first year, the model used in the series was the Diablo SVR, while the
Diablo 6.0 GTR was used for the remaining three years. Lamborghini developed the Murciélago R-GT as a production racing car to compete in the
FIA GT Championship, the
Super GT Championship and the
American Le Mans Series in 2004. The car's highest placing in any race that year was the opening round of the FIA GT Championship at
Valencia, where the car entered by
Reiter Engineering finished third from a fifth-place start.
In 2006, during the opening round of the Super GT championship at
Suzuka, a car run by the Japan Lamborghini Owners Club garnered the first victory (in class) by an R-GT. A
GT3 version of the Gallardo has been developed by
Reiter Engineering.
A Murciélago R-GT entered by All-Inkl.com racing, driven by
Christophe Bouchut and Stefan Mücke, won the opening round of the
FIA GT Championship held at
Zhuhai International Circuit, achieving the first major international race victory for Lamborghini
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