Ferrucio Lamborghini, founder of the famous luxury race car brand Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A, actually got his start building tractors. Lamborghini was the son of a farmer, and he began building tractors out of surplus military materials after World War II. He built tractors for almost 15 years before even branching out into luxury cars, reportedly because he was unable to find either a Maserati or Ferrari car that he liked.
More facts about Lamborghini:
- Lamborghini was in business for only 15 years before he went bankrupt and sold the company to Chrysler. The company was sold to Audi AG in 1998.
- All Lamborghini models have at least a V8 engine, and the majority of models have at least a V10. The most famous Lamborghini models have a V12 engine, which was designed specifically for the company by an engineer who had helped design the famous Ferrari 250 GTO.
- The iconic Lamborghini bull was chosen as the brand's symbol after Lamborghini visited the ranch of a Spanish fighting bull breeder and became enamored with the animals.