Haute Auto: Lamborghini’s Cinquantesimo

Happy 50th Birthday, Lamborghini. My, how you’ve grown, from an upstart founded by a tractor manufacturer to one the world’s greatest supercar constructors.  And to think that it all started with Ferruccio Lamborghini’s dissatisfaction with how he was treated by Enzo Ferrari when he sought a better clutch for his Ferrari — yep, Ferruccio owned a Ferrari, and Enzo’s reportedly rude dismissal of him motivated fifty years of greatness.

Is there a more cutting-edge, in-your-face, automobile atelier than Lamborghini?  Think of it – Countach and Diablo and Aventador, oh my!  They even sound bad-ass.  Some were worried about the Italian’s 1998 acquisition by Audi, which itself is part of Volkswagen Group, even though it followed Chrysler’s turn at the helm (yes, that’s right – Lamborghini was owned by Chrysler, but not long enough for there to be a Miura Minivan).  Yet Lamborghini has stayed true to form, creating wicked rides with knife-sharp angles.  So what better way to celebrate the company’s fiftieth anniversary than by giving the world two remarkable vehicles?

First up was the Veneno, whose parents were an Aventador and a Batmobile.  Only three of these radical rides were made, all of which were sold shortly following its announcement at a price just under $4 million.  First shown at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, the car was a big hit, with its outlandish angles and incredible wing.

The true fiftieth anniversary model, however, is the Egoista.  What a name!  I guess that, once the design was set, with room only for the piloti, the name was the logical next step but only Lamborghini could pull off designing a car whose name translates to “selfish”. (“It’s for me and only me” apparently was too long to put on the nameplate.)  Nevertheless, it’s such a wonderful exercise in design, what with all the scoops, creases, swoops and edges.  Not content with shape alone, the designers then added orange accents and an orange-tinted windshield.  The exterior and interior are Raptor-Airwolf-inspired, as the Egoista shares more DNA with attack aircraft than a car.  (Rumors that, on acceleration, the car broadcasts Die Walkürie from wheel-well speakers are unfounded, as is the story that it comes with Reece’s Pieces in the glovebox.) As it was built as a 50th birthday present from Lamborghini to the world (thank you, by the way), no price was set and production is not in the plans.  Still, to see the Egoista is to never forget its incredible design.

Thankfully, Lamborghini is never one to rest on its switchblade doors and continues to create radical new designs, even at age fifty.  Great new looks for an AARP-ready player?  Sounds like the seeds of a new reality show.