Giro Polo Storico: Celebrating 60 Years Of Automobili Lamborghini

Images: Branko Radovinovic

From 14th to 17th September, a memorable journey unfolded through the stunning landscapes of Franciacorta, Alto Garda, and Valpolicella, with captivating stops in Verona, Modena, and Sant'Agata Bolognese, showcasing the beauty of some of Italy's most exquisite places.

As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations, Lamborghini brought together cars from various countries around the world and models from all generations up to the beginning of the third millennium, which are looked after by the Lamborghini Polo Storico; this department maintains the historical archives, including the production records of the cars, provides original configurations and other data, and builds, certifies and restores Lamborghinis up to the Diablo 6.0 SE series.

“It has been really exciting to see these days under the Lamborghini flag,” said Federico Foschini, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer. “This is a very important year for our company and we're happy to have been able to celebrate it with the cars that have been so important in the brand's history, so that we don't forget our roots while always looking to the future.”

The tour began in Franciacorta, where the roads were lined with vineyards. From there, the vehicles drove through the Alto Garda Bresciano Park and followed the panoramic road that runs along the edge of Lake Idro to Riva Del Garda, on the northern shore of Italy's largest lake.

A number of cars with special histories took part in the tour, including the second chassis number 350 GT, the oldest surviving production Lamborghini, which is now in perfect condition.

This car differs in many small details from the later models of the 350 GT. One example is the logo, where the bull is not on a black background, but on a white and red one, with the colours separated by a diagonal line. It is almost a miracle that this car still exists.

After all, along with the very first Lamborghini, the 350 GTV prototype; it is Lamborghini's very first production car.

In Riva Del Garda, cars lined up along Spiaggia Degli Ulivi, a stunning blend of beauty and engineering. Among them stood a faithful replica of Bob Wallace's ‘Jota’, painstakingly built by an English enthusiast over thirteen years from a crashed Miura.

Remarkably, the mechanical part of the car was rebuilt to the same specifications as the original by Bob Wallace, the historic test driver from Sant’Agata.

One of the next stops was Valpolicella, with its hilly vineyards, where the classic Lamborghini crossed the historic Visconteo Bridge in Valeggio sul Mincio (VR) and stopped to visit Villa Sigurtà.

Among the cars was the Countach LP 400 S, the pace car of the 39th Monte Carlo Formula 1 Grand Prix, which also took part in this year's Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance and had come to Italy directly from the United States.

Owned by the Mimran family, who ran Lamborghini at the time, the car was the pace car at the Monte Carlo Grand Prix on 31st May 1981, with a large flashing light on the roof and the word ‘Intervention’.

This very special Countach has rarely been seen in public. Any true Lamborghini enthusiast is therefore fortunate to be able to see such a rare bull.

Founder Ferruccio Lamborghini started a Lamborghini tradition of using the venue of the Monaco GP to showcase his finest creations such as the Miura, the Countach and the one-off Marzal as opening cars. Of course, he was fully aware that this was a very targeted marketing exercise for his wonderful sports cars.

The guests were welcomed in Guastalla (RE) at the Villa Malaspina Guarienti, one of the most beautiful examples of neoclassical style, whose history dates to the first decades of the 11th century.

The Diablo VT caused a sensation when it was entered as a ‘demonstration car’ in the 1996 Indy Car World Series races of the PPG Championship Auto Racing Team (CART).

Only two Diablo VTs have ever fulfilled this role, one in black, which was used on the Tour, and one in gold. Both were fitted with roll bars and the Jota kit to increase peak power to 600bhp. There was also a special air intake on the bonnet and a front bumper with two tow hooks.

This car has also been seen extremely rarely. It's nice to know it's still around and in perfect condition.

On Saturday, 16th September, the guests arrived in Modena, where they parked in the Parco Giardino Ducale Estense and attended the gala dinner with the Lamborghini management. Naturally, this splendid setting lent itself to further photo shoots, much to the delight of the park's random visitors.

The colours in which the cars—especially the Lamborghinis—used to be painted were also a feast for the eyes. With this blaze of colour bringing a smile to the face of any true car fan, one can only hope that the current trend of white, grey and black will change back to more cheerful colours. After all, colours represent joie de vivre.

The final day of the Giro was spent at the company's historic headquarters in Sant'Agata Bolognese. It was a moving moment when the convoy of vehicles entered the factory grounds. Slowly the cars approached the factory gates, a special moment that everyone wanted to enjoy; why hurry for such a historic event?

For the proud owners, it will remain an unforgettable experience to return on this historic day with their wonderful vehicles to the place where the story of their vehicle began.

For the Polo Storico, which preserves the brand's historical, technical and material heritage, but also for Automobili Lamborghini as a whole, the 60th anniversary was a very important event.