Before the supercars, Ferruccio Lamborghini built tractors. When he started making cars in 1963, he picked a bull for the badge: his zodiac sign, and a fair description of his own character.
- Country
-
Italy - Active
- Since 1963
- Founded by
- Ferruccio Lamborghini
- Website
- Official website ↗
Tractors first, then the bull
Before there were Lamborghini supercars, there were Lamborghini tractors. Ferruccio Lamborghini trained as a mechanic, and his first business turned old combat vehicles into working tractors. In the 1950s he moved on to heating and cooling systems. Cars were his third venture, and Lamborghini itself suggests the sports cars already filling his garage had something to do with it.
Automobili Lamborghini was established on 7 May 1963 in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, and the company still has its headquarters there. The name is simply the founder’s own. By October the first concept, the 350 GTV, was on show at the Turin Motor Show, with a V12 engine engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini.
You have probably heard the story that Ferruccio built his own cars after a row with Enzo Ferrari. It is a popular tale, but it doesn’t appear on Lamborghini’s own history pages, so treat it as legend rather than fact.
A typographer, a star sign and a saying
The emblem was born in the same year as the factory. Ferruccio asked Paolo Rambaldi, a local typographer, to design it. The idea came straight from the founder: his zodiac sign was the bull, and he liked to describe himself in dialect as “tamugno come un toro”, as strong as a bull.
Getting the badge right took a few tries. The very first one, a white bull on a red background, was never meant for the cars at all. The proper badges, white and red with a gold bull and lettering on light blue, had so many colours that production ran months late, so the first prototype wore the red version for a short time. As soon as the real ones arrived, the red badge disappeared for good.
The first production cars then carried a four-colour shield with a gold bull and the name in block letters across the top. It looked lovely and took ages to make. In 1964 a black and white background was tried and quickly dropped. Lamborghini says the pragmatic Ferruccio saw it was still too complicated.
The charging bull on the shield
The answer came later in 1964. A more muscular golden bull, set on black, with “Lamborghini” in black capitals on a gold band at the top. It was simple to make and striking to look at, and it stayed in use for nearly 30 years, on cars like the Miura and the Countach. In every version since, the bull keeps the same stance: head down, ready to charge.
Then came a detour. When the Diablo was unveiled on 21 January 1990, it got a shield of its own, slightly larger than before, with a silver-grey bull and lettering on a blue background. After Lamborghini joined the Audi group in 1998, the new in-house design department, Centro Stile, redrew the badge as one of its first projects. The shape changed a little, the gold bull returned on black, and the gold lettering got a new font, applied directly to the black background.
Flattening the bull in 2024
In 2024 Lamborghini unveiled a new logo as part of a new brand identity. It is modern and minimal, with no raised elements and few details. The bull keeps its classic position, the lettering at the top uses a new font, and black dominates. Gold is still there, but it is very subtle, down to an extremely thin frame.
Gold on black, mostly
For most of its life the Lamborghini badge has been a gold bull on a black shield. The exceptions are short and specific: red and white for the very first badge, soft 1960s colours with light blue on the first production cars, and blue with silver-grey for the Diablo era. The 2024 logo keeps the gold and black pairing but lets the black do most of the talking.
Bulls with names to match
The bull doesn’t stop at the badge. The Miura is named after a famous breed of Spanish fighting bulls, the Murciélago after a bull spared in a famous fight, and with the Jalpa in 1981 Lamborghini says it went back to naming models after powerful fighting bulls. The Countach is the odd one out: its name is an exclamation of amazement in Piedmontese dialect.
Landmark Lamborghinis, decade by decade
- 1964: 350 GT. Lamborghini’s first production car, presented at the Geneva Motor Show with a 3.5 litre V12.
- 1966: Miura. Called by Lamborghini its first supercar, with a V12 mounted transversely at the rear and a body by Bertone.
- 1971: Countach. Shown as the LP500 prototype in Geneva and built from 1974 as the LP400.
- 1986: LM002. Lamborghini’s first off-road model, born from a military project and fitted with the Countach V12.
- 1990: Diablo. The successor to the Countach, and the car that got its own blue and silver badge.
- 2018: Urus. Presented by Lamborghini as the world’s first Super Sport Utility Vehicle.
- 2023: Revuelto. Lamborghini’s first hybrid production car, still built around an all-new V12.
The bull has changed hands several times. Ferruccio sold a majority stake in 1972, the Mimran Group took over in 1981, Chrysler bought the company in 1987 and Megatech in 1994. Since 1998 Lamborghini has been part of the Audi and Volkswagen group. For other Italian badges, see Ferrari, Maserati and Pagani, or read how car logos are designed.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there a bull on the Lamborghini logo?
According to Lamborghini, the bull comes from Ferruccio Lamborghini’s zodiac sign and from a dialect saying he used about himself, “tamugno come un toro”, meaning as strong as a bull.
Who designed the Lamborghini logo?
Ferruccio Lamborghini commissioned Paolo Rambaldi, a local typographer, to design the emblem in 1963. The 1998 redesign was one of the first projects of Lamborghini’s in-house Centro Stile.
When did Lamborghini change its logo?
The classic gold bull on black arrived in 1964. The Diablo got a blue and silver version in 1990, Centro Stile redesigned the badge in 1998, and a flat, minimalist logo was unveiled in 2024.
Who owns Lamborghini?
Lamborghini joined the Audi and Volkswagen group in 1998. Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is managed and coordinated by AUDI AG.
Are Lamborghini models named after bulls?
Many are. The Miura takes its name from a breed of Spanish fighting bulls and the Murciélago from a famous bull, while the Countach is named after a Piedmontese exclamation of amazement.
Tractors, Taurus and a V12
- Founded
- 1963
- Founder
- Ferruccio Lamborghini
- Country
- Italy
- Headquarters
- Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy
- Parent company
- Audi AG (Volkswagen Group)
- Current emblem
- A golden charging bull on a black shield, redrawn in a flat, minimalist style in 2024
- Known for
- V12 supercars named after fighting bulls
- Website
- Official website ↗
