In a time defined by lockdowns, Lamborghini is blazing a trail of love through Italy, proudly celebrating its homeland, with its unique historical treasures and stunning landscapes. Tales of Italian magic are being told through the lenses of the select masters: compositions illustrating the country’s unparalleled beauty, art, history, architectural marvels and natural wonders from the north to the south.

“‘With Italy, For Italy’ is Lamborghini’s declaration of love to Italy in the form of the fascinating art of photography,” Katia Bassi, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, at Lamborghini, tells Arabian Knight. “20 of Italy’s most talented photographers were chosen to discover the beauty, uniqueness and excellence of all the 20 regions in Italy, all while accompanied by a beautiful Lamborghini model.”

The images illustrate Italy as a land of excellence, talent, flair, aesthetic research and innovation – all features deeply embedded in the DNA of Lamborghini.

“The project featured the current Lamborghini range: from the latest in hybrid technology, the Sián Roadster, to the ultra-high-performance Aventador SVJ, the Urus Super SUV and the agile Huracán EVO in all its versions: Spyder, coupé, all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive. Joining this colourful cast of super sports cars were classic models such as Miura, Countach and Diablo.”

Bassi joined the Management Board of the company as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Lamborghini in 2017. She has the distinction of being the first woman ever to join the Lamborghini board. She has also worked for Aston Martin, where she was Vice President of Aston Martin Lagonda and Managing Director of AM Brands, as well as held positions at National Basketball Association (NBA) in Italy, at the Italian football club Inter Milan, and at Ferrari.

History

In the early 1960s, Italian industrialist Ferruccio Lamborghini dreamt of building a super sports car to compete with Ferrari. At that time, constructing that kind of car was viewed as an unexplainable extravagance, a hazardous leap in the dark, and something that would squander his fortune without ever turning a profit.

He started working on this project in late 1962, and by May 1963 he had already founded ‘Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini’, buying a large plot of land in Sant’Agata Bolognese, about 25 km from Bologna in Italy, to build a new large and ultramodern factory. Because of the experience he had gained with his other companies, he was in a position to set up the best facilities for his purpose: a very functional structure that, at the time, was unrivalled in its field. The enormous and well-let central building was adjacent to the office building, so that the management could constantly monitor the production situation. This was ideal for Lamborghini, who would often roll up his shirtsleeves and go to work on the cars personally when he saw something that wasn’t done just the way he wanted.

For the engine, which had to be the best V12 made in the area – and thus in the world – he immediately turned to Giotto Bizzarrini, who had designed some of Ferrari’s most recent engines. For the rest of the car and to start up production, he hired two promising young engineers, Giampaolo Dallara and Giampaolo Stanzani. The rest is history.

The present

Today, Automobili Lamborghini is a world-renowned Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi.

September 2020 saw record sales with a stunning 738 units delivered in one month, making it the best September in Lamborghini’s entire history. This impressive record is part of an on-going trend that has seen the company deliver 2,083 units in the past quarter, a truly extraordinary response to this particularly challenging time. Three dynamic new models have also been unveiled: the Huracán EVO RWD Spyder, the Sián Roadster and the Essenza SCV12.

Inspired by the brand’s tradition of vibrant colours, the all-new Huracán EVO Fluo Capsule Collection, a new special edition of this glamorous V10 super sports car, flaunts bold contrasts.

The Huracán EVO Fluo Capsule is available on the Huracán EVO model 2021. Modern and stylish, the new livery deliberately contrasts the car’s aggressive matt black roof, front bumper and side skirts with a range of fluorescent trims and details that can be selected by the owner.

Designed to match the elegant external contrasts, the full-black interior of the EVO Fluo offers an exciting new level of style and comfort. Refined new options like the special Alcantara or leather unicolour seats embellished with an EVO Sportivo trim have been combined with customisable fluo thread details, like the Start & Stop button cover and Lamborghini shield headrest embroidery.

Personalisation

“Lamborghini has a wide variety of customers with an array of different personalities, be they male or female, old or young. To cater to these different types of customers, we have been looking at different methods to make their experience unique,” Bassi tells readers of Arabian Knight. “As such, we have recently introduced The Ad Personam customisation programme, giving people the chance to create their own personal Lamborghini, making it extra special and meeting any wish. There are infinite combinations available, from the colours to the materials: from the logo on the seat that may be handstitched instead of branded, to the initials stitched inside the vehicle’s interior, or even a custom colour, all meeting the company’s standards of quality.”

Lamborghini is well represented in the Middle East, with the Urus proving to be its best performing model, Bassi tells us. “Customisation is very popular, and therefore we see a high demand for accessories and our Ad Personam programme. Our customers have the option of visiting our Ad Personam Studio based at our Sant’Agata Bolognese headquarters, or, when travel is not a possibility, we can schedule a virtual meeting with one of our experts, all from the comfort of their home.

“With regard to sales, the United Arab Emirates leads the way in the Middle East, with Qatar following in second place. Saudi Arabia completes the top three and is developing strongly.”

The future

It is a time of change at Lamborghini. Stefano Domenicali will leave his position as the Chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini in January 2021. Domenicali joined the super sports car company in 2016 and since then he has led Lamborghini through a crucial period of exceptional transformation, with the introduction of the Urus, more than 700 new hirings, a doubling of global sales and a significant growth of brand awareness on the world stage.

The brand is well aware of the rules of business: You can’t do today’s job with yesterday’s methods and be in business tomorrow.

“Lamborghini will continue to invest not only in experiences for existing and loyal customers, but also in those for a younger generation, particularly Generation Z. Within this audience, there are a lot of enthusiastic and passionate followers of the brand that we will continue to nurture with content related not only to the traditional performance or beauty aspects of our cars, but also through programmes related to topics such as sustainability,” says Bassi.

“Lamborghini has been carbon neutral since 2015, and were also the first automaker in the world to conduct research on the usage of carbon fibre materials on the International Space Station.”

A recent example of the brand trying to remain relevant to younger audiences is the tie-up with the leading games manufacturer Ravensburger to create a fun and faithful 3D puzzle reproduction of the Lamborghini Huracán EVO.

Ideal for both adults and children aged eight years and above, the 3D puzzle recreates the Lamborghini Huracán EVO V10 on a scale of 1:18 scale in 108 sturdy plastic pieces plus accessories.

Bassi continues: “In our vision as well as our daily practice, there is a lot we do that is related to social responsibility at large. During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic for instance, Lamborghini started production of surgical masks, medical shields and breathing simulators to fight the pandemic.”

Lamborghini recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of United Nations by continuing to commit to the Sustainable Development Goals. This dynamic, future-shaping brand embraces innovation to make life a more satisfying and thrilling experience for everyone. Celebrating these goals, Lamborghini promises so to create a tomorrow that is fairer, more progressive and more sustainable.

“We are excited to continue appealing to existing lovers of the brand as well as future, younger generations by creating content that is inspiring to them. “With Italy for Italy” is an example of such a cultural initiative that we are confident will stay around for generations to come,” Bassi concludes.