Drive Review: 60 Years of Lamborghini History From Behind the Wheel

Related Video

The best way to understand Lamborghini's storied 60-year history is to drive some of the Italian automaker's most famous cars. Unlike nearby rival Ferrari, whose focus on racing is best told by the legendary drivers who pushed its cars to the limits, Lamborghini built its cars for the road. Experiencing Lamborghini's ever-changing goals and challenges is open to anyone who can manipulate a (heavy) clutch pedal—and has access to a suitable collection of cars, of course.

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Lamborghini invited MotorTrend to its Sant'Agata Bolognese headquarters (referred to as "The Factory" by its English-speaking employees; it's the birthplace of every Lamborghini vehicle ever made) to drive several cars from its own collection. This wasn't just a second-gear putter around the block, either; we headed off in a convoy to the Modena hills and were encouraged to drive these cars as they were meant to be driven. Here's what they were like—and be sure to read our exclusive drive of the classic Lamborghini Jalpa as well.

No car brings you closer to Ferruccio Lamborghini's spirit than the 400 GT. This, after all, is the perfected version of the 350 GT, his vision of the ultimate grand tourer.

The 400 GT's interior is a cocoon of leather-lined simplicity, cozy but not cramped, with an elegant wood-rimmed wheel and beautiful detailing. The driving position is made for the tall and thin, but even if you're short and fat—in which case you'll sit with the steering wheel in your chest and your nose practically smudging the windshield-it doesn't matter, because the 400 GT transforms everyone into one of the beautiful people.

The 320-hp 3.9-liter V-12 pulls away with surprising docility, but everything changes at 4,000 rpm. The car leaps ahead, the engine note turning to a vicious snarl. The brake pedal is firm but effective; you just need to stab it like you mean it. The unassisted steering is a delight, and it's easy to hustle this old beauty through the curves using just your fingertips. It's a delightful, approachable car, and driving it makes it difficult to doubt that Signore Lamborghini's vision was spot-on.

Production: 1966-1968, 250 units

Engine: 3.9-liter DOHC 24-valve V-12, 320 hp @ 6,200 rpm

Layout: Front-longitudinal engine, 5-speed manual, RWD

The Miura SV is not so much a car as a weapon of speed—fast, hot, and loud, a machine meant not to tour the countryside but to conquer it. The seat is low and the driving position strange, even by Lamborghini standards, with the racing-style pedals close, the steering wheel far away, and the 385-hp V-12 screaming away just inches from your head. Unlike the 400 GT, there's no waiting in the Miura: The power comes on hard and fast, and it never relents.

Intimidating? No, not in the slightest—and that's the Miura's magic. What should be one of the most frightening cars you'll ever drive is in fact one of the most thrilling. The steering is light and precise, and the back end always feels solidly planted. We quickly ramped up our speed, with the Miura's howling V-12 cheering us on.

We tore through the countryside and mixed it up with Italian rush-hour traffic, the kind of mischief you should never get up to in such a rare and valuable car—and yet the Miura would have it no other way. Lots of classic cars have great reputations; the Miura is one of the few that not only lives up to the hype, but blows right past it.

Production: 1971-1973, 150 units

Engine: 3.9-liter DOHC 24-valve V-12, 385 hp @ 7,850 rpm

Layout: Mid-transverse engine, 5-speed manual, RWD

If any Lamborghini carries the weight of expectations, it's the Countach—and it absolutely lives up to them. What do you expect from it? Poor egress? Getting into the driver's seat takes hiking gear and a permit. Heavy controls? The clutch pedal requires the strength of three men and a boy, and the low-speed steering effort will have you wishing for a third arm. Strange ergonomics? Try power-seat controls hidden away in a storage compartment.

And power? Hell, hell, hell, yes—the 449-hp V-12 delivers acceleration that feels explosive, even in these days of 700-hp pickup trucks and sub-3.5-second-to-60 electric cars, all accompanied by a mechanical opera most divine.

The Countach is every bit as bonkers as you want it to be, yet for all its hairy-chested brutishness, it isn't that difficult to drive, clutch pedal notwithstanding. Visibility is great if you don't care what's behind or next to you, and the famously ineffective brakes have a magnificent pedal feel that tells you exactly when they're about to become totally useless.

We were surprised by how quickly we got comfortable with the driving experience (if not the driver's seat), and before long, as with the Miura, we were driving way faster than we probably should have in such a rare car. Like many gearheads, we've dreamed of driving a Countach since childhood—and the reality was better than we ever hoped.

Production: 1988-1990, 658 units

Engine: 5.2-liter DOHC 48-valve V-12, 449 hp @ 7,000 rpm

Layout: Mid-longitudinal engine, 5-speed manual, RWD

Of all the cars we drove on this magical day, the Lamborghini Diablo was the biggest surprise. It's the missing link, the bridge between the raw brutality of the Miura and Countach and the refined if rough-edged demeanor of today's Aventador and Huracán.

Compared to the Countach, ingress is easy (well, easier), and the leather-slathered interior is properly posh. But lest you think Lambo completely lost its marbles, the clutch and shifter are absurdly heavy, and the center-stack switchgear looks like it was sourced from RadioShack.

The Diablo's most daunting job was to top the Countach, and it does. The 550-hp engine scrambles the human brain with ruthless acceleration and an endless powerflow, and all-wheel drive lets you dump every ounce-inch of torque to the pavement as you blast out of the corners. The steering loads up where it makes sense, and the brakes actually work all the time.

But the Diablo is one genie you can put back in the bottle. As fast and frenetic as it is, it'll also pull away smoothly from a stop sign in second gear, and the power steering takes the pain out of parking. Aside from its ridiculous width, this devil is a perfect gentleman. It's the ideal blend of Countach and 400 GT, an insanely powerful supercar that makes a fine grand tourer. The Miura stole our hearts, but the Diablo blew our minds.

Production: 2001, 44 units

Engine: 6.0-liter DOHC 48-valve V-12, 550 hp @ 7,100 rpm

Layout: Mid-longitudinal engine, 5-speed manual, AWD

Whoa, what is this? A Lamborghini that is actually comfortable to sit in? One where we can easily reach the steering wheel and the pedals? Smooth styling without extraneous scoops and strakes? Goodness, Mildred, I do believe the Germans have arrived.

As the first Lamborghini developed since Lamborghini's purchase by the Volkswagen Group, we expected some loss of character, but no—aside from a firmer-than-necessary ride, the Murciélago LP 640-4 feels right for a Lamborghini. The steering is amazing, intuitively knowing when to go heavy and when to go light, and the thrust from the 631-hp 6.5-liter V-12 will make you say holy cow. Unlike the happy-at-any-speed Diablo, the Murciélago just wants to run. It's tractable enough at low speeds, but as soon as you ask for more power, the Murciélago asks you what the hell you've been waiting for. Part-throttle acceleration is ballistic, and the faster it goes, the tighter the Murciélago hugs the road. It's a different car—a better car—at 100 mph than it is at 50.

This is not Lamborghini trying to find its way under new ownership; the Murciélago is the product of a revitalized company that knew precisely where it was going and how it would get there. The roots of the Aventador (and even the Huracán) are obvious. You may not fall in love with the Murciélago the way we did with the Muira and the Diablo, but you'll likely respect it as one professional respects another.

Production: 2006-2010 (LP 640-4), 20 units (LP 640-4 Versace)

Engine: 6.5-liter DOHC 48-valve V-12, 631 hp @ 8,000 rpm

Layout: mid -longitudinal engine, 6-speed auto-clutch manual, AWD

First impression upon climbing into the Gallardo: The Germans pushed in a bit too hard. The Gallardo was the first "entry-level" Lamborghini since the Jalpa was discontinued in 1988, and you can see where the VW Group looked to cut costs. Much of the switchgear is Audi-sourced, and the interior of Lamborghini's own example shows wear like you'd expect in a clapped-out Golf's.

Once we started driving, though, we understood Lamborghini's strategy: The company distracted the Germans by letting them cut costs where it matters least, while the Italians concentrated on the important stuff. Out on the road, there is not a shadow of a whiff of a hint of doubt that the Gallardo is a proper Lamborghini, if not a perfect one.

The 492-hp 5.0-liter V-10 builds power progressively and sonorously, just like the V-12s, though the gearing feels way too tall—an effort, we suspect, to stretch the Gallardo's legs, but it seems silly to be taking corners in first gear. The steering is slow but nicely weighted, though the chassis doesn't hunker down at speeds the same way the Murciélago's does.

Still, the Gallardo was the only 10-cylinder car among a group of bigger and faster V-12s during our crew's drive, and while we had to push it a little harder, it had no trouble keeping up with the big raggazos. Sure, the Gallardo feels like a discount Lamborghini, but it's still a Lamborghini through and through.

Production: 2003-2005, 3,174 units

Engine: 5.0-liter DOHC 40-valve V-10, 492 hp @ 7,800 rpm

Layout: Mid-longitudinal engine, 6-speed auto-clutch manual, AWD