There are not many test drivers who are better known than Valentino Balboni. He worked for the sports car manufacturer Lamborghini for around 40 years and experienced its highs and lows. Naturally, he has a lot to say about it. Matthias Pfannmüller, an experienced automotive journalist, has written down his memories and insights, edited them and turned them into an appetizing book.
The best job in the world, but not the best paid
After reading just a few pages, it is clear that Valentino Balboni was enthusiastic about his job. He also had to work hard for it, because when he joined Lamborghini, he was initially employed in customer service for years. Initially, he was not allowed to drive any cars at all, but time and again he would go for a drive on the factory premises before he was ready for his driver's license, often under the disapproving eyes of Lamborghini's higher-ups. But his fondest wish came true, and in 1975 he finally succeeded his predecessor Bob Wallace, who had personally initiated him into the secrets of being a test driver. Wallace himself described being a Lamborghini test driver as the best job in the world.
However, this did not automatically mean a high salary, otherwise the rather rustic private vehicle fleet of the test driver Balboni can hardly be explained. As the family grew, a Fiat 500 was joined at some point by an Opel Ascona B, a former crashed car that Balboni refurbished himself and in which he even installed an electric Schiebach. The Fiat then eventually had to make way for a BMW 318iS and, as the highlight of his private car ownership career, Valentino finally bought a brand new Audi A4 Diesel. Anyone who is constantly on the road in 400 or 500 hp sports cars at work obviously has no need for exotic cars in their free time.
A life for a car brand
The cheerful and always approachable sports car fan Balboni has worked for Lamborghini for 40 years, five months and 23 days, or 2112 weeks. He started on April 22, 1968 with a trial week and would hardly have dreamed at the time that he would never have another employer after that. However, the company name and, even more so, the financial backers in the background changed several times. In addition to Ferruccio Lamborghini and a few other private individuals, the owners of Lamborghini also included Chrysler and, for some years now, Audi. Balboni had seen the investors come and go and felt the consequences of the sports car manufacturer's recurring financial problems first hand.
Nevertheless, he remained loyal to Lamborghini. And he also survived some hairy situations, such as in 1978, when he was hit by a swerving delivery van at 180 km/h on a country road. Balboni escaped without any significant injuries, but the Countach was wrecked. Another time, all the doors flew off an LM prototype or a rear tire of a customer's Lambo burst on the German autobahn at over 250 km/h. As a reader, you experience all these little tragedies in a completely harmless way, of course, but learn how to drive a car properly. And what type of shoes Balboni likes to wear.
The complete Lamborghini story
Pfannmüller's book, which is available in German and English, is not a biography in the strictest sense. It is more of a brand history with the finesse of a special perspective. Nevertheless, Balboni's life is not neglected and you can also follow his life from birth to the present day.
But you also learn the whole story of Lamborghini's life and suffering and many a lesser-known detail.
You read about some prototypes that never made it into production and Balboni often knows why this was the case. However, Balboni is very loyal to his brand and you shouldn't expect overly harsh remarks about the shortcomings and development deficits of the cars. Pfannmüller therefore supplements the story time and again with statements from his professional colleagues from back then, and also shows the Lamborghini sports cars from the perspective of the press. And he never fails to integrate the historical context with events of the time.
It has become a book to read, one that you won't want to put down in the evening, even if you have to get up early the next day.
Powerful images
The almost 360 photos also play their part in ensuring that this Lamborghini book deserves a place on the well-stocked bookshelf of automobile enthusiasts. In addition to factory photos from the period, there are also many snapshots from Balboni's private photo album and from Lamborghini fans from the very beginning.
There are also photos of never-produced models and unique prototypes, such as the picture of the Urraco prototype (page 90), whose mold was rejected, whereupon Bertone successfully sold it to Ferrari and thus laid the foundation for the Dino 308 GT4.
As ergonomic as a Lamborghini
However, some criticism is in order. For people who don't want to read the whole book straight away, an index with the most important terms would be useful. The division into text and picture blocks is often impractical, because you can't always picture the vehicles described straight away and can only see them in their true form in the pictures that follow later. However, these minor drawbacks, which are also a matter of taste, do not affect the quality of the overall work. And finally, although a book designed in panoramic format (aspect ratio 3.2:2) allows for convenient storage of typically similarly oriented photos, it requires more strength from the reader in view of its considerable weight or, even better, a firm base. But driving a Lamborghini sports car has always required a little more muscle power and skill as well as making ergonomic compromises, so why should this Lamborghini book be any different? The challenge enhances the pleasure.
For hardcore fans, there is also a signed and numbered version in addition to the standard edition. This can only be ordered from the publisher, but real Lamborghini fans will certainly not want to miss out on this, especially as the price of the limited edition is still reasonable, at least when compared with the prices of spare parts from the manufacturer in Sant'Agata.
Bibliographical information
- Title: The best job in the world: Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni
- Author: Matthias Pfannmüller
- Language: German (alternatively in English, also available as a signed/numbered limited edition in German or English)
- Publisher Standard Edition German: Motorbuch (2014)
- Publisher standard edition English and limited edition: Hubelhouse GmbH (2014)
- Scope: 360 pages, 359 photos, hardcover edition
- Size: 32.5 x 20.5 x 3.5 cm
- ISBN-10: 3613028654
- ISBN-13: 978-3613028654
- Price: Euro 98 / CHF 138, Limited Edition Euro 185 / CHF 268
- Buy/order: German version in bookstores; the English and Limited Edition directly from [email protected]
