Today, Automobili Lamborghini is a world-class company with more than 2000 employees and 9233 vehicle deliveries in 2022. However, when Ferruccio Lamborghini founded the company in 1963, he started from scratch. The site, then as now synonymous with legendary vehicles, has been repeatedly modernized, expanded and adapted to new production, technical and environmental requirements over the course of its 60-year history - but its original heart has never been lost.
Ferruccio Lamborghini was looking for a location for his new company at the time. The choice fell on Sant'Agata Bolognese, a few kilometers from his home town of Cento. Here he purchased the land for the new factory. The first part of the factory, which was one of the most modern at the time, was built between winter and fall 1963, in just eight months. When Ferruccio Lamborghini invited the press to the presentation of the prototype 350 GTV, the very first Lamborghini vehicle, on October 20 of the same year, the main building had already been completed, if the photos are to be believed.
In 1966, the original 12,000 m2 complex housed offices, the test center and the service workshop in addition to production. From this year onwards, transmissions and differentials were also manufactured in the company's own plant. There were two assembly lines at the time: one for engines and mechanical components, the other for final vehicle assembly with adjacent machines for parts production and vehicle adjustment.
The offices of the Management Board and the technical and commercial management were located in the offices arranged along the main front of the 260-metre-long central complex. The test center was located in the right wing and the service workshop and ancillary rooms for employees in the left wing. From the very beginning, Lamborghini's main focus was on the use of state-of-the-art machinery and equipment to merge the craftsmanship of its employees with the most advanced technologies available on the market - a philosophy that still characterizes the company's vision today.
Even more halls ...
On October 18, 1968, Lamborghini announced the imminent completion of three new factory halls, which involved an expansion of the built-up area by 3500 m2. These not only served to increase production capacity, but also housed a modern, well-equipped testing department. The photo that accompanied the press release at the time is legendary, not least because it shows a 400 GT, an Islero, an Espada and two Miura alongside the department under construction.
In 1971, 425 Lamborghinis left the factory, compared to just 67 in 1965. In 1979, only 55 vehicles were produced, a noticeable consequence of the economic crisis of the 1970s. Production was resumed in the following decade and in 1987 amounted to 470 sports cars and 300 boat engines.
Carbon fiber was a new addition
In 1983, Lamborghini ventured into the development and application of carbon fiber for the first time. In the new department called "Esperienza Materiali Compositi" (E.Co - Composite Material Know-how), created thanks to the knowledge gained from the first carbon fiber and Kevlar components of the Boeing 767 in Seattle, the first carbon frame prototype of the Countach Evoluzione was launched. This was the first Lamborghini project to use composite materials and the first project of its kind for a road car.
In 1990, the necessary equipment was purchased for the development, study and testing of electronic systems and new composite materials. A test and development laboratory for emission reduction systems was also set up at the plant during this period.
Joining the Audi Group
After joining the Audi Group in 1998, the pace of development at Lamborghini increased exponentially, as did production and employee numbers. In 2000, Lamborghini produced 296 vehicles and employed 440 people. In 2001, the restructuring of the production site, the first in many years, was completed. This included the construction of the new office building, the two-storey museum and a new research and development center. In addition to the investments in the production lines and the canteen, expenditure for all areas completed by August 2001 amounted to 155 million euros.
On October 25, 2002, it was announced that the Centro Stile Lamborghini would open in late spring 2003 to mark the company's 40th anniversary. A separate area was dedicated to the design department in the new building, which also houses the customer service center for classic Lamborghini vehicles and the marine engine division. In 2003, the company flourished with a production site now covering 100,000 m² - 28,900 m² of which were covered -, 1305 vehicles produced and 624 employees, of which around 145 worked in the research and development department. In 2006, 2087 vehicles were produced - a spectacular increase of 30.4% compared to the previous year.
In November 2008, expansion work began on the finishing department, which is responsible for the final inspection after final vehicle assembly. In October of the same year, the new integrated logistics center was opened, which has since been located in a specially constructed building at the Sant'Agata Bolognese plant. The new logistics center covers an area of 11,000 m2 and offers space for 14,052 pallet bays.
Lamborghini Carbon Production
2011 saw the debut of the new Aventador LP 700-4 with its innovative carbon fiber monocoque, which was developed and produced entirely by Lamborghini. At the same time, Lamborghini opened CFRP - Lamborghini Carbon Production, laying the foundations for its leading position in the production and development of composite materials, which the company still holds today in the super sports car sector.
Lamborghini's sustainability strategy
2011 also saw the opening of Parco Lamborghini, which today enables the company to drive forward two of its most important sustainability and research projects with regard to its impact on the environment: Biomonitoring using bees and the Oak Forest research project, a study on biodiversity and CO2 traps in collaboration with the municipality of Sant'Agata Bolognese and the universities of Bologna, Bolzano and Munich.
A year later, in 2012, a new building was erected to house the prototype development, the protoshop and the pre-series center. This building was the first multi-storey industrial building in Italy to achieve an energy class A rating as a nearly zero-energy building (nZEB).
In 2015, Automobili Lamborghini inaugurated the new cogeneration and district heating plants, two of the most important projects thanks to which the entire Lamborghini plant is certified as CO2-neutral. Lamborghini thus achieved one of the main objectives of its sustainability strategy, which was launched a few years earlier and is still in place today.
The first Lamborghini SUV
2018 saw the arrival of Lamborghini's third model, the Urus Super SUV - a vehicle that was to be produced in Sant'Agata Bolognese at the urgent request of Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. With the help of a historic agreement between Lamborghini, the Italian government and the Emiglia-Romagna region, dedicated to promoting the revitalization of the Terra Motori, it was possible to expand the built-up factory area to 160,000 m2.
The production area in Sant'Agata Bolognese includes a new assembly line exclusively for the Urus, a new finishing department for all Lamborghini models and a new assembly line for the Urus.all Lamborghini models and a new office building with LEED Platinum certification, the world's highest standard for energy and environmental certification in the construction sector. In addition, a new test track with thirteen different surfaces was built especially for the SUV, as well as a new logistics warehouse, a second CHP plant and the new "Energy Hub", the central production center for all energy sources. The Manifattura Lamborghini production model was launched, an innovative and sustainable approach that combines craftsmanship with the most advanced technologies available.
The paint shop for the Urus was opened in 2019. Since 2020, the supply chain has been even more sustainable, with rail transportation saving 85% CO2. These sustainability measures are not only aimed at protecting the surrounding areas, the company will continue to expand its commitment over the years together with the people in their communities to fulfill its social responsibility.
Current plans ...
In May 2021, Stephan Winkelmann announced the Direzione Cor Tauri program, an ambitious project with which Lamborghini intends to electrify the entire product range by 2024 at the latest. The first fully electric vehicle is to be presented at the end of this decade. These are important steps that are part of the decarbonization project, part of Lamborghini's holistic approach to its sustainability strategy, which aims to reduce climate impact throughout the value chain.
Even today, the long building front with the Lamborghini lettering proudly emblazoned on the roof, which was part of the original company complex back in 1963, is the part of the plant that catches the eye the most and bears witness to the further development of a company that has always remained true to its DNA while always looking to the future.
