CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY
May 2022
BRANCH of the VINTAGE CAR CLUB of NZ (Inc) Lamb Country Branch Email: centralhawkesbay@vcc.org.nz POSTAL ADDRESS
Club Nights—7.30pm
CHB Branch of the Vintage Car Club (Inc) c/-18 Wilder Street, Waipukurau. 4200
3rd Wednesday of every Month
LAMBORGHINI TRACTORS WERE FIRST TO BE BUILT
Ferruccio Lamborghini with a Jarama and a tractor of his brand
Ferruccio Lamborghini was born in 1916 in the midst of World War I. His parents were viticulturists and had a farm where they grew grapes for wine. Family business played a considerable role in Lamborghini’s life, as he grew up surrounded by the farming lifestyle and, more importantly, agricultural machinery. He developed a robust enthusiasm and passionate interest in mechanics that led him to the Fratelli Taddia technical institute near Bologna. During his studies, Ferruccio worked as an apprentice at a workshop.
Things may have worked out differently had it not been for World War II. Lamborghini ended up getting drafted into the Italian Royal Air Force as a mechanic. In 1943, after nearly four years of conflict, the Italians decided that they didn’t want to fight anymore. Germany was not fond of this decision, and Italy’s military occupation began shortly thereafter. When the British finally took control of Rhodes’ island in the same year, Lamborghini was captured and given the task to work on automobiles. He returned to Italy in 1946, and his luck began to change rapidly. Lamborghini originally owned a tractor company, Lamborghini Trattori which produced tractors from surplus military hardware. He only decided to get into making cars as a result of frustrations he had with a Ferrari he had purchased which ultimately resulted in him being insulted by Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the famed Ferrari brand car company. Having always been interested in car engines, during World War II, Ferruccio Lamborghini served with the Air Force mechanics corps and became known as a wizard at mechanical improvisation and fixing engines.