Lamborghini

When you see one of Lamborghini's supercars go blurring past your vision, a tractor is not the first image that comes to mind. But Ferruccio Lamborghini got his start successfully building tractors after World War II. In 1963, with the help of a former Ferrari employee, he built his first car, the 350 GT coupe. With a head-busting V12 engine, Lamborghini's goal was to create a race car for everyday street use. He used his zodiac symbol, the bull, as the company logo and in naming subsequent cars.  

The 350 GT was followed memorably in 1966 with the Miura, Lamborghini's first real supercar. A steeply sloped nose gave it aggressive looks, and it was the first time a mid-mounted V12 engine was put in anything but a Formula One race car. The Miura was an immediate hit and helped get Lamborghini through some tough times in the 1970s during the gas crisis and bankruptcy filing. In the 1970s, Lamborghini went through a series of owners and added four-seat cars such as the Espada and Urraco, as well as an all-terrain Cheetah.

The Countach is Lamborghini's most recognizable car to date, with its trademark swing-up scissor doors. Introduced in 1974, it helped reinvigorate the company somewhat in the 1980s, as it was a perfect complement to that decade's emphasis on excess. Chrysler bought the carmaker in the early 1990s, and together they worked on the new Diablo, a replacement for the Countach and equally successful for both its speed and ferocious appearance. Audi AG bought the company in 1998 and its V8 engines have shown up in current Lamborghinis as V10s. The Diablo was replaced in 2001 by the popular Murcielago and the more recent Gallardo coupe and convertible.

Lamborghini's name is synonymous with wealth and power, exemplified in the bold lines, fierce stance, and growling engines in its sports cars. The automaker has never had a vast lineup, perhaps because its cars are so intense and extreme in both performance and style - too many would be just too much.