Believe it or not, but before Ferruccio Lamborghini got into the sports car game, he made tractors. In fact, Lamborghini Trattori remains in business today and one of the final examples of a Lamborghini Tractor from when Ferruccio was at the helm of the company has arrived on the auction block at Bonhams.
In a part of Lamborghini’s history that isn’t widely known, Ferruccio Lamborghini owned and operated his successful tractor business for nearly two decades, during which time he became the proud owner of a Ferrari 250 GT. Unimpressed with the clutch of his sportscar, Lamborghini visited the nearby factor of Enzo Ferrari to discuss his mechanical frustrations and after apparently being rudely dismissed by Ferrari, became so upset that he decided to start his own sportscar company to compete with Ferrari.
Automobili Lamborghini was founded in 1963 off the back of this dispute, making this particular 1964 Lamborghini 1R tractor one of the later units produced before Ferruccio turned his full attention to his fledgling automotive company, powered by a 1½-litre twin-cylinder air-cooled diesel engine that brought a full 26 horsepower to the fields of Italy. Arriving from the private collection of Ermes Formilan (a personal friend of Ferruccio’s son Tonino Lamborghini), it has been fully restored and never registered in Italy as it was only used on a private estate.
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Boasting signature blue and orange tractor livery that we can’t help but be reminded of the similar Gulf racing colour scheme (first used just a couple of years later for the 1966 Ford GT40), its robust build has remained throughout the decades and arrives for sale without superficial or structural dents or impacts. Similarly, all of the details and badges remain in excellent condition.
With three days left to run on the online auction, it arrives with an estimate of £18,000 – £22,000 (AU$33,491 – AU$40,934) and at the time of writing has a leading bid of £14,000 (AU$26,048). It’s might not be the Lamborghini supercar you’ve always dreamed of owning, but it’s an extremely interesting piece of motoring history that would perfectly complement any serious car collection.
