Piazza Castello in Milan today witnesses a historic gathering of the best from the “House of the Raging Bull”, as the Lamborghini 50th Anniversary Grand Tour kicks off with 350 of these exotics coming together for the largest ever gathering of this “family” of cars.
The 4km convoy will put down more than 190,000 PS on the tarmac, with four of 10 cars being historic models.
The parc fermè at Piazza Castello in front of the Sforzesco Castle was where the 350 Italian beauties – 320 registered participant cars and around 30 courtesy cars for guests and the press – congregated for this occasion. Including co-pilots, the number of participating individuals touched 700! The unloading of cars from overseas participants and the registration and entrance process for those driving to the first point have been a sight to behold for fans and enthusiasts.
The start of the Grand Tour was announced at a press conference held at the Pirelli Foundation yesterday to highlight the partnership (since 1963) between Lamborghini and Pirelli, followed by an inaugural dinner in the Hangar Bicocca at the Pirelli HQ. Participants from 29 countries have come together to celebrate this momentous occasion for the Emilia Romagna-based company. Of the 350, the UK has contributed the largest number with 71, followed with more than 30 each from Italy, Germany and Switzerland, 21 from the US, and 17 from China. Other countries represented here include Australia, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, and others. The drivers too span a wide age range, with a 22-year old Kuwaiti at one end and a 75-year old French national at the other.
The historic Lamborghinis include three 350 GTs, five 400 GTs, 17 Miuras, 8 Espadas, 2 Jaramas, 6 Urracos, 15 Countachs, 1 LM-002, 21 Diablos and 36 Murcielagos. Lamborghini’s most successful model of all time, the Gallardo, takes the record for the maximum participation with 123 registered cars!
The Tour’s first destination is Bobbio, known as the soul of the Trebbia Valley, and the first day will conclude in Forte dei Marmi, an exclusive seaside resort on the Tyrrhenian coast. From Forte dei Marmi, the convoy moves to Rome on May 9, passing through the base of the 4° Stormo of Air Force at Grosseto. In the morning on May 10, the convoy continues further towards Bologna, crossing through Orvieto, Arezzo and San Giustino Valdarno, and participants will gather for lunch at the Tenuta il Bobbio. The cars arrive at the centre of Bologna on the same evening to a welcome in the prestigious Palazzo Re Enzo. The morning of 11th May marks the holding of the ‘Concorso di Eleganza Lamborghini 50° Anniversario’at Piazza Maggiore, with all cars – from the historic 350 GT to the latest Countach – eligible to participate. The tour concludes the same evening at the Sant’Agata Bolognese headquarters of Lamborghini with a celebratory gala dinner.
Speaking on the occasion, Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, said that Lamborghini served as an object of dreams and a symbol of Made in Italy for 50 years. Their theme for this anniversary is ‘100 years of innovation in half the time’ to signify Lamborghini supersports cars always being at the pinnacle of technology. He believed that the participation of 700 individuals from 29 countries was a clear testament to the global dimension and strength of the brand.
