To The Redline

By Nishant Boorla

Not too long ago, I was involved in a heated argument with a fellow petrol-head. No ground-breaking stuff. The usual Ferrari Vs Lamborghini conundrum. If you know your cars I’m sure you already have a firm opinion. There’s no middle ground in this debate. However, let me start with a brief history lesson for the uninformed.

Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari’s racing arm came first and was founded in 1929 by Enzo Ferrari. If his first name sounds familiar to you, you know more about cars than you think! Back then the factory racing scene wasn’t as rigid and orthodox as it is now. This meant it wasn’t uncommon for teams to race using cars made by established third-party manufacturers. This is comparable to the Indian Rally Racing scene today where independent teams race using modified Cedia’s and Evo’s.

Ferrari 250GTO

Anyways, Scuderia Ferrari participated in races with Alfa Romeo cars throughout the 30’s. The wise folk at Alfa Romeo took notice and signed up Enzo to head their racing division in 1938. In 1941, Alfa Romeo was confiscated by Mussolini and his fascist regime, prompting Enzo Ferrari to shift focus to his own company. In 1943 Ferrari moved his company to Maranello, their headquarters to date. Things got off to a turbulent start, however, when the factory was bombed by the Allied Forces in ’44. It took a while, but in 1946 the factory was restored and in 1947 the world welcomed the Ferrari 125 S. Not ones to start quietly, Ferrari’s debut attempt housed a V12! Ferrari stamped their authority over the supercar market over the course of the 50’s.

Fast forward to circa ’63 – A challenger stepped up. Ferruccio Lamborghini set up his company with the sole aim of knocking Ferrari off their perch. A wealthy man, Lamborghini himself owned a number of Ferraris’s, but felt they weren’t refined enough since they sported tuned down versions of coarse race engines. His vision was to make cars that offered greater levels of refinement without skimping on performance figures. Refinement, performance and handling. In that order.

Now you probably think Ferrari and Lamborghini have been neck and neck ever since. But you couldn’t be further from the truth. It all started with Lamborghini outsourcing the design of the engine for their first car to Giotto Bizzarrini, the man behind the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO. He had quit Ferrari over a dispute with Enzo Ferrari and I assume was only too pleased to design a V12 for a rival. 

Lamborghini Muira

However, it wasn’t until 1967 that Lamborghini were considered serious rivals. The Miura was the first 2 seater supercar Lamborghini ever, and it took the challenge to the Prancing Horse. The car was a trendsetter and is to this day the most awe-inspiring Lamborghini ever made. They stepped it up a notch in ’69 with the Espada which put impressive numbers on lap boards and sales charts alike. Ferrari had a star of their own in the 365 Daytona. Throughout the 70’s, Lamborghini struggled with their finances and went through multiple ownership changes while Ferrari cruised along.

Countach

The 80’s saw the Countach grow in popularity but in the ‘90’s it was game on. Ferrari was slipping up a bit and it was at this opportune moment that Lamborghini launched the quintessential “raging bull” – The Diablo! The beast, powered by a V12 engine, boasted of speeds over 325 kmph! This was followed by the most recognizable Lambo of all time, the Murcielago, which set the supercar world on fire in 2001.

So you’re probably thinking Lamborghini launched absolutely incredible cars one after the other, knocking Ferrari out of the park. Wrong again.

Lamborghini Diablo

You see, the Diablo was a raging bull that was launched with one purpose – To take on the Ferrari F40. General consensus to this day is that the F40 is the greatest supercar of all time. It blew the Lamborghini Countach out of the water and held the record of being the fastest road car with a top speed of 320kmph. The Diablo, of course, was marginally quicker but it was the Ferrari that walked away with all the plaudits for its incredible handling and driver involvement.

Ferrari F40

The Diablo still had the higher top speed and one could sense that the boys from Maranello were aching for revenge. They launched the F50 which matched the Diablo’s top speed but fell by the wayside and was largely criticized. And before they knew it, Lamborghini landed another blow by launching the Murcielago. And the numbers were mighty impressive. 6.2L V12 engine, 580bhp, 0-100 in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 330kmph. Game, set and match then? Hardly! You see, Ferrari hit back with a car that made jaws drop, snap and hit the pavement. The Ferrari Enzo. 

Some Enzo Numbers then with corresponding Murcielago digits in brackets: 

·         6L V12 producing an astronomical 660bhp! (580bhp)

·         0-100kmph in 3.14s (3.5s)

·         Top Speed – 350kmph (330kmph)

As a reference: Maruti Swift

- 1.3L engine.
- 87bhp.
- 0-100 in 13.8s
- Top speed - 160kmph

Now you get it!

Ferrari Enzo

Those were the days. Cut to the present and Lamborghini have moved in to Hypercar territory with the Aventador while Ferrari is happy ruling the supercar world with the incredible 458 Italia.

Murcielago

There really is no way to be objective about this. The Ferrari Vs Lamborghini debate isn’t 

decided by the numbers they put out. The winner isn’t decided on the basis of technical superiority. It’s all about perception. I like Ferrari because they make beautiful automobiles. To me Lamborghini is like an annoying, attention seeking, high school girl – slutty persona, goth make-up, the whole nine yards. They deal in shock and awe. Outlandish designs and the like. I leave it to each of you to decide – The grace of the prancing horse or the fury of the raging bull.

P.S: Go to Google Images and search for “Ferrari P4/5 Pininfarina”

| articles | bio | email |  

---

Nishant Boorla
Sarcasm means the world to me. Yeah that's always a good place to start. I watch movies...a lot of movies! Sports nut and a die hard Manchester United fan. Highly opinionated and that shows in my articles.

---