Buying a Lamborghini are big words: so much so that it is only within the reach of pockets that play in a different league than that of ordinary mortals. Without offers (if they exist at these levels), the cheapest model is the Lamborghini Urus: standard, it starts at 240,000 euros. However, if we take a look at the second-hand market, it is possible to find models of the Italian brand for a few thousand euros: This is the Lamborghini that you can buy.
As you know, Ferruccio Lamborghini’s mechanical skills made him one of the most important luxury sports car manufacturers in the world: he got there after spending several years making tractors. When World War II ended, Italy needed agricultural machinery and he had grown up among vineyards so he knew something about it.
Lamborghini Trattori
So much so that, in 1948, he created Lamborghini Trattori and began to sell tractors with Mercedes engines: in 1965 those vehicles already had engines with the Italian seal. The good progress of Lamborghini Trattori gave Ferruccio the opportunity to fulfill his great dream: to build luxury sports cars to beat their Ferrari neighbors. What happened to Lamborghini Trattori? He didn’t get rid of her. In fact, it is still active: it is now part of the Società Accomandita Motori Endotermici (SAME) business group.
Lamborghini Trattori has survived just like some of the most popular models that rolled off its production lines: the Lamborghini 1R is a good example of this. We are talking about one of the most affordable and popular vehicles from Ferruccio Lamborghini’s first company.
The Lamborghini 1R
The secret of its success lies in the simplicity of its mechanics: it was equipped with a two-cylinder in-line diesel engine that produced approximately 26 hp. It was mated to a three-speed manual transmission and a two-speed transfer case, giving it six ratios. That change was synchronized and the fuel injection system, signed by Bosch, was mechanical.
Designed for agricultural life, the Lamborghini 1R reached a top speed of about 21 km/h: That may seem like an understatement, but it was considerably faster than the horses and chariots it replaced.
How much does a Lamborghini 1R cost?
Today it is possible to find some other unit of the Lamborghini 1R: the copies that have survived to this day remain among Lamborghini Trattori’s most popular vehicles and some have even been sold for figures of around 20,000 euros. Much more affordable than a Lamborghini Urus… and also more useless because we have already seen what the Italian SUV is capable of.
These days we have found a 1962 Lamborghini 1R affordable for most budgets: bids started at 1,000 euros. It is a classic piece with the original chassis and bodywork, although, yes, time has left its mark with a patina that, by the way, gives it a touch.
This Lamborghini tractor is in good state, Though the mechanical brakes don’t work and the instrument cluster is so worn it’s unreadable. In its last (and recent) revision, they took the opportunity to equip it with new tires and to change oil, filters, front and rear lights…
The 1962 Lamborghini 1R is in its native Italy, so depending on where its owner lives, the shipping costs may be more expensive than the tractor itself: it has finally been purchased for a total amount of 6,000 euros. This was the Lamborghini that most of us could buy.
Images: Car and Classic
