9 Lamborghinis Only Real Gearheads Know About

Even some of the most die-hard Lamborghini aficionados might not know the details behind these mysterious, and seemingly unheard of examples shown here. Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. was first ever founded by Italian automobile designer, inventor, engineer, businessman, winemaker, mechanic, inventor, and industrialist, Ferruccio Lamborghini.

Even during the earliest points in the brand’s history, Lamborghini has always been known for the manufacturing and production of some of the world’s most interesting, and eye-catching automobiles. Lamborghini models such as the Miura, the Countach, the Diablo, and modern products such as the Aventador, and the Huracan are all examples of cars most of the automotive community is familiar with.

Over the years, Lamborghini has collaborated with a number of designers, coach builders, and automotive modification companies in order to develop some truly rare, and hardly spoken of machines, and these are just a handful of them.

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9 1998 Lamborghini Heuliez Pregunta

If the 1998 Lamborghini Heuliez Pregunta (‘Pregunta’ meaning ‘Question’ in Spanish) is unfamiliar to you, it could be due to the fact that just one example was created for the entire world. Finished in a color known as ‘Stealth Assault Jet Fighter’ over a blue interior, the Heuliez Pregunta is simply out-of-this-world. The Pregunta was created as the result of a collaboration between Italy-based Carrozzeria Studio Heuliez-Torino and Lamborghini. The Pregunta project was led by ex-Bertone Director Marc Deschamps, and a factory Lamborghini Diablo VT development car was used as the basis for this one-off. Between the jet-inspired cockpit, the fully electronic F1-style Magnetti Marelli dashboard instrumentation, modified bodywork, mechanics, and more, the Pregunta is one Lamborghini that really can’t be compared to any other.

8 1994 Lamborghini Sogna

This unbelievable car shown here is the 1994 Lamborghini Sogna by Art & Tech Studios, an automobile production and design company that was founded by Japanese designer, Ryoji Yamazaki in the year 1989. Sometime in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Yamazaki purchased a 25th Anniversary Edition Countach in order to use it as the basis for what would later become his very own dream car, known as the Sogna. Notably, the Sogna, which is Italian for ‘dreams’, was first shown at the 1991 Geneva Motor Show with the intention of being put into limited production. Some progress was made with a fully-functional example being built and shown at the 1994 Essen Motor Show, however, following this, no further Sognas were produced, leaving this car to be absent from the minds of most enthusiasts.

7 1987 Lamborghini Portofino

When just one example of a car is produced, it’s bound to be forgotten about as time and space move forward, and this is certainly one of those cars. The one-of-a-kind 1987 Lamborghini (Chrysler) Portofino, chassis LC001 was styled by former Chrysler chief designer, Kevin Verduyn. The project came to life in 1986 when Verduyn created a clay model design, and named in the ‘Navajo’. After Chrysler purchased Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A in 1987, the ‘Navajo’ resurfaced, now with a new name called the ‘Portofino’, and a revamped design. The Portofino was constructed using the chassis from a Lamborghini Jalpa, and was built by Turin-based company, Coggiola. First seen at the 1987 Geneva Motor show, some unique elements seen on this rare Lamborghini include scissor doors, a unique logo which blends the Chrysler and Lamborghini branding, a textured blue leather interior, and a 225 brake horsepower aluminum mid-mounted DOHC 3458cc V8 engine.

6 1988 Lamborghini Genesis

A minivan is certainly not something you’d expect to see in connection to the well-known performance car manufacturer, Lamborghini, but with the 1988 Lamborghini Genesis, that is exactly the case in point. The one-of-a-kind Lamborghini Genesis was built by Italian coach building and automotive design company, Bertone after being styled by the company’s former chief designer, Marc Deschamps. The car was displayed on April 21st of 1988 at the Turin Motor Show where it demonstrated a number of innovative and unprecedented elements such as a 5.2 liter Lamborghini Countach Quattrovalvole 455 brake horsepower V12 engine, ‘gull wing’ doors, 180-degree rotating seats, adjustable leg rests, a TV and much more. It’s worth noting that Bertone took approximately 30,000 hours creating this unique Lamborghini-powered machine.

5 1974 Lamborghini Bravo

Despite being one of the more unheard of vehicles to carry the Lamborghini name, there were actually a couple examples of the ‘Bravo’ that were built. After Italian coach building and design company Bertone had realized their substantial success with Lamborghini and the introduction of the Countach model in 1973, plans to create a companion to the 2+2 V8-powered Urraco model were put into place. This particular car photographed is the 1974 Lamborghini Bravo, chassis NS46 01, and it’s one of just two total examples built. During the time of its introduction, the Bravo was considered ‘everything the Urraco should have been’ by Lamborghini enthusiasts, and sadly, the fully-functional Bravo never saw production.

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4 1998 Lamborghini P147 Canto

Between the year 1996 and 1997, Norihoko Harada of ‘SZ Designs’ created the first ever Lamborghini P147 concept car. That car was this intriguing model shown here, the 1998 Lamborghini P147 Canto. Unfortunately, due to numerous design flaws such as a set of oversized rear air scoops, and a lack of design fundamentals overall, the Canto project never saw the light of day in terms of true production. In the year 1998, Ferdinand Karl Piech, chairman of the executive board of Volkswagen Group from 1993-2002 took ownership of the Lamborghini company, resulting in this particular car to be left in the dust, and shelved indefinitely. Piech contracted well-known historical independent coach building company, Zagato to redesign the Canto in preparation for the 1999 Geneva Motor Show, however, due to a lack of interest from Mr. Piech, the car was never displayed. There was another P147 Lamborghini concept built in 1998 known as the P147 Acosta, which was styled by Italian car designer, Marcello Gandini. If either P147 project was approved for production back then, it could have easily changed the design language of every Lamborghini model we know and love today!

3 1996 Lamborghini Raptor

The indepedent coach building company known as Zagato is responsible for creating some of the world’s most interesting automobiles and designs, and in collaboration with Lamborghini in the mid to late 1990s, the team created this car shown here, the 1996 Lamborghini Raptor by Zagato. The Raptor was creating with input from Swiss skeleton bobsled racer, Alain Wicki, and the innovative lines were penned by former Zagato chief designer, Norihiko Harada. The Raptor was created as a way to bridge the gap between the Lamborghini Diablo and the companies next flagship V12 model. The Raptor featured a completely bespoke carbon fiber body which was finished in ‘Sea Green’, and underneath the hood lies a DOHC quad-valve 5.7-liter V12 engine which develops around 550 horsepower. Only one Raptor was built for the entire world.

2 1995 Lamborghini Cala

The Gulf oil crisis of the 1990s ultimately lead to a lack of interest in high-performance automobiles, especially ones with poor fuel economy. This caused one particular Marcello Gandini-designed Lamborghini design project to be shelved, the 1987 P140 prototype. The Lamborghini P140 was the first ever Lamborghini to use a V10 engine, and was planned to become the successor model to the companies Jalpa model. The P140 project was later revived by another well-known Italian car designer by the name of Giorgetto Giugiaro and his engineering company, ItalDesign. After Chrysler sold Lamborghini in 1994 to Bermuda-registered holding company, Megatech, one of the P140 prototypes was redesigned and revamped to become this car pictured here, the 1995 Lamborghini Cala. The Lamborghini company was sold yet again in 1998 to the Volkswagen Audi Group, where the Cala’s short history ultimately came to an end.

1 2013 Lamborghini Egoista

There’s no simple way of putting it, the 2013 Lamborghini Egoista appears to have landed here from a distant planet, far, far away. The Egoista is simply one of the most futuristic designs ever presented by the Lamborghini company, and despite its wild appearance, it’s said to be a fully functional prototype, built on the basis of a Lamborghini Gallardo, and it’s 5.2-liter 600 horsepower V10 engine. The Egoista was designed by an Italian car stylist by the name of Walter de Silva, and serves as a one-off, aviation-inspired single-seater with mesmerizing sharp edges, active aerodynamics, and much more! While it might look like it came straight from a video game or a movie set, the Egoista is perhaps one of the most radical looking fully-operational machines ever built!