Special parade to mark 50 years of Italian supercar

• Special parade to mark 50 years of Italian supercar
• Legendary test driver joins the Silverstone Classic celebrations
• Aventador Roadster to head stunning cavalcade

Legendary Italian supercar marque Lamborghini is celebrating its 50th birthday at next month’s Silverstone Classic (26-28 July) with what’s believed to be the biggest ever gathering seen in the UK and one of the largest seen anywhere in the world.

To mark the golden anniversary, a special parade on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit is being organised by the Lamborghini Club UK for 6pm on Saturday evening. This glittering 100-car cavalcade is being supported by Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. and will be led by the company’s latest amazing creation, the Aventador LP700-4 with the new Roadster version on display in the Lamborghini Club UK showcase. The parade will also feature just about every model produced by the famous sportscar manufacturer since originally founded by Ferruccio Lamborghini back in 1963 as a direct rival to Ferrari.

“As far as we know it will be the biggest gathering of Lamborghinis ever seen in the UK and probably anywhere in the world, aside from the 50th Anniversary Grand Tour that the factory staged in Italy earlier in the year,” explained Lynne Bull, membership secretary of the Lamborghini Club UK. “It is certainly the first time the club has attempted to orchestrate something so monumentally exciting. There will be Miuras, Espadas, LM002s, Countachs, Murcielagos, Diablos, Uraccos… basically the whole history will be represented aside from a couple of the very early originals.”

Adding to the heritage on show, Lamborghini’s legendary chief test driver Valentino Balboni will be joining the club at Silverstone for the entire weekend along with several high profile visitors from other clubs worldwide.

Ferruccio Lamborghini earned his fortune building much-needed tractors on surplus WW2 military hardware before using his wealth to pursue his supercar dream. The Italian industrialist also intertwined his love of bullfighting adopting a raging bull as his company’s emblem; the alluring names of his early creations all have strong links to Spanish fighting bulls, too.

Like so many other small sportscar companies, though, Lamborghini has a history strewn with financial woes. Despite magical early models – notably the groundbreaking Miura with its striking Marcello Gandini styling – Ferruccio was forced to sell a majority shareholding in his company during 1972 and, since then, the famed Sant’Agata factory situated just to the west of Bologna has passed through several owners before most recently being acquired by Audi AG in 1998. Since then the Lamborghini marquee has enjoyed its most stable and successful era. Now all 50 years of its fabulously iconic creations will be on track at the Silverstone Classic.

While the extraordinary sight and sound of so many amazing Lamborghinis is certain to be among the huge event’s many highlights, it is by no means the only major parade taking place over the busy Classic weekend. On Saturday Aston Martin – the Featured Celebration Marque – will be commemorating its centenary with a special pageant of 100 cars while Sunday sees a massive 911-car procession as part of the festivities to honour 50 years of the Porsche 911.

Enthusiasts wanting to witness these dazzling parades must buy tickets in advance. In keeping with the popular event’s widely acclaimed ‘access all areas’ policy, tickets include free entrance to all the special classic car displays, both National and Wing racing paddocks and pit complexes, trackside grandstands, live music concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings plus a host of other entertainment for all ages and interests. Adult admittance is from just £35 (plus fees) and considerable savings are on offer for those festival goers spending the full weekend at Silverstone. Full details can be found on the official www.silverstoneclassic.com website.