Lamborghini vs. Ferrari—The Hidden Story of Desire

Why rivalry drove Ferruccio Lamborghini into a new business, and how he knew when it was time to slam on the brakes and exit

Mr. Ferruccio Lamborghini on his wine estate on one of his tractors and two of his bestselling cars.

The following is an excerpt from the bestselling book Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life (St. Martin’s Press, 2021), published with permission.

Ferruccio Lamborghini first made his name by building tractors. He saw it as important and noble work for Italy’s large population of farmers. But that all changed once he came into contact with Enzo Ferrari, whose beautiful cars he started driving after he became a successful businessman. As Lamborghini sat in his Ferrari, admiring its craftsmanship and power, something changed within him.

It had taken Lamborghini ten years to become one of Italy’s most successful tractor makers. It would take only two years for him to become one of the most admired carmakers in the world. This is the untold part of the story — the story of desire.

The Stealth Racer

Northern Italy, sometime in the late 1950s. Ferruccio Lamborghini was on the Autostrada del Sole highway between Milan and Bologna in his red Ferrari 250 GTE Pinin Farina Coupé, blending in with traffic as he drove up and down the…