Famous Business Rivalries

A little healthy competition can be a good thing. And in the business world, it’s expected and necessary. After all, competition is what drives progress and leads to innovation. But sometimes that struggle to be the best can turn into a true rivalry, especially when there are two top names in an industry. Some of those rivalries even become famous. And some rivalries can make terrific tales….

The Car Race

Ferrari VS. Lamborghini

There’s an old story about a guy named Ferruccio Lamborghini getting into a, uh, heated discussion, shall we say. The discussion involved another guy named Enzo Ferrari. So, according to the tale, which is reportedly true, Mr. Lamborghini was a manufacturer of tractors (that’s right, farm equipment) who happened to like sports cars.

He liked them a lot. In fact, he owned not just one, but two Ferraris. Ferraris are luxury sports cars — super-expensive, super-fast, and super status symbols. In fact, the brand created the most expensive car ever sold ($70.2 million). Ferraris are designed to push the limits of possibility both on the road and the racetrack. But Mr. Lamborghini was kinda dissatisfied with their performance, especially when the clutch broke on one car. So he headed on over to Maranello, Italy, (he lived in Italy, too) to speak with the head of the company — Enzo Ferrari — himself. (It was 1962, and he just knocked on Ferrari’s door.)

Ferrari wasn’t so interested in hearing Lamborghini’s comments and complaints. Lamborghini even offered him some ideas about how to make the clutch better so it wouldn’t break. But Mr. Ferrari didn’t like the constructive criticism. In fact, Mr. Ferrari famously responded, “Let me make cars. You stick to making tractors.”

Well, Mr. Lamborghini drove home, absolutely fuming. He was an engineer! A famous and respected one! And he was already renowned for his tractor design! And Mr. Ferrari had totally rejected and insulted him! Well, guess what happened next?

You got it.

He built his own sports car factory (completed just four months after the argument!) and had his Lamborghini 350 GT ready for a 1964 car show. The car was very well received (by the way, those original models are basically priceless today).

And the rest, as they say, is history. Lamborghini’s name remains immortalized with the cars. Lamborghinis, like Ferraris, are luxury sports cars known for their speed, style, performance, and cost. The brand is known for power, prestige, and innovation.

Verdict:

It’s tricky to say who’s in first place. Ferrari sells more cars than Lamborghini, but Lamborghini has been reporting profit increases, while Ferrari’s are dropping….

Takeaway 1:

It pays to listen to constructive criticism.

Takeaway 2:

If you’re all fired up about something, put that energy to use!

Did You Know?

»The Lamborghini Veneno is recorded as the fastest Lamborghini ever made. With a top speed of 221 mph, the Veneno could go from zero to sixty in 2.9 seconds.

»The LaFerrari model is the fastest Ferrari, clocking in at 218 mph.