Summer of ’63

When I first moved to India back in 2005, I used to hate hearing the song “Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams. Only because it seemed like it was on repeat at every event, function, and English radio station.

Let me quickly get to the point, this blog post is not about Bryam Adams but 3 of the most iconic sports car companies in the world – Lamborghini, Porsche, and Ferrari and what happened in 1963. I’m honestly surprised that no automotive journalist has put the pieces together and penned their thoughts about it.

Something was up with the drinking water in Europe in 1963 because that was the year that a car company was started, a new car model was launched and the most expensive car ever bought at an auction was built. So let’s discuss each one of these events.

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is Started

In 1963, Ferruccio Lamborghini started the company in order to compete against Ferrari. Ferruccio built a successful company selling tractors and then brought a Ferrari. Ferruccio felt the clutch was faulty and told Enzo Ferrari he should fix it. One thing led to another and boom another Italian car company was started.

Porsche 911 is Launched

Arguably the most iconic sports car is the 911. It was first previewed at the Frankfurt IAA Motor Show in 1963 as the 901 and was later renamed the 911 for its market launch in 1964. The reason for the renaming is because the French carmaker Peugeot had a trademark on all 3 digit car numbers with a zero in the middle. The fucking French. I’m sure Porsche probably figured this was a model that won’t last long and is not worth fighting for, oops!

Here we are 58 years later and the 911 is still selling and getting more popular as time moves on and the Peugeot X0X models are a relic of the past.

For more information on the history of the 911, head over to 1963: The original 911.

1963 Ferrari 250 GTO

You know Ferrari can’t be left off any list and sure enough, they land on this list as the most money paid for a car. In this case, a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO. Back in 2018, some bozo paid USD $70 million for it at an auction. One of the reasons for the high price tag is because only 39 copies were ever made…supply is limited and demand is through the roof.

If you want to read more about this car and its insane price tag, click on the article below:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a33419309/how-the-ferrari-250-gto-became-the-most-valuable-car-of-all-time/