16
Lavoro&Disabilità
Is there a memory, an activity, an event or
a car that symbolises a special link between
your company and the Via Emilia?
R.F.
For Lamborghini the Via Emila, the old
"motorway" to the north of our peninsular,
represents a sort umbilical cord. To use an
analogy, albeit two thousand years out of
date, before it had even been completed,
Ferruccio Lamborghini used to use the
nearby Autostrada del Sole, to ensnare his
future customers by demonstrating the
virtues of his automobiles, which were
practically unknown at the time.
L.L.
Not particularly. That said, there can be
no doubt that the Ducati brothers chose the
position of the current factory for its vicinity
to the Via Emilia, since, in 1935, it
represented the fastest way of getting raw
materials to the factory, and of shipping the
finished product out. What’s certain is that,
during the early 50s, numerous companies
involved in the automobile and motorcycle
industries used it to test the prototypes for
their production and competition vehicles. .
A.P.
The Via Emilia, which was built by
Aemilius Lepidus to connect Piacenza to
Rimini, is more than just a road, it’s a
symbol that represents the industriousness
of our region, but also our openness and
connection to the wider world. There’s even
a local company by the name of Lepida that
operates the broad band network used to
connect the various branches and offices of
the Emilia-Romagna regional government.
From Dallara’s point of view, Eng. Gian
Paolo’s thoughts immediately turned to his
first production car – the splendid Miura -
which he tested on the Via Emilia while still
working for Lamborghini. The Dallara
company was subsequently founded just a
few kilometres from the Via Emilia, in
Varano de’ Melegari, where Eng. Gian Paolo
The business world:
Rodrigo Filippani
, manager of the Lamborghini museum
Livio Lodi
, curator of the Ducati museum
Andrea Pontremoli
, MD of Dallara
The pulsating artery of
the Italian motorvalley
built the racing circuit together with the then
mayor, Giorgio Bonzani. There are numerous
episodes that tie the Dallara name, as well as
our history, to this important road.
Would the “anniversary” of the Via Emilia be
a good moment to strengthen the network
between the companies? And are there
occasions when collaboration might be more
beneficial than competition?
R.F.
The anniversary of this historic road
should prompt us all to reflect on the
fundamental importance of efficient
infrastructure in local or even national
prosperity, and the need for concrete and
realistic projects in this regard. In this
context, the companies that operate in the
local region, and compete together with the
universities to create the right conditions for
development, could attempt to “pool their
resources” by lobbying their political
representatives for a wide ranging and
strategic development plan for the necessary
infrastructure. However, healthy competition
is, and always will be, the stimulus that
spurs talented companies on and
encourages them to improve. It’s part of
human nature and a fundamental aspect of
the Italian national character.
A.P.
I’ve often be quoted as saying that a
company cannot be competitive if the area
where it is located is not competitive. Many
of the most important players in world
motorsports are located within a 150 radius
of Bologna: Dallara, Lamborghini, Ducati,
Maserati, Ferrari, Pagani, Toro Rosso etc..,
and that cannot be by chance. The fact that
all these companies are located here
demonstrates that this is a highly
competitive region, with a consolidated
skills base, and that there the spirit of
collaboration does exist, not just between
the big companies mentioned above, but
also between those small firms that
gravitate around the world of motorsports
and that represent the solid base of know-
how and productivity.
Giotto Bizzarrini, Ferruccio Lamborghini e Gian Paolo Dallara
