Unlike his rival Enzo Ferrari, Ferruccio Lamborghini decided early on that there would be no factory-supported racing, viewing motorsport as too expensive and too draining on company resources. This stance was unusual among sports car manufacturers of the era, many of whom used racing to demonstrate technical capability. Tensions arose between Lamborghini and his engineers, many of whom were racing enthusiasts with prior Ferrari experience. When engineers Gian Paolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani, and Bob Wallace began developing a mid-engine prototype in their spare time — the project that would become the Miura — Ferruccio allowed it to proceed as a marketing device while insisting it would not be raced. The closest the company came to a true race car under Ferruccio's supervision were factory test driver Bob Wallace's highly modified prototypes, including a Miura SV-based "Jota" and the "Bob Wallace Special" derived from the Jarama S.
In the mid-1970s, under the management of Georges-Henri Rossetti, Lamborghini entered an agreement with BMW to develop and manufacture 400 cars meeting Group 4 homologation requirements. BMW needed a partner experienced in mid-engined vehicle architecture, and Lamborghini appeared well suited. Financial instability caused Lamborghini to fall behind schedule on the car's structure and running gear, ultimately forcing BMW to take the program in-house. BMW contracted with Baur to produce the car, completing it without Lamborghini involvement; the result was unveiled in October 1978 as the BMW M1.
In 1985, Lamborghini's British importer developed the Countach QVX in conjunction with Spice Engineering for the 1986 Group C championship season. One car was built, but sponsorship could not be secured. The QVX competed in only one race, the non-championship 1986 Southern Suns 500 km at Kyalami in South Africa, driven by Tiff Needell.
Lamborghini's most sustained international motorsport involvement came as an engine supplier in Formula One from the 1989 through 1993 seasons. The naturally aspirated Lamborghini V12 was supplied to Larrousse in 1989, 1990, 1992, and 1993; to Lotus in 1990; to Ligier in 1991; to Minardi in 1992; and to the Modena team in 1991. Lamborghini's best Formula One result came at the 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, where Aguri Suzuki finished third on home soil driving a Larrousse-Lamborghini. The partnership ended after 1993. McLaren tested a re-badged version of the engine — carrying Chrysler branding, as Chrysler was then Lamborghini's parent company — toward the end of 1993 with potential 1994 use in mind, but negotiations collapsed and McLaren chose Peugeot power instead.
After Lamborghini passed through Chrysler ownership and into the Volkswagen Group's Audi division in 1998, a sustained GT racing program began to take shape. Lamborghini developed the Murciélago R-GT as a production racing car to compete in the FIA GT Championship, Super GT Championship, and American Le Mans Series from 2004. The car's highest placing in its debut season came at Valencia, where the Reiter Engineering entry finished third. A GT3 version of the Gallardo was also developed by Reiter Engineering.
Squadra Corse, the formal motorsport division of Lamborghini, was eventually established to manage the brand's competition activities more directly. It produces GT3 cars based on the Gallardo and Huracán lines, as well as the dedicated Super Trofeo racing cars. The Huracán GT3 family — progressing through GT3, GT3 Evo, and GT3 Evo 2 variants — has given customers a competitive platform in GT3 championships worldwide.
The Super Trofeo is a one-make racing series organized by Squadra Corse using dedicated Super Trofeo variants of Lamborghini's road cars, currently the Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2. The series runs in three separate championships across three continents — America, Asia, and Europe — each consisting of six rounds with free practice, qualifying, and two 50-minute races per event. Driver categories include Pro, Pro-Am, Am, and Lamborghini Cup. Each continental series culminates in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final, where continental champions compete globally.
Lamborghini's motorsport story is shaped by the paradox of its origins: a founder who rejected racing built a company whose cars were repeatedly drawn into competition by engineers, importers, and customers. From the improvised Jota prototypes to the official Squadra Corse GT programs and a busy season of Formula One engine supply, Lamborghini's competition history reflects that pull between the road and the track.