1. ISLERO
The Lamborghini Islero debuted in 1968, and was produced until 1969. The Islero had a 325 horsepower 4.0 L (3929 cc) V12 engine, a five-speed transmission, fully independent suspension, and disc brakes. Its top speed was rated at 154 mph and acceleration from zero to 60 mph took 6.4 seconds. Only 125 Isleros were built while it was in production. An updated version, the Islero S was released in 1969 with a stronger 350 horsepower engine. A number of styling changes including an enlarged hood scoop (which supplied air to the interior of the car, not the engine), slightly flared fenders, tinted windows, round side-marker lights, and a fixed section in the door windows. The Islero was named after a Miura bull that killed the celebrated bullfighter Manolete on August 28th, 1947. After thrusting his sword Espada deep up to its hilt into Islero, the bull in turn thrusted its right horn into Manolete, severing his femoral artery.
2. ESPADA
The Lamborghini Espada’s name means “sword” in spanish, and is a reference to the sword bullfighters use. The Espada was produced from 1968 to 1978, and had a few revisions during that time. The Series I ran from 1968 to 1970, and only 186 were made. Series II had a 350 hp engine, vented girling disk brakes, optional power steering, and an all new interior. 575 Series II Espadas were built between 1970 and 1972. The final version of the Espada, the Series III had a 3.9L V12 engine producing 325 hp. The interior was revamped to an aluminium trimmed cockpit. Newly designed wheels replaced the earlier knock-off wheels, and an automatic transmission was available for the Series III. A total of 476 Series III models were made before production was stopped.
3. MIURA
The Lamborghini Miura is one of Lamborghini’s most iconic cars. Named after a famous type of fighting bull, the Miura was created against the wishes of the company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini. The Lamborghini engineering team designed the Miura in their spare time, and was met with stellar receptions at the 1965 Turin auto show. The Miura gained the worldwide attention of automotive enthusiasts when it was chosen for the opening sequence of the original 1969 version of The Italian Job. The original Miura was powered by a 3.9 liter Lamborghini V12 engine, producing 350 horsepower. A total of 275 were produced between 1966 and 1969, a success for Lamborghini considering the Miuras steep price of $20,000 ( $145,374 adjusted for inflation).
4. URRACO
The Lamborghini Urraco was designed to be an affordable alternative to their supercars, leading to the name Urraco, which is slang for “little bull.” Meant to aid sales figures, the Urraco could seat four, had a detachable roof, and had a smaller powertrain. The three models, the P200, P250, and P300 all had V8 engines producing between 215 and 260 horsepower. Unfortunately labor strikes and mechanical problems hurt sales figures and the Urraco was discontinued in 1979, after only 791 were built. 21 of these were the Urraco P111 built for the American market. In order to comply with stricter American regulations, these cars had larger front bumpers and added emissions controls, the latter resulting in decreased horsepower for the American version.
5. COUNTACH
The Lamborghini Countach is a mid-engined, V12 sports car. The design pioneered and popularized the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high-performance sports cars. The Countach also popularized the “cabin-forward” design, which pushes the passenger compartment forward to make room for the larger engine. The word Countach is an exclamation of astonishment in the local Piedmontese language. The Countach was the first Lamborghini to have the scissor doors that are found on many of the Lamborghini models that came after it. In 1985 a U.S. specific model was produced by the factory to meet the strict U.S. federal safety standards. One of these changes was to the bumper, which was made larger and bulkier. Many owners had these bumpers removed immediately, or never had them installed, as the bulky change ruined the car’s smooth bodylines.
6. JALPA
The Lamborghini Jalpa was another attempt to make an affordable vehicle. The Jalpa was named after a type of fighting bull. Compared to the Countach, the Jalpa was much easier to drive, having better visibility and being more tractable in heavy traffic and at slow speeds.The Jalpa was fitted with a 3.5 L double overhead camshaft version of the V8 engine used in the Silhouette on which it was based. The version used in the Jalpa produced 255 hp at 7000 rpm and 225 lb ft at 4000 rpm. Lamborghini claimed the Jalpa could accelerate from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 6.0 seconds, to 100 miles per hour in 19.1 seconds and a 1/4 mile time of 15.4 at 92 miles per hour with a top speed of 145 mph.Due to falling sales, the Jalpa was discontinued in 1988.
7. MURCIÉLAGO
Meaning “bat” in spanish, the Lamborghini Murciélago was named after a fighting bull of the same name, which was said to have withstood 24 sword strikes in an 1879 fight against Rafael “El Lagartijo” Molina Sánchez, at the Coso de los califas bullring in Córdoba, Spain. Murciélago fought with such passion and spirit that the matador chose to spare its life, a rare honor. The Murciélago was produced between 2001 and 2010, and was the successor to the Lamborghini Diablo. The Murciélago was powered by a V12 engine, with horsepower production between 572 hp to 661 hp. A total of 3,983 Murciélagos were produced by Lamborghini before it was replaced by the Lamborghini Aventador in 2010. The Murciélago was also the subject of a recall, due to the possibility of a weld failure on the fuel pump failing and leading to a fire.
8. SESTO ELEMENTO
The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento’s name translates to “sixth element” in english, this is in reference to the atomic number of carbon, and the fact that Lamborghini used an extensive amount of carbon fiber when building the Sesto Elemento. The chassis, body, driveshaft and suspension components are made of carbon fiber, reducing the overall weight to 2,202 lb, a weight comparable to subcompact cars such as a Honda Fit. It is the lightest car Lamborghini has ever produced. The Sesto Elemento comes equipped with a 6-speed semi-automatic transmission with paddle shift and all wheel drive, mated to a V10 engine capable of producing 570 horsepower. The interior has very few frills, limited to simple comforts like A/C and a stereo, this is to keep the weight of the car low. Lamborghini only made 20 of the Sesto Elemento, all of which sold.
9. VENENO
In celebration of Lamborghini’s 50th birthday, the company created the ultra-expensive and exclusive Veneno. Named after one of the strongest and most aggressive fighting bulls ever, the Veneno is powered by a 6.5 liter V12 that produces 740 horsepower. Only 5 were ever made, 2 for the company and 3 for customers. The Veneno retailed for 4 million dollars, and all the customers purchased them sight unseen, only being given artist’s renderings of the vehicle. The original production Veneno, dubbed “car zero” resides in the Lamborghini museum. One of the Venenos, with red accents, went to Antoine Dominic, owner of Lamborghini Long Island. The second, with green accents, went to Kris Singh, a car collector from florida. The third, accented in white, went to an unknown customer in Macau. The color accents reflect the colors of the Italian flag, the owners were given the color choice on a first come, first serve basis.
10. HURACÁN
The name Huracán is spanish for hurricane, but was also the name of a fighting bull from 1879 that was known for its outstanding courage and strong sense of attack. The Huracán is equipped with a 5.2 liter naturally aspirated V10 engine, tuned for 602 horsepower.To ensure its balance and performance, the car is mid-engined. The V10 has both direct fuel injection and multi-point fuel injection. It combines the benefits of both of these systems; it is the first time this combination is used in a V10. The top speed of the Huracán is 202 mph, and it can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds. The Huracán is equipped with an electronically controlled all-wheel drive system, to increase traction on various surfaces and boost overall performance.
http://www.carophile.com/lamborghinis-and-how-they-got-their-names/10/