1959 | Lamborghini Lamborghinetta

Lamborghini Lamborghinetta DL20 – The Lamborghini for the Vines

Before Ferruccio Lamborghini decided in the 1960s to give Ferrari a run for its money, he built machines for a very different clientele: winemakers, farmers, and people who preferred going 20 km/h through narrow vineyard terraces rather than 250 km/h down the Autostrada. The 1959 Lamborghini Lamborghinetta DL20 is exactly such a machine – and in this case, an especially narrow special version measuring just 70 cm wide. That’s less than most refrigerators and slim enough to pass between two rows of vines without brushing a single grape stem.

This example is not only a rare survivor, but it was professionally restored in 2024 – gleaming, mechanically sound, and ready to work once again.

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Engineering – Small but Mighty

Under its narrow, forward-opening bonnet sits a 1.4-litre air-cooled two-cylinder diesel engine, solid as a bank vault and producing about 21 hp at just 2,000 rpm. It may not sound like much, but for a tractor weighing under a tonne, it’s more than enough to move wagons, barrels, or half a vineyard.

The gearbox is a true piece of 1950s engineering: six forward gears – three long, three short – plus two reverse gears. The handbrake works like the day it left the factory, and the polished alloy gear levers click into place as if borrowed from an espresso machine.

New deep-tread tyres provide grip, and the small rubber nubs from production are still visible – the tractor equivalent of “new car smell.”

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Design – Rustic Charm with Italian Style

Bodywork and surfaces are unblemished, with lovingly restored details everywhere: • Red “Lamborghini” lettering on both sides and the rear. • A delicate three-spoke Bakelite steering wheel with original brand button. • Forged Lamborghini front wheels – as if sports car rims had been fitted to a vineyard tractor. • A seat mounted on a curved spring, offering more comfort than you’d expect from a workhorse.

There is only one instrument: the oil pressure gauge – because the most important thing in an engine is that it runs, not how fast it runs.

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History & Personality

In the late 1950s, the Lamborghinetta answered a very practical question: How do you bring power into tight rows without tearing up half the vineyard? It was also the model that showed Lamborghini could give even a work machine character, style, and a hint of Dolce Vita.

This tractor is no museum dust collector – it is a fully operational machine that would shine both as a showpiece at a vintage event or as a functional helper on a farm. It comes with original Italian documents and registration.

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Conclusion: A Lamborghini doesn’t need 12 cylinders to win hearts. Sometimes, two cylinders, 21 hp, and 70 cm of width are enough. The Lamborghinetta DL20 is a piece of Italian industrial history – charming, rare, and with a name that will make any classic enthusiast smile.

Buy it, and you’re not just getting a tractor – you’re getting a rolling piece of Ferruccio’s legacy.