On April 23, 1987, Chrysler acquired 100% control of Lamborghini for $25.2 million, purchasing the brand from the Mimran brothers. The iconic Italian manufacturer based in Sant'Agata Bolognese was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time. The entry of the American brand brought liquidity to Lamborghini, leading to the launch of a program to participate in the Formula 1 World Championship as an engine supplier. For this purpose, a separate division called Lamborghini Engineering was founded in Modena in 1988, with Daniele Audetto as president and Mauro Forghieri as technical director, both formerly of Ferrari. After supplying its LE3512 V12 engine for two seasons to Larrousse-Lola, and later to Lotus and Ligier, in 1990, Mexican financier Fernando Gonzalez Luna commissioned Lamborghini Engineering to design a complete car to enter Formula 1 with his own team, named GLAS (Gonzalez Luna Auto Scuderia).
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| LAMBO 291, Nicola Larini Hockenheimring, German GP 1991 |
The construction of the single-seater was entrusted, of course, to Mauro Forghieri, an experienced engineer in Formula 1 and the creator of the V12 engine for Lamborghini. By mid-1990, the first prototype of the new car was ready to be presented to the public, but Gonzalez Luna suddenly disappeared, taking with him the funding for the operation. Despite Luna's abrupt withdrawal, the project was already well underway, and Chrysler's executives decided to continue. Thanks to the intervention of Italian entrepreneur Carlo Patrucco, then vice president of Confindustria, a deal was made that brought 21 billion old lire into the coffers of the emerging Modena Team to tackle the 1991 season.
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| LAMBO 291, Eric van de Poele Monza, Italian GP 1991 |
Mauro Forghieri remained as the technical director of the team, which hired former Alfa Romeo engineer Mario Tollentino as the designer, supported by the young Peter Wyss. The prototype car, called Lambo 1 and featuring solutions intended for the final version, was first tested at the Imola circuit by veteran Mauro Baldi at the end of 1990. For the new season, the Lambo 291 was introduced and entrusted to drivers Nicola Larini of Italy and Belgian rookie Eric van de Poele. The new 291 was completely different from contemporary Formula 1 cars, featuring very small, triangular sidepods reminiscent of the 2022 Mercedes W13, with radiators placed at an angle inside. The nose retained the classic low, elongated shape, not following the new raised-nose trend. At the rear, the sidepods tapered off quickly, exposing the bulky Lamborghini V12 exhaust system, as well as the suspension unit and gearbox casing.
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| LAMBO 291, Nicola Larini Interlagos, Brazilian GP 1991 |
Despite efforts to reduce weight, the 291 significantly exceeded 510 kg but proved reasonably competitive, surprisingly achieving its best result at its debut in the Phoenix Grand Prix, where Nicola Larini qualified 17th and finished 7th, albeit three laps behind the winner. The 291 nearly reached the points zone again in Imola, where Eric van de Poele climbed to 5th place but dropped to 9th due to fuel pressure issues on the final lap. Following these excellent performances, the progress of rival cars sent the Lambo 291 back into obscurity, and for the next five races, both cars failed to pass Friday pre-qualifying. However, thanks to Larini’s seventh place in Phoenix, the two Lambo 291s were allowed to participate directly in Saturday qualifying during the second half of the season, although only Larini managed to qualify for the Sunday race on three occasions, without noteworthy results.
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| LAMBO 291, Eric van de Poele Adelaide, Australian GP 1991 |
As the season progressed, the internal situation of the team worsened, and debts mounted. Forghieri was removed from his role as technical director and recalled by Lamborghini Engineering to design a lighter, more modern engine than the 3512. Given the circumstances, Forghieri later attempted to make the Modena Team independent from Lamborghini, but he failed to secure sufficient financial support. Despite a new single-seater already planned on paper, the team folded at the end of the year after just one season in Formula 1, disappointingly, with zero points and a 14th place finish in the overall standings, ahead of only AGS, Fondmetal, Arrows, and Coloni.
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