Cristina at 18 years old with Ferruccio Lamborghini.
ANYONEWHOHASHADTHE PRIVILEGE OF VISITING THE MUSEUMAT THELAMBORGHINI factory in Sant'Agata, has probably met Cristina Guizzardi, the ebullient lady in the black dress who runs the museum. You undoubtedly recognized her as someone who really knows and loves the history of Lamborghini and is always anxious to share. She recently published a book about one of her early Heroes, Bob Wallace. It is titled "Bob Wallace, the Man Who Married Sportscars." In the book Cristina uses quotes from Bob as well as from many who knew him in the early days at Lamborghini. The book is bursting with photos previously unreleased from many sources and paints a glowing picture of Bob and his amazing contributions to Lamborghini. Cristina, through her tireless efforts to keep the flame alive has become a legend in her own right. In the following narrative, she has kindly provided some background on her years with Lamborghini.
Cristina explains how she came to work with Lamborghini: "My first job was in a company in Sant'Agata, Top Hand was its name and it was physically located in front of the Lamborghini factory. In 1988 I started working for Bugatti Automobili when they were still in the old building in Modena. I was spellbound when I heard the roar of the very first EB110 Bugatti engine. In 1999, I applied for a position with Lamborghini and I was interviewed and hired by Ing. Paolo Stanzani. I started working for Lamborghini in March 1999. My first position was with the Press Section under Dottor Alberto Armaroli, Lamborghini's Press Manager."
Cristina points out that in 1999 there was no Museum; the classic Lamborghinis
were displayed in little more than a big room. In 2001, the new building was finished and the official Museum was inaugurated with Mr. Enzo Moruzzi as its first director. Enzo had been with Lamborghini since late 1966 and was intimately familiar with the cars and their history. Since Enzo spoke little English; Cristina (who knows four lan- guages), was called to help him when non-Italian clients and special visitors who came to visit the museum and the factory.
In the beginning, entry to the museum was free for everybody. Later, as its popu- larity grew and the crowds became too much for one guide, a fee was put in place and more guides were hired to deal with the larger numbers of visitors. Enzo retired in 2004, and at that time, Cristina's boss was Sergio Fontana. As Cristina explained: "I informed Mr. Fontana that I would be happy to move to the Museum and replace Enzo Moruzzi. Mr. Fontana was very kind and said to me "are you sure Cristina?" I knew that such a move was a step backwards for me but the company was growing and in the press office, younger people had arrived. I had attended more than enough auto shows and in this way I allowed younger assistants to learn and do that job. The company's heritage had always been my dream; I had been researching Ferruccio's life and trying to find other parts of the big puzzle since 1963; reading about Sargiotto and Neri e Bonacini and Marchesi and trying to trace the history of the old prototypes like the 350 GTV, and the Monza and the Countach Evoluzione, asking questions to those who had made those cars, always aiming at integrating as much as I could into the "archive" that Dottor Armaroli had started. I have locked into my memory every detail that I could find through the years. Details that are important for the company, impor- tant for me to be able to give the right answer if and when questions are asked. Among our visitors are many enthusiasts who know so much about Lamborghini - I felt that
FAR RIGHT: Cristina Guizzardi with Pedrazzi Oliviero who worked at Automobili Lamborghini from 1963 to 1976
Spring / Summer 2016 I La Vita Lamborghini I 51
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