Buick

Buick is currently the oldest still-active American automotive make, and among the oldest automobile brands in the world. It originated as the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company in 1899, an independent internal combustion engine and motor-car manufacturer, and was later incorporated as the Buick Motor Company on May 19, 1903, by Scottish born David Dunbar Buick in Detroit, Michigan. Later that year, the struggling company was taken over by James H. Whiting, who moved it to his hometown of Flint, Michigan, and brought in William C. Durant in 1904 to manage his new acquisition.

The first Buick made for sale, the 1904 Model B, was built in Flint, Michigan. There were 37 Buicks made that year, none of which survived.

Durant was a natural promoter, and Buick soon became the largest car maker in America. Using the profits from this, Durant embarked on a series of corporate acquisitions, calling the new mega corporation General Motors. At first, the manufacturers comprising General Motors competed against each other, but Durant ended that. He wanted each General Motors division to target one class of buyer, and in his new scheme, Buick was near the top — only the Cadillac brand had more prestige. Buick occupies this position to this day in the General Motors lineup.

Overall domestic sales of the Buick brand peaked in 1984, with a broad model line ranging from compacts to large cars, including performance-oriented turbocharged models.

In the 2009 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study, Buick tied with Jaguar as the most dependable brand in the United States. Buick became the fastest growing automotive brand in 2010, attracting a younger customer demographic.

As of 2012, Buick's North American lineup consists of the newly introduced Verano entry-level compact sedan, the Regal mid-size luxury/sports sedan, the LaCrosse mid-size luxury sedan, and the Enclave full-size luxury crossover. Buick plans to launch the Encore, a new mini crossover vehicle, later in the year as a 2013 model. 

Lamborghini

In 1962, when a tractor manufacturer, Ferruccio Lamborghini, decided to build his own version of high performance supercars with superior interior refinements matching the technology, few would have imagined that his fascination for excellence would break into the stranglehold of stalwarts like Ferrari and garner admiration all over the world from lovers of speed and style, inspiring movies on the silver screen and instilling a desire to own such beauties. And like all great stories, this one too is not without legend, downturns and success.

It goes like this: Ferruccio once went to complain about a faulty clutch in his Ferrari to Enzo Ferrari, the founder of Ferrari, who, already in his 60s, dismissed Ferruccio's complaint and, in a way, insulted this ambitious automobile manufacturer. Ferruccio then decided to build his own brand of supercars under a new company name - Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini.

The beginning
Ferruccio Lamborghini first founded the Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. in early 1963 on a new 90,000-square meter site near Bologna in SantAgata Bologna, Italy. He hired one of the best known car designers of that time, Giotto Bizzarrini, who had earlier worked at Ferrari, and two young engineers - Giampaolo Dallara and Giampaolo Stanzani from Bologna - to build a V-12 engine supercar for his company.

The initial work of this team fructified in the form of a prototype Lamborghini 350 GTV that was first shown to the public at the 1963 Turin Auto Show and made available in the market by 1964. The 350 GTV was very well received and was later succeeded by the 400 GT and the 400 GT 2+2. Though Bizzarrini later left the company as he was against Ferruccio's principle of building a racing car, the story has just begun.

Soaring popularity
More fame for Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. came with the launch of the Lamborghini Miura which debuted in the market in 1967. Designed by the two Bologna engineers, it was earlier provisionally code named 400TP and had a 4-liter 12-cylinder engine mounted behind the cockpit. However, the engineers had little hope of getting it cleared from Ferruccio - who eventually did - thinking that the new model would be good advertising for the company and named it Miura.

Lamborghini's popularity soared throughout the 1960s. Miura was followed by the exotic Marzal with vertical opening doors, the Miura Roadster, the Islero Gt, the Espada, the Jarama, the P250 Urraco, named again after a fighting bull, Jota; and the LP 500, which was also popularly known as Countach until the 1970s.

The Crisis and ownership changes
By the late 1970s, conditions for the supercar’s market were hostile as the company was facing difficulty keeping up its finances. The market too wasn't favorably responding. In a failed attempt during the same time, Lamborghini tried to collaborate with US-based BMW and Mobility Technology International. In addition, Rosseti could not continue because of illness and the company was able to produce only a single Countach 400S model by 1980. In the same year, Lamborghini was purchased by French brothers, Patrick and Jean-Claude Mimran, who hired legendary engineer, Alfieri, and were able to display a restyled Countach, Miura and a new Jalpa in the Geneva Auto Show. They also produced a new off-road LMA series and the Lamborghini Countach Quattrovalvole.

The company, however, was again available for sale by 1986 and found a helping hand in legendary Lee Iaccoca of the US-based Chrystler. During his reign, the Lamborghini entered into F1 racing for the first time in its history but could not continue in the early 1990s. It also produced the famous Lamborghini Diablo in 1990. However, later in 1994, Iaccoca sold the company to Indonesian investors who later sold it to German company Audi in 1998 as the Asian financial crisis worsened during the late 1990s.

The story continues
Under German ownership and with the infusion of cash and new innovations, Lamborghini S.p.A has produced several exciting supercars, beginning from Lamborghini Murcielago in 2001 and Gallardo or baby Lamborghini in 2003. The production capacity and sales have also increased. This can be inferred from the fact that in the first 40 years of its history until 2003, the company has produced only 8,082 cars but by 2010, it was able to produce 10,000 Lamborghini Gallardo models.

In year 2012 Lamborghini has come up with super cars such as Lamborghini Aventador LP-700, Sesto Elemento, Lamborghini Murcielago, Lamborghini Gallardo, Lamborghini Cabrera, Lamborghini Countach, Lamborghini Diablo, Lamborghini Espada, Lamborghini Estoque and Lamborghini Ferrucio to name a few.