At the heart of Lamborghini’s factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, there’s a department that doesn’t just maintain cars — it protects legacy.

Since 2015, Lamborghini Polo Storico has quietly become one of the most respected historical divisions in the world of classic and collectible cars.

Now, ten years on, the department marks its first major milestone — a decade spent reviving icons, documenting lineage, and ensuring that Lamborghini’s most important machines remain as glorious as the day they left the line.

For collectors, restorers, historians, and investors alike, the name Polo Storico is more than a badge. It’s a benchmark. It represents integrity, precision, and reverence for the marque’s most legendary creations — from early 350 GTs and Miuras, through the drama of the Countach and LM002, to the final hand-built Diablos.

Founded officially on 16 April 2015, Polo Storico was created with a clear purpose: to bring together Lamborghini’s fragmented historical archives, to restore its vintage cars with factory precision, and to offer official certification of authenticity. In short, to become the standard-bearer for the marque’s past.

The work began with a massive undertaking — the centralisation and digitalisation of more than 30,000 historical documents, including technical drawings, homologation papers, assembly sheets, and rare marketing and editorial material. These archives would become the blueprint for everything that followed.

But it’s not just about paperwork. What makes Polo Storico truly remarkable is its physical craftsmanship. Over the past ten years, the department has delivered over 40 complete restorations, with each project involving thousands of hours of meticulous work — often performed in collaboration with local suppliers who originally worked on the cars decades ago.

From the moment a restoration begins, every nut, bolt, and stitch is treated with forensic respect. Whether it’s a Miura or a Jalpa, the car is returned to its original specification, matching paint colour, upholstery material, engine configuration, and even manufacturing techniques. The aim is authenticity, not interpretation.

Among the department’s most celebrated projects is Miura SV #4846, restored and revealed at Amelia Island Concours in 2016, where it took home Best in Class. Then came Miura SV #5030, returned to perfection over a 20-month period and displayed at Techno-Classica Essen in 2017 after 2,000 hours of restoration. That same year, Miura P400 #3165 was delivered to legendary engineer Giampaolo Dallara to mark his 80th birthday.

Polo Storico has also worked on some of Lamborghini’s earliest examples, such as 350 GT #0121 — one of the very first production cars — and the Miura P400 #3264, both restored to concours standards. These vehicles now appear on show fields and in collections around the world, bearing the unmistakable seal of Polo Storico craftsmanship.

In 2019, Miura SV #3673 was completed in time for Rétromobile and later took Best in Class at Pebble Beach, after extensive historical research and restoration. That same year, Polo Storico identified and certified the Miura P400 #3586 as the exact car featured in The Italian Job, solving a mystery that had lingered for decades.

Even celebrity cars haven’t escaped their touch. In 2019, Polo Storico restored Miura P400 S #4797, formerly owned by Italian singer Little Tony, one of only seven in Azzurro Mexico blue.

But perhaps the department’s most remarkable achievement is the recreation of the 1971 Countach LP 500 prototype, which was destroyed in crash testing over 50 years ago. Using only archive documents, period photos, and eyewitness testimony, Polo Storico rebuilt the car entirely from scratch. The project took over 25,000 hours, and stands as a symbol of the department’s extraordinary ability to revive the irretrievable.

Beyond restoration, Polo Storico’s certification program has become one of the most trusted processes in the collector world. The Certification of Authenticity is a rigorous inspection that confirms a vehicle’s originality and conformity to factory records.

This isn’t box-ticking. Each car undergoes a full forensic audit — from mechanical systems to bodywork, interior trim to paint colour, all cross-checked against factory records. Modifications, repairs, and undocumented changes are flagged. Where something can’t be proven, the certification is withheld. This radical transparency has made the certification a mark of integrity, not just status.

Over the past ten years, more than 200 certifications have been issued, and countless others declined — a fact that collectors value. Even when a car cannot be certified, owners receive a full report, ensuring that Polo Storico is seen not as a gatekeeper, but a truth-teller.

A Human Archive: The Committee of the Wise

While documents and tools matter, it’s people who carry memory. That’s why Polo Storico also relies on the “Comitato dei Saggi” — the Committee of the Wise — a panel of former Lamborghini engineers, craftsmen, and employees who were there at the time.

Their role is to solve mysteries. To verify undocumented techniques. To add human insight where paperwork ends. They are, quite literally, the oral historians of Lamborghini’s past — and their work often defines the success of a restoration or certification.

Global Recognition and Cultural Impact

In addition to its workshop and archive, Polo Storico has emerged as a global ambassador for Lamborghini’s legacy. Over the years, the department has organised or participated in a number of historic events, including:

• The 2016 Miura 50th anniversary tour through Spain

• The return of the Lamborghini Marzal to the streets of Monaco in 2018

• A 2018 tour celebrating 50 years of the Espada and Islero

• The appearance of an Espada at Abbey Road and the Royal Automobile Club

• The 2019 Lamborghini & Design Concorso d’Eleganza in Trieste

• The brand’s 60th anniversary tour through Franciacorta and Alto Garda in 2023

This year, Polo Storico has planned an international calendar of events to celebrate its 10th anniversary — from St. Moritz in February, to Pebble Beach in August, and closing at the Auto e Moto d’Epoca in Bologna this October. Collectors, fans, and connoisseurs will have multiple opportunities to engage with the department and its stories.

 Provenance matters. Heritage matters. The Polo Storico ethos aligns perfectly with ours: not just preserving machines, but capturing meaning, and capturing value.

This is the future of the collector world — authenticity you can trust, craftsmanship that endures, and records that tell the full story. As the collector landscape evolves, verification and value will only grow more intertwined.

Polo Storico proves that the past, when properly handled, becomes a powerful part of the present. Their work shows us what’s possible when emotion, engineering, and excellence converge.

As Lamborghini production expands and more modern cars enter collector territory, Polo Storico’s role will become even more strategic. Every Lamborghini enters Polo Storico’s remit twenty years after production ends — meaning even Murciélagos and early Gallardos are beginning to join the fold.

With increasing customisation, complexity, and global demand for provenance, the need for trusted custodianship is more important than ever. Lamborghini is investing in new tools, advanced technologies, and expanding its internal capabilities to meet that demand.

Polo Storico is ready. And the world is watching.