We're not billionaires, so there's no way of knowing for sure, but Hollywood and urban legends tell us this kind of drama happens all the time with real-life billionaires. From the looks of it, though, Hollywood has nothing on the latest development within the Lamborghini family.
As any respectable, self-described auto enthusiast will tell you, the Lamborghini family is no longer associated with the Lamborghini marque, as founder Ferruccio sold it to Chrysler in 1987. Lamborghini the automaker is now property of Volkswagen Group through its Audi subsidiary, which bought it from MegaTech, which bought it from Chrysler.
But the Lamborghini name is still an important name because how could it not be? It's on some of the most coveted and expensive supercars in the world.
It's also on countless luxury products. Ferruccio's only son, Tonino, runs the Lamborghini empire, which sells premium goods inspired by the spirit of Lamborghini (under the Lamborghini brand) and which is worth billions of euros. Tonino himself has a reported net worth of around €1 billion, which is approximately $1.1 billion at the current exchange rate.
Photo: YouTube / Lionsgate
Tonino has five children with his wife Luisa... and at least one more out of wedlock, according to incredible claims made during a recent court hearing in Bologna involving his supposed former lover and the child they supposedly had together in 1989. The child is Flavia Borzone, a beautician living in Naples who resembled her supposed father before she got plastic surgery, according to local media.
The same local media says that Borzone first claimed she was a Lamborghini in 2019 during a string of TV appearances. Tonino sued her and her mother for defamation, which actually triggered the DNA test that apparently proves that she's been telling the truth all along.
According to court documents, after repeatedly contacting the Lamborghini family to submit to DNA testing, Borzone hired a private investigator to go through Elettra Lamborghini's garbage. From there, he retrieved a plastic straw she'd used to drink an iced coffee with, from which a DNA sample was collected. Testing revealed that Borzone and Elettra were, in fact, sisters.
Borzone's attorney is now asking the judge to dismiss the defamation lawsuit because Borzone has proved that she wasn't lying. He's also hoping the revelation will force Tonino to recognize her as his daughter.
Meanwhile, lawyers for the Lamborghini family are saying the DNA test shouldn't be accepted as evidence since the sample was collected without approval from the subject – Elettra, in this case.
According to Borzone's mother, an opera singer who claims to have had an affair with Tonino from 1980, when he picked her up in his Lambo at a bus station, through to 1989, this was never about the Lamborghini billions. They can't hurt, but they were never the goal. It was always about Flavia getting to know her father.
The next court appointment is scheduled for March.
Editor's note:
For illustrative purposes, photos in the gallery are stills from Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend, the very disappointing 2022 biopic.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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