In a feature for Drive channel, JF Musial goes on to drive some Lamborghinis and have a few words with Valentino Balboni. For those few who may not know who Valentino is, the guy has been driving every new Lamborghini – long before they actually hit the market – since 1973. He was Lambo’s chief test driver, and even though he’s retired now and replaced by the young Max Venturi, he is still a walking talking Lamborghini.

Back in 2010 Lamborghini made a special edition of the Gallardo, codenamed LP550-2 in honor of this remarkable man.

For several decades, Valentino Balboni has had a distinct influence on the character of the super sports car bearing the sign of the bull. With his fine-tuning and testing work, he has helped to shape many automotive legends, from the Lamborghini Miura of the 60s through to the current Lamborghini Gallardo and Lamborghini Murciélago models. Balboni was hired in 1967 by company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini himself. From early on, it was evident that the young Balboni had a special feel for cars, that most sensitive of all instincts that connects to the ‘life blood’ of an automobile and defines the soul of a test driver.