The 2015 Deal That Put Lamborghini’s Racing Identity on Your Back
In late 2015, Automobili Lamborghini and OMP Racing signed a three-year exclusive licensing agreement to produce co-branded racing apparel and lifestyle gear. OMP would develop a “Special Edition Automobili Lamborghini” collection of FIA-approved race wear modeled on the equipment worn by drivers in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series, alongside a range of lifestyle items aimed at owners and enthusiasts who wanted something more authentic than a logo polo.
The collection covered helmets, race suits, shoes, gloves, and fire-resistant underwear. Beyond the FIA-certified gear, Lamborghini and OMP included a mechanic’s suit, vintage-styled gloves, and the genuinely eccentric OMP Chair, a replica race car seat reimagined as an office armchair. That last item reveals the ambition at work. Lamborghini was not licensing its badge for a capsule collection. The company was building a bridge between the pit lane and everyday life, using OMP’s manufacturing credibility as the foundation. Nearly a decade later, the partnership endures, and its longevity says something important about how functional motorsport authenticity, rather than mere lifestyle branding, has become central to Lamborghini’s identity.
Why OMP, and Why It Mattered
OMP Racing, headquartered near Genoa, brought more than four decades of motorsport safety expertise to the table. Independent reports trace OMP’s origins to 1973, when brothers Claudio, Piergiorgio, and Roberto Percivale founded the company to produce rally equipment like roll bars and exhaust systems. The shift into racewear came in 1982 with fire-resistant Nomex suits, and by 1986 OMP became the first company to obtain ISO 86 homologation for that category.
The brand’s reputation crystallized after Gerhard Berger’s fiery crash at Imola in 1989, where his OMP suit was widely credited with saving his life. Through the 1990s, names like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Carlos Sainz, and Tommi Mäkinen wore OMP gear. Today, OMP holds the status of an official FIA supplier.
For Lamborghini, this was not a random apparel deal. OMP’s Italian heritage and track-proven safety record aligned precisely with the message Squadra Corse wanted to project: that its racing program produces real, functional equipment, not vanity merchandise. Every item in the collection carried a “Made in Italy” designation, and Lamborghini emphasized that OMP’s traditional manufacturing skill and attention to detail underpinned each piece. Choosing a partner whose Nomex suits had literally saved a Formula 1 driver’s life gave the collaboration a gravity that no fashion house could replicate.
From Track to Wardrobe: What the Collection Actually Included
The FIA-approved core of the lineup drew directly from Super Trofeo pit lane equipment. One standout, the OMP Lamborghini Vintage One race suit, married modern safety engineering with 1970s Formula 1 aesthetics. Constructed from Superlight fabric with floating sleeves, a black exterior, and white stripes, it carried the Automobili Lamborghini logo and raging bull emblem. According to Lamborghini, the apparel line was designed to let racing drivers, owners, and enthusiasts wear items based on those used by Lamborghini racing teams.
The partnership did not stay frozen at its 2015 launch point. By April 2017, Collezione Automobili Lamborghini collaborated with Centro Stile and OMP on the “One Art Special Edition” driver’s overalls, featuring Lamborghini’s signature hexagon and Y motifs in orange, green, and yellow. These debuted at the Super Trofeo Europe 2017 opening race. One report indicates that by August 2019, specific products like the OMP Carrera Low Race Boots, featuring fire-resistant Nomex liners and handcrafted soles, were still being highlighted as part of the Automobili Lamborghini Collection. The collaboration clearly outlived its original three-year term, suggesting both parties found value in a relationship rooted in genuine track equipment rather than seasonal fashion cycles.
A Broader Strategy: Lamborghini’s Lifestyle Play in Context
The Collezione Automobili Lamborghini lifestyle brand already covers everything from luggage to eyewear, but the OMP collaboration occupies a distinct niche: it connects directly to Squadra Corse’s competitive programs rather than to the road car showroom. That distinction matters because it gives the apparel a functional authenticity that pure lifestyle merchandise cannot replicate. A Lamborghini polo shirt signals brand affinity. An FIA-homologated race suit signals participation.
Ferrari, by comparison, operates its own extensive lifestyle and merchandise operation, and Scuderia Ferrari branding permeates everything from watches to theme park attractions. Lamborghini’s approach with OMP was narrower and arguably more credible for the core enthusiast audience: fewer products, a single expert manufacturing partner, and a direct lineage to a specific racing series. Whether that restraint was strategic or simply a function of Lamborghini’s smaller scale is debatable, but the result is a collection that feels less like licensed merchandise and more like team equipment made available to civilians.
For owners who participate in Super Trofeo events or track days, the practical value is straightforward. FIA-approved gear from the same supplier that equips the factory racing effort means consistency between what the professionals wear and what a gentleman driver can purchase. That alignment is rare in the supercar world, where lifestyle branding and actual competition equipment often exist in separate universes.
Where the Partnership Stands Now
OMP continues to offer a dedicated Lamborghini Racewear collection featuring race suits, boots, gloves, underwear, kartwear, and accessories incorporating Squadra Corse colors and logos. The official Lamborghini store maintains a Squadra Corse merchandising section as well. What began as a three-year licensing deal appears to have evolved into an ongoing relationship, though Lamborghini has not publicly detailed the current contractual structure or disclosed whether the terms have changed.
Several practical questions remain for prospective buyers. Specific pricing for individual items is not published in Lamborghini’s official communications about the partnership, and availability varies by region and retailer. For enthusiasts interested in the FIA-approved gear for actual track use, the Silodrome article states that the Vintage One suit meets the FIA 885 standard, which would make it eligible for sanctioned competition. Casual buyers looking for lifestyle pieces will find options through the official Lamborghini store and select licensed retailers.
The broader takeaway for LamboCars readers is that this partnership represents one of the quieter, more effective brand extensions in Lamborghini’s portfolio. It does not generate the headlines of a new Revuelto variant or a Temerario GT3 reveal. But for the enthusiast who wants a tangible, functional connection to Lamborghini’s racing identity, a co-branded OMP race suit carries a kind of authenticity that no amount of lifestyle branding can manufacture. The gear comes from the same hands that protect professional drivers. For a company that spent decades resisting factory racing before embracing it fully through Squadra Corse, that connection between the competition paddock and the customer wardrobe tells a meaningful story about where Lamborghini’s brand priorities now sit.
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