Murciélago (Spanish for "

Bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

") was a Navarra

fighting bull The Spanish Fighting Bull is an Iberian heterogeneous cattle (''Bos taurus'') population. It is exclusively bred free-range on extensive estates in countries where bullfighting is organized. Fighting bulls are selected primarily for a certain ...

who gained fame after

Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. ( , ), usually referred to as Lamborghini or colloquially Lambo, is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its su ...

chose to name a supercar after him to continue the passion for bullfighting that

Ferruccio Lamborghini Ferruccio Lamborghini ( ; ; 28 April 1916 – 20 February 1993) was an Italian automobile designer, soldier, inventor, mechanic, engineer, winemaker, industrialist, and businessman who created Lamborghini Trattori in 1948 and the Lamborghini, ...

, the company's founder, was famous for. Murciélago was a 5-year dark-brown Retinta breed bull with partridge eye coat and middle-length horns. He was the third bull to fight at the Coso de los califas bullring in Córdoba, Murciélago was the second bull to be spared by the espada after surviving 24 jabs with the lance from the picador in a fight on 5 October 1879, against the diestro Rafael "El Lagartijo" Molina Sánchez. Murciélago demonstrated its indomitable bravery during the bullfight that the crowd asked the matador to spare the bull. According to the PR-specialists, the bull survived 90 sword strokes in a 5 October 1879 fight against Rafael ''"El Lagartijo"'' Molina Sánchez, at the ''Coso de los califas'' bullring in

Córdoba, Spain Córdoba ( ; ), or sometimes Cordova ( ), is a city in Andalusia, Spain, and the capital of the Province of Córdoba (Spain), province of Córdoba. It is the third most populated Municipalities in Spain, municipality in Andalusia. The city prim ...

. Its name means

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. It is said that Murciélago fought with such passion and spirit that the crowd called for his life to be spared, an honour which the

torero A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activi ...

bestowed. The bull, which came from the farm of Joaquín del Val de Navarra, was later presented as a gift to Don Antonio Miura. Together with his brother, Don Eduardo Miura, they brought Murciélago into the Miura line by siring him with 70 cows. Bulls from the Miura ranch, located near

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, Spain, are known for being large and ferocious.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murcielago Bullfighting Individual bulls in sport Lamborghini