LAMBORGHINI GOES TO CHRYSLER

The Chrysler Corporation added another exotic Italian name to its lineup today when it acquired Nuova Automobili F. Lamborghini, a producer of ultra-fast, ultra-expensive grand touring cars. Chrysler executives are clearly hoping that the glamour of Lamborghini - combined with the luster of Maserati, already a Chrysler affiliate - will go a long way toward helping Chrysler change its image as a blue-collar automobile company.

The acquisition is the latest example of a trend among American automobile makers: associating with small, high-performance European auto makers whose images are out of all proportion to the numbers of cars they sell.

Last year, the General Motors Corporation bought Group Lotus, which is best known for the Grand Prix race cars it has designed. Cadillac's newest model, the $54,700 Allante, is produced jointly with Pininfarina, an Italian design and low-volume manufacturing house.

The Ford Motor Company tried unsuccessfully to buy the most famous Italian performance car company of all, Ferrari. But it did succeed in taking over Ghia, a smaller design and model-building concern. Small Output, High Profile

Lamborghini, with headquarters near Bologna in northern Italy, has minuscule production: about 450 cars a year. But the low-slung, aggressive styling of its cars and their eye-popping performance has made the company's charging-bull symbol familiar to auto enthusiasts worldwide.

The company's best-known model, the Countach, is powered by a 420-horsepower, V-12 engine and has a top speed of about 170 miles an hour. Its price tag matches its performance, at $127,000. The Countach name, according to a company history, is derived from the Piedmontese dialect word for ''splendid'' or ''magnificent.''