Lamborghini. That one word sends most people back to a time when they were but a child and had a poster of a red Diablo or white Countach mounted on their bedroom wall. It evokes images of insane designs and a sudden lust for mid-engine, rear wheel drive perfection. It's such a stereotype for Lamborghini that you'd think that's where they started since the inception of Automobili Lamborghini.
But you'd be wrong.
Let's see a show of hands of who thinks the Miura was Lamborghini's first car...
Like I said, you're wrong.
We all know the story about Ferruccio Lamborghini and his tractors, and his dissatisfaction with the service he received while owning multiple Ferrari's. However, what many people don't know is the story of the
first car designed and produced by Automobili Lamborghini.
With the help of engineering firm, Societa Autostar, and chassis engineer Gian Paolo Dallara, Lamborghini set to work on a prototype of a V12 Grand Tourer designed to go head to head with the Ferrari 250 GT. After four months of work, a prototype was ready for the 1963 Turin Motor Show. Dubbed the 350GTV, it lacked an engine due to ongoing disagreements with engine designer Giotto Bizzarrini, but was warmly approved by the attending masses.
Lamborghini 350GTV
After the show, and despite favourable reviews, Lamborghini decided to rework the car for production. It was restyled by Carrozzeria Touring, and Bizzarrini's V12 (which was finally in production phase after much bickering between the two) was detuned from 360bhp down to 280bhp. The production model sold to the public was renamed the 350GT. Sold at a loss in order to remain competitive with Ferrari, Lamborghini managed to move 135 cars in a total of two years.
Lamborghini 350GT
Not content, Lamborghini reworked the V12 engine by increasing it's displacement to 3.9 litres, bringing up the bhp to 320. This engine was then installed back into a 350GT, which was then renamed the 400GT Interim. This was then replaced with the slightly stretched 400GT 2+2, named because it was now capable of carrying the driver plus three passengers. Also designed by Carrozzeria Touring, it also introduced a new Lamborghini designed gearbox that largely copied Porsche's geared syncromesh. A total of 247 400GT's were sold.
Lamborghini 400GT
As an added bonus, a one-off 400GT was built by Neri and Bonacini, two of the original designers of the 350GT. Meant to raced in the Le Mans by an American client, it was reworked both outside and inside. However, homologation problems soon put an end to the Le Mans plan, and it was eventually sold off at the Barcelona Motor Show to a Spaniard.
Lamborghini 400GT Monza
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