1965 Lamborghini 350 GT

The first Lamborghini sports car was based on a chassis design by Gian Paolo Dallara, who had apprenticed under Carlo Chiti at Ferrari before moving on to Maserati under the direction of Giulio Alfieri. It was given a racecar-like frame of steel tubing with specifications inspired by racing machines, including the independent suspension setup and four-wheel disc brakes. The body was penned by Franco Scaglione and made its debut at the Turin Motor Show in 1965. Two examples of the 350 GTV prototype were produced before Lamborghini made modifications to the design. The engine was slightly detuned, and the top-feeding racing carburetors were relocated in favor of sidedraft Webers, allowing a lower hood profile. The new aluminum coachwork was produced by Touring of Milan, who used the Superleggera construction technique.

The 350 GT made its introduction at the 1964 Geneva Motor Salon. The luxurious supercar had a top speed of 165 mph. A total of 120 examples of the 350 GT were built at the new Lamborghini factory in Sant'Agata over the next three years before the model was phased out in favor of the mildly redesigned 400 GT. A few of the later 350 GT examples were upgraded to 4.0-liter specifications early in their lives.

The Lamborghini 350 GT rested on a 100.4-inch wheelbase and stood 48 inches tall, and was 68.1 inches wide. The Touring-styled two-seater 350 GT received their patented Superleggera method of construction to fix aluminum alloy panels directly to the tubular structure. The frame was fabricated by Neri and Bonacini until production of the 350 GT was underway, when the job was turned over to Marchesi. Touring combined the chassis and bodies, and then sent them to the Lamborghini factory. The Bizzarrini-designed, all-alloy, DOHC V12 engine produced 270 horsepower in production form, with assistance from six Weber Twin-choke carburetors and a 3,464cc displacement. The engine was paired with a five-speed manual transmission and four-wheel vacuum servo-assisted Girling disc brakes provided the stopping power. It had a four-wheel independent suspension system, a Salisbury limited-slip differential and was originally fitted with Pirelli Cinturato HS 205-section tires.

The Lamborghini factory took delivery of the first 350 GT chassis and body on March 9th, 1964. Named No. 101 (Touring No. 17001), it made its debut at the Geneva Show that same month. Number 104 (Touring No. 17004) was the first customer car and delivered on July 31st of 1964. By the close of 1964, less than 25 cars were delivered to customers.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2019