1966 Lamborghini 350GT

Coupe by Touring
Chassis number: 0436
Engine number: 0433

Chassis number 0436 was delivered new to Switzerland but has been in long-term American ownership. This is a well-known and documented example, including The History of Lamborghini by Rob de la Rive Box, The Illustrated Lamborghini Buyer's Guide, the Lamborghini Traume auf vier Radern, and Mag Het Eet Ferrari Zijn.

The car was refinished in its correct Pino Verde Metallico in 2008 and it rides on Borrani wire wheels. Inside, there is black leather interior and there is a wood steering wheel. The car has a number of late-production improvements, such as the Lamborghini five-speed gearbox.

In 2009, the car won the Spirit of Buddy Palumbo Award at the 2009 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.

Since 1978, Ned Gallaher has treated this vehicle to expert care. It received a full mechanical restoration in 2008. Gallaher, himself, acquired the car in 1988.

In 2013, the car was offered for sale at RM Auction's sale in Scottsdale, Arizona. Bidding reached $332,500 but was not enough to satisfy the vehicle's reserve. It would leave the auction unsold.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe by Touring
Chassis number: 0358
Engine number: 0325

Chassis number 0358 was originally supplied to Portugal. In the 1980s, it was acquired by arch Lamborghini collector and founder of the Lamborghini Club of Canada, Ken Browning. At the time of purchase, it had a broken timing chain and needed mechanical and cosmetic attention. Browning rebuilt the motor, as well as its brakes and suspension with correspondence with Ubaldo sgarzi of the works service department, who sourced many of the parts directly from the factory. The work was done over a four-year period.

After Brownings death in the early 1990s, the car was subsequently passed through two further Canadian owners before being brought to auction in 2000 and into the care of an attorney in Lynchburg, VA. It was sold again at auction two further times and purchased by the current owners in August of 2006.

In 2010, the car was offered for sale at the Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia auction presented by Bonhams. It was sold for $165,400 inclusive of buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe by Touring
Chassis number: 0211
Engine number: 0154

The body design of this 350GT originated at Lamborghini but was refined by the stylist at Touring in Milan. Among several unique styling traits of this 350GT is the wheel arches - rounded in the front and rectangular at the rear. The roof is also noticeably high, with the large backlight forming the fastback line.

The 1966 Lamborghini 350GT Superleggera is chassis #0211 and one of 120 built. The vehicle is powered by a 3464cc dual overhead camshaft V12, with six dual-choke downdraft Weber carburetors. The power plant produces 270 horsepower at 6500 RPM, and has a five-speed manual transmission, four-wheel independent suspension with coil springs, and four-wheel disc brakes.

Coupe by Touring
Chassis number: 0253

Lamborghini's prototype 350 GTV was introduced at the 1963 Geneva Auto Show. It had four-wheel independent suspension and a four-cam V-12 engine derived from Giotto Bizzarrini's extensive racing experience. Other individuals responsible included Gian Paolo Dallara, test/development driver Bob Wallace, the racing development shop of Neri & Bonacini in Modena, and the designer of the famous Bertone BATs, Franco Scaglione. After further development, including the refinement of Scaglione's styling by Touring, the production 350GT was introduced at Geneva in 1964.

Early 350 GTs (around nine in total) were given a third seat in the rear to give 2+1 seating. An upholstered package tray later replaced this design. Retractable headlamps were replaced by more powerful, exposed oval Cibie lamps. Other exterior changes included more window glass, and softening of all the sharp edges especially in the tail section.

Initially, sales of the 350 GT were slow, with only 13 early production models built in 1964. Before long, produciton had increased to 25 cars per month. The following year, Lamborghini introduced mid-engined Miura as a rolling chassis at the 1965 Turin Auto Show.

Each of the Lamborghini 350 GT models were hand-made. Special-order modifications were common. The grille was often revised, or a second windshield wiper, backup light, and cowl air intakes were added. The leather dash was eventually replaced with a polished aluminum dash.

This vehicle, chassis number 0253, was delivered on August 28th of 1965 to the United States. The original owner was Jack Kellam. At the time, the car was finished in red with a black interior. In 1989, the car was purchased by Andy Chan who put the car into storage for about two decades, while he lived abroad in Hong Kong.

The current owner is the fourth caretaker, and acquired the car in 2011. The car has just received a fresh two-year restoration. The car is currently finished in black with soft tan leather wraps.

In 2012, this car was offered for sale at RM Auction's Monterey, CA sale. It was estimated to sell for $350,000 - $450,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $365,625, inclusive of buyer's premium.

by Dan Vaughan

Coupe by Touring
Chassis number: 0436
Engine number: 0433

One fateful day in the early 1960s, Enzo Ferrari lost a customer and gained a competitor. That day he told Ferruccio Lamborghini that he should stick to building tractors. A determined Lamborghini ignored the 'Old Man's' comments and the rest is, as they say, history. Lamborghini hired the best available engineers and designers, including Bizzarrini for engine work and Scaglione for coachwork.

Approximately 120 of the resulting V-12 propelled, tube framed, aluminum bodied cars were built. With 280 horsepower, they are capable of speeds in excess of 150 miles per hour.

Delivered in Switzerland in May, 1966, this car arrived stateside in 1973. The current owners purchased the car in 1986, and have enjoyed it ever since.

Coupe by Touring

Ferruccio Lamborghini had built a significant bit of wealth as a tractor manufacturer. To celebrate this, he bought a Ferrari, which he enjoyed, but which annoyed him with build quality issues. When he brought this fact to Mr. Ferrari's attention, he was told to stick to making tractors. So, of course, he immediately went into the sports car business.

This is a 1966 350, one of a production run of approximately 120 cars. They are propelled by a 3.5 liter V-12 engine, use a tube frame, independent suspension, a ZF gearbox and disc brakes. This was the first serial production Lamborghini.

This particular car was removed from service because of a minor front end accident. The shop determined it would be easier to repair if the front was cut off the car. That decision and the difficulty in repairing aluminum coachwork, resulted in a minor delay in the car becoming roadworthy. That delay was approximately 25 years.

After the presentation of the first prototype thanks to Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, the 350 GTV was mass-produced a year later. Before the end of 1966 Carrozzeria Touring had made 120 models, the majority with 3.5 litre 12-cylinder engine and 320 HP – another 23 models were added to these, already using the 4-litre V12 engine and 320 HP, but with more torque and more comfortable to drive. Two 350 GT were built by Carrozzeria Touring in the Spyder version.

by Lamborghini

Ferruccio Lamborghini had built a significant amount of wealth as a tractor builder. When he bought a Ferrari he expected a vehicle with superior performance and few problems. What he got was a car that did have superior performance but was plagued with mechanical difficulties. Upon returning the vehicle to the Ferrari shop and complaining about the lack of build quality, Enzo Ferrari replied 'You should stick with building tractors and let me be concerned about the cars.' Ferruccio was so enraged, that he began a new quest - to build proper supercars that had performance and quality.

Bizzarini, a brilliant engineer, had just left Ferrari and was a suitable candidate to build Lamborghini a twelve-cylinder engine. Franco Scaglione, an employee of Sargiotto located in Turin, was tasked with designing a new vehicle for the newly formed Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A. Scaglione's resume included work such as the Alfa Romeo BATs and the ATS 2500 GT. Sargiotto Bodyworks was responsible for the metal work while Neri & Bonacini were given the task of building the square tube steel chassis. The result was a prototype labeled the Lamborghini 350 GTV and first displayed at the 1963 Turin Auto Show. The interior was leather while the finish was a bright metallic blue color. The engine was not installed in the car because it would not fit. The vertical carburetors were too large and did not fit under the hood. Only recently has the vehicle been restored and the chassis was altered to allow room for the engine.

After the Turin Show, Carlo Anderloni of Touring was brought in to redesign the 350 and prepare it for production. The design was smoothed out and the pop-up headlights were replaced with units that were gracefully incorporated into the hood of the vehicle. The 3.5-liter V12 with twin overhead camshafts and six twin-choke Weber carburetors were placed horizontally between the camshafts in order to fit under the hood. Along with the redesign, the engine was detuned because Ferruccio Lamborghini desired a smooth running, refined engine rather than a highly-tuned racing power-plant. Horsepower dropped from 350 to 270. A 320 horsepower version was available as optional equipment.

In 1964 Ferruccio Lamborghini debuted the production version, the 350 GT, the V had been dropped, to the public at the Geneva Auto Show. The car was powered by a Giotto Bizzarini designed 12-cylinder engine, sat atop a tubular steel chassis, and featured independent suspension and a ZF gearbox. Disc brakes were placed on all four tires. This was Lamborghini's first serial-production GT vehicle. Producing 280 horsepower, the 350 GT was a formidable contender with the other super-cars of the day.

Two shortened chassis's were sent to Zagato, renowned for their lightweight construction, to create alternative creations to the Touring design. Ercole Spada of Zagato was given the task of designing the body. The result was a very elegant coupe that drew inspiration from previous work such as Lancia and Alfa Romeo racers. It was shown at the 1965 London Motor Show under the name Lamborghini 3500 GTZ. Only two examples were ever created. One was retained by the factory while the other was sold to a customer after the show.

Another coachbuilding factory was commissioned in the mid-1960s to create a mid-engined supercar. It was known as the Miura and was powered by a four-liter V12. In 1966 the four-liter engine was available in the front-engined Lamborghini as optional equipment. This version became known as the 400 GT. A few examples were built before it was replaced by the 400 GT 2+2. The two-plus-two configuration made the supercar a little more practical, allowing room for additional occupants in the rear seats. The design of the 2+2 varied slightly from the 400 GT. The 2+2 was constructed of steel while the 400 GT used aluminum. The most distinguishable difference was the double-oval headlights in the front of the 2+2.

In 1966 a Lamborghini 400 GT Monza prototype was created that carried the mechanical components of Lamborghini with styling reminiscent of Ferrari's legendary 250 GTO series. The design was handled by Neri & Bonacini and was shown to the public at the 1966 Barcelona Motor Show. It was sold to a wealthy Spanish individual who used the vehicle as a daily driver. It was put into storage in the early 1970's with the odometer reading just 7,000 km's. It remained in possession of the family until the owner's death in the mid-2000's. Bonham's Auction had the pleasure of offering the vehicle up for auction at the 2005 London Olympia sale where it was sold for $315,000.

During its introductory year, only thirteen examples of the 350 GT version were created. Around 120 examples were created in total. Since these were mostly hand-built, specifications and designs may vary. For example, most of the 400 GTs intended for the US market were given four round headlights, however, a few had larger oval units that were common on the 350 GT.

There were about 247 examples of the 400 GT 2+2 constructed from 1966 through 1968.

The 350/400 GT Series represent Lamborghini's intention to construct the finest Grand Touring automobiles ever assembled. Many automotive journalists at the time hailed the cars as being better than equivalent exotic machinery.

by Dan Vaughan