60 Years on, the Lamborghini 350 GT Is Ready for Another Close-Up
Lamborghini celebrated the 350 GT’s 60th birthday this week with some glamour shots on the roads of Geneva.
Automobili Lamborghini first entered the public consciousness at the 1963 Turin auto show with a sleek two-seater prototype, the 350 GTV, styled by Franco Scaglione and constructed by Carrozzeria Sargiotto. After much development and tweaking to chassis and body alike (while pretty, the GTV didn’t translate to a viable car), the production-ready 350 GT was finally unveiled five months later at the 1964 Geneva motor show.
The newest entry on the Italian exotic scene wore a lovely aluminum body, redesigned by Bianchi Anderloni and constructed by Carrozzeria Touring, with a chassis engineered by a young Giampaolo Dallara. It was powered by a front-mounted quad-cam 270-hp 3.5-liter V-12. It all added up to a stunner, too.
A beaming Ferruccio Lamborghini was on hand to show off his new car to onlookers, journalists, and prospective buyers alike. Before long, the V-12 underhood would grow to four liters and give rise to the 1966 400 GT. Crucially, the mill’s underlying architecture would serve as the basis for the V-12s that powered several subsequent Lamborghinis over the next 40 years, including the front-engine Islero, Jarama, Espada, and LM002, and, mounted amidships, the Miura, Countach, and Diablo.
Lamborghini would go on to produce 135 350 GTs before 1966, when 400 GT production began. Unfortunately, the Geneva show car, chassis number 101, was destroyed during testing. But the oldest remaining example, #102, in metallic gray over red leather, is fitter than ever, and it looked stunning for its 60th anniversary Swiss photoshoot.
Only one thing on this car that did not fit was the head lamps. It needed flip up lamps.
It was a bit Ferrari, Aston and Lotus looking. The head lamps would have given it a Elan like nose.
Agreed. The prototype 350 GTV actually had them, and it seems a much more cohesive look.
I agree as well. Those oval lights – like quad headlights – were one of those 1960’s styling trends that hasn’t aged well. Perhaps an automotive stylist could explain why they look so out of place.
I like it as is. It’s a beautiful car.
To this day one of the most stunning front-engined V12s ever.
Amazing engine.
Interesting factoid: oil pressure must have been a bit on the high side, since upon disassembly it was discovered that the driven oil pump gear had a square groove cut in the teeth all the way around to reduce pressure until the revs were very high, when I suppose there would be some assistance. Whole business being driven straight off the front of the crankshaft. Entire motor had a light coat of rust everywhere inside but the cam lobes and followers, and crank journals, and was stuck. Owner wanted to bust it free, but I told him, just let me start dismantling it, it may unstick by itself – which it did. At 93,000 km (May 2005) there was hardly any wear in the bores, cams were excellent, timing gears excellent with no wear to speak of, even the transmission was near perfect, only wear was on one of the shift forks, which I had welded and refinished myself. Only real wear was scoring on the crank – from the black sludge that used to be oil. Some slob had stripped the brass drain plug and owner at the time just kept driving it anyway. So glad it’s being cared for!