Now that we’ve gotten the 400th post 400GT out of the way, we can move back to the beginning. The 1963 350GT was Lamborghini’s first outing outside of tractor manufacturing, and it’s a striking piece of metalwork at that.
This silver 1965 example, offered at RM Auction’s sale of the Don Davis Collection, isn’t one of the first cars – but let’s give that detail a pass.
Being a small-scale manufacturer for quite some time, Lamborghini had to rely on whatever parts were available. That headlight glass fits an NSU Prinz and a Ford Taunus 17M, by the way.
So many toggle switches, so much red leather. This is a partially restored car, and the leather looks brand new. I can’t see even minor patina anywhere. This particular car carries an estimate of 300-400 000 USD.
The spotlessness continues under the hood, where the 3.5-litre V12 resides. The 270hp engine, essentially a detuned Bizzarrini racing engine, was engineered to be as reliable and sturdy as possible, and each of the engines spent 24 hours in a dynamometer under tight scrutiny before being mounted in a car. Lamborghini wanted to get it right the first time.
During the following years, Lamborghini honed their products to be more instantly recognizable, and the front-engine layout wasn’t necessarily the calling card of Lambos later on. Still, the way they started off wasn’t bad-looking at all. The dimensions and the gentle bubble of the glasshouse are well-measured.
See the Lamborghini listing here
[Images: RM Auctions]
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