The Lamborghini 350 GT is making a comeback at Geneva. The model debuted at the Swiss Motor Show back in 1964. Sixty years later, it flaunts elegant looks, proving that it aged like fine wine.
Ferruccio Lamborghini himself unveiled the Lamborghini 350 GT. He had founded the company just months before, presented its first prototype, the 350 GTV, in October 1963, and officially introduced it in March 1964.
The one on display in Geneva was chassis number 1. It was painted in Metallic Green with a white interior. Subsequently used as a test model for development and endurance tests, the first produced 350 GT turned into a pile of metal following a rear-end collision while stopping at traffic lights. And that was the end of it.
Lamborghini has taken chassis number 2 to Geneva this spring for a photo shoot around the city where the model made its debut to mark the six-decade anniversary. It comes in Metallic Gray and sports a red leather interior. GT 350 chassis number 2 drove through the gate of the Sant'Agata Bolognese factory on August 15, 1964. Restored and certified by Lamborghini Polo Storico, it is, today, the oldest production Lamborghini in existence.
The model was designed by Franco Scaglione and built at Carrozzeria Sargiotto in Turin, while engineer Giampaolo Dallara was responsible for the chassis and frame. It came with flowing lines and displayed the bull symbol, while the finest leather covers the two front seats and one central rear seat.
Photo: Lamborghini
A 3.5-liter V12 engine carried over from motor racing, sporting four overhead camshafts, engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini and adapted for road use by Paolo Stanzani, powered the 350 GT. It generated 320 metric horsepower, and it made a dramatic noise that Ferruccio Lamborghini impressed visitors and customers alike in Geneva.
Lamborghini increased the capacity of the 3.5-liter V12 to 4.0-liter just months later in the 400 GT, turning it into an icon. It was the engine that the carmaker used for the upcoming 40 years.
It found room in a longitudinal position in the 400 GT, Islero, Jeramy, Espada, and LM 002. Meanwhile, the Miura received it in a rear transverse position. The Countach and the Diablo were powered by the same engine mounted in a rear longitudinal layout.
The first customer to receive the new 350 GT was drummer Giampiero Giusti from the jazz band "I 5 di Lucca," later turning into the "Quartet di Lucca." The move got the attention of celebrities. A string of actors and musicians were suddenly interested in what Lamborghini rolled out in Sant’Agata Bolognese.
The car also showed up in the 1967 Columbia Pictures movie "Kill Me Quick, I'm Cold," where it was driven by the leading couple Monica Vitti and Jean Sore.
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