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This Early-Make 1964 350 GT, the First Lamborghini Car, Sniffs $650K at an Auction

One of the very earliest sportscars made by Lamborghini is for sale, a 350 GT built at the end of 1964 on chassis number 114. Series production of the automobile began with frame 101, and only 120 examples were produced until 1966, when the company’s first model was discontinued.
1964 Lamborghini 350 GT 57 photos
Photo: rmsothebys.com
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The Lamborghini 350 GT has an intriguing story – perhaps not surprisingly, as it was the first punch Ferruccio, the brand founder, and owner, swung at Ferrari. Displeased with the reliability of the Prancing Horse automobiles, the Italian tractor builder took matters into his own hands and decided he could build better sportscars.

His idea of poking Ferrari with the stick took the shape of a Gran Turismo with a V12 engine of 3.5 liters and respectable performance. Funny enough, the frantic Ferruccio had to downgrade his own powerplant to make it more appealing to the buying public.

When Mr. Lamborghini entrusted his engineers with building him a sportscar to leave Ferrari in the dust, the mechanical geniuses obliged and came out with an excellent racing engine. 3.5 liters, 12 cylinders, six down-draft carbs, dry sump lubrication, aggressively profiled quad-cams, heavy-duty materials (to withstand the 11.0:1 compression ratio).

1964 Lamborghini 350 GT
Photo: rmsothebys.com
Ferruccio-the-gearhead immediately liked the 11,000 RPM-revving, 400-hp (406 PS)-yielding all-aluminum V12. Mr. Lamborghini-the-businessman instantly saw the marketing drawbacks of a wild powerplant in a street-legal, luxury car. Consequently, reason rather than heart got the better of the Italian carmaker, and the engine was tamed down.

Although stale compared to the initial plans, the results were still impressive – at least to the general public, who welcomed the new Italian sportscar with open arms (and wallets). The primordial Lamborghini, the 350 GT, was gearing up for history.

The civilian version relied on 280 hp (284 PS) and spun 100 times every second (that’s 6,000 RPM) at top speed – which was 158 mph (255 kph). Acceleration wasn’t bad either, with a zero-to-sixty-two sprint in 6.8 seconds. The lightweight aluminum body – sculpted by the master coachbuilders from Touring Superleggera – helped with performance, as the car only weighed 1.2 tons.

1964 Lamborghini 350 GT
Photo: rmsothebys.com
The car had to sell to make money off it, and Lamborghini knew (from his bitter experience with now-archrival Ferrari) that reliability was essential for luring customers. He wanted his 350 GT engines to last “at least” 40.000 miles (65,000 kilometers) without significant maintenance work.

The engineers replaced the race-style top-mounted Webber carbs with six horizontal double-body fuel mixers, reduced the compression ratio to just 9.0:1, put a classic wet lubrication system, and smoothed out the rawness of the original V12. This allowed the engine to deliver thrills to the driver while establishing Lamborghini as a reliable carmaker, and not just as another “fast cars” manufacturer.

The 350 GT would set the tone for the company’s future. Although it had a small build number of just 120, the automobile made Lamborghini a name to be reckoned with in the car-building business. The first mass-produced car of the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory made its way into the piston-spinning world with grace and class. Still, it didn’t get the laurels without effort.

1964 Lamborghini 350 GT
Photo: rmsothebys.com
In 1964, the first 350 GT was delivered to its new owner on July 31. By the end of the year, only 14 cars left the assembly line – far below the estimated “ten units per week” manufacturing pace. Fatefully, as decades rolled by, the surviving Lamborghinis of the 350 GT family exponentially increased in market value, with some examples changing hands for well over $700K in the last decade.

Chassis number 114 is now for sale, and the asking price lingers in an over half-a-million-bucks range (the auction house estimates the value between €550k and €600K - $594K to $648K). A small but fascinating detail of this early 350 GT is the consecutive-numbers sequence for the chassis-body-engine trio: frame number 14, body number 15, and engine number 16.

For the first 54 years, the car had three owners – one of whom possessed the Lambo for 43 of those years. The car didn’t have an easy life – the restoration documents speak of many ill-fated incidents that befell it during the 47,000 miles (76,000 km) it collected.

1964 Lamborghini 350 GT
Photo: rmsothebys.com
Between 2017 and 2019, the 350 GT underwent a $90,000 total overhaul. The records of the work are very minute about what the car has been through before going to the rejuvenation specialists. I’ll mention two mishaps: the inspection revealed sulfuric acid corrosion on the floor pan and a bent front frame, but the list is rich with head-scratching defects. The documents can be viewed through the auction site should you wish to study what kind of rebuild the car has gone through.

The 3.5-liter V12 got special attention – again, the restoration bill is generous with reasons. The valves and their seats, guides, and timing chains were replaced, and the engine was resealed. The carburetors were re-tuned, and the independent suspensions (front and rear) were refreshed.

The seats (rebuilt and with new upholstery) were relocated 2.25 inches toward the back (57 mm) for improved driver comfort. After the car exchanged hands one more time in 2021, it also received a paint job – with the factory-correct Blue Tigullio hue.

1964 Lamborghini 350 GT
Photo: rmsothebys.com
On February 1, the 14th Lamborghini series sportscar ever made is headed to auction with high hopes and aspirations. A piece of not just Lamborghini history, but collective automobile memory wants to live on for the glory of one of humanity’s most influential creations: the motorcar.
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About the author: Razvan Calin
Razvan Calin profile photo

After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads.
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