Lamborghini 400 GT

Lamborghini 400 GT at a glance

All Lamborghini models are in the Lamborghini catalogue.

From the 350 GT to the 400 GT

The 350 GT, built from May 1964 to 1966 in 120 examples, was the first production car made by Lamborghini. Its V12 had been designed by Giotto Bizzarrini; after he left in 1963, Giampaolo Dallara developed the production version with Paolo Stanzani and test driver Bob Wallace. Touring built the 350 GT body with its Superleggera method, aluminium panels on a tubular frame. The 3,464 cc engine produced 206 kW (280 hp) at 6,500 rpm, and the car reached 254 km/h.

The successor started in a simple way. The 400 GT "Interim" was, according to Wikipedia, the older 350 GT fitted with the larger 3,929 cc V12. Only 23 were built, and three of them had aluminium bodywork.

The real new model was the 400 GT 2+2, presented at the Geneva motor show in 1966. All three cars — 350 GT, 400 GT Interim and 400 GT 2+2 — share the same 2,550 mm wheelbase.

Body and the extra seats

The 400 GT 2+2 has a steel body with a different roofline, larger side windows and a smaller rear window than the 350 GT. Its beltline is 66 mm higher and its floor slightly lower. These changes made room for two seats in the back, where the 350 GT had space only for luggage or an optional third seat.

Carrozzeria Touring revised the body for the 2+2 and built the first cars. When Touring went bankrupt in 1967, Marazzi took over production of the bodies.

Engine and gearbox

The engine is a 3,929 cc Lamborghini V12 with 235 kW (320 hp), mounted at the front and driving the rear wheels. An important improvement was the gearbox. The 400 GT has a five-speed manual transmission designed by Lamborghini, with Porsche-type synchromesh on all gears, which Wikipedia says greatly improved the drivetrain. The original tyres were Pirelli Cinturato 205 VR15 (CN72).

Special bodies: Monza and Flying Star II

Two one-off cars were built on the running gear of the 400 GT. The 400 GT Monza is a two-seater made in 1966 by Neri and Bonacini on a 350 GT chassis (number 01030) with the 400 GT V12. It was shown at the Barcelona motor show in 1967 and sold there to a Spanish buyer.

The Flying Star II was a concept car built by Carrozzeria Touring on the 400 GT.

Successor: the Islero

In 1968 the 400 GT was replaced by the Islero, a rebodied 400 GT designed by Mario Marazzi of Carrozzeria Marazzi — the company that had taken over 400 GT body production after Touring's bankruptcy. The Islero kept the 3,929 cc V12, rated at about 243 kW (330 PS), and the Islero S of 1969 had about 261 kW (350 bhp). Lamborghini built 125 Isleros and 100 Islero S cars in 1968 and 1969. The name comes from the fighting bull that killed the matador Manolete in 1947. Ferruccio Lamborghini and his brother Edmondo both drove Isleros.

Legacy

The 400 GT added a larger engine, two rear seats and a Lamborghini-designed gearbox to the formula of the 350 GT. Many 350 GTs were later fitted with the 400 GT engine. With 247 cars built, it continued the company's front-engined V12 line until the Islero replaced it in 1968. More about the company is in our history of Lamborghini.