1966 400 GT 2+2

The
example shown with chassis number 0454 was offered for auction at the
2006 RM Auctions in Monterey California where it was expected to sell
between $250,000-$300,000. It has won numerous awards at shows such as
a first in class at the 1997 Lamborghini Concours d'Elegance as well as
a Best in Show and Peoples Choice award at the event. It won first in
class at the Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance and Palos Verdes
Concours d'Elegance. This car has large oval headlights
similar to a 350GT. Most of the 400GT's were given four round
headlights. Its drive train retains the 350 GT's English made Salisbury
rear axle - an unusual configuration for the 400 GT series. From
1993 through 1997 this vehicle was treated to a mechanical and body
restoration. At the conclusion of the auction, this vehicle had found a
new owner at the price of $253,000.

Ferruccio Lamborghini had built a significant
amount of wealth as a tractor builder. When he bought a Ferrari he
expected a vehicle with superior performance and few problems. What he
got was a car that did have superior performance but was plagued with
mechanical difficulties. Upon returning the vehicle to the Ferrari shop
and complaining about the lack of build quality, Enzo Ferrari replied
'You should stick with building tractors and let me concern about the
cars.' Ferruccio was so enraged, that he began a new quest - to build
proper supercars that had performance and quality.Bizzarini,
a brilliant engineer, had just left Ferrari and was a suitable
candidate to build Lamborghini a twelve-cylinder engine. Franco
Scaglione, an employee of Sargiotto located in Turin, was tasked with
designing a new vehicle for the newly formed Automobili Ferruccio
Lamborghini S.p.A. Scaglione's resume included work such as the Alfa
Romeo BATs and the ATS 2500 GT. Sargiotto Bodyworks were responsible
for the metal work while Neri & Bonacini were given the task of
building the square tube steel chassis. The result was a prototype
labeled the Lamborghini 350 GTV and first displayed at the 1963
Turin Auto Show. The interior was leather while the finish was a bright
metallic blue color. The engine was not installed in the car because it
would not fit. The vertical carburetors were too large and did not fit
under the hood. Only recently has the vehicle been restored and the
chassis was altered to allow room for the engine.After
the Turin Show, Carlo Anderloni of Touring was brought in to redesign
the 350 and prepare it for production. The design was smoothed out and
the pop-up headlights were replaced with units that were gracefully
incorporated into the hood of the vehicle. The 3.5-liter V12 with twin
overhead camshafts and six twin-choke Weber carburetors was placed
horizontally between the camshafts in order to fit under the hood.
Along with the redesign, the engine was detuned because Ferruccio
Lamborghini desired a smooth running, refined engine rather than a
highly-tuned racing power-plant. Horsepower dropped from 350 to 270. A
320 horsepower version was available as optional equipment.In 1964 Ferruccio Lamborghini debuted the production version, the 350 GT,
the V had been dropped, to the public at the Geneva Auto Show. The car
was powered by a Giotto Bizzarini designed 12-cylinder engine, sat atop
a tubular steel chassis, and featured independent suspension and a ZF
gearbox. Disc brakes were placed on all four tires. This was
Lamborghini's first serial-production GT vehicle. Producing 280
horsepower, the 350 GT was a formidable contender with the other
super-cars of the day. Two shortened chassis's were sent
to Zagato, renowned for their lightweight construction, to create
alternative creations to the Touring design. Ercole Spada of Zagato was
given the task of designing the body. The result was a very elegant
coupe that drew inspiration from previous work such as Lancia and Alfa
Romeo racers. It was shown at the 1965 London Motor Show under the name
Lamborghini 3500 GTZ. Only two examples were ever created. One
was retained by the factory while the other was sold to a customer
after the show. Another coachbuilding factory was
commissioned in the mid-1960s to create a mid-engined supercar. It was
known as the Miura and was powered by a four-liter V12. In 1966 the
four-liter engine was available in the front-engined Lamborghini as
optional equipment. This version became known as the 400 GT. A few examples were built before it was replaced by the 400 GT 2+2.
The two-plus-two configuration made the supercar a little more
practical, allowing room for additional occupants in the rear seats.
The design of the 2+2 varied slightly from the 400 GT. The 2+2 was
constructed of steel while the 400 GT used aluminum. The most
distinguishable difference was the double-oval headlights in the front
of the 2+2. In 1966 a Lamborghini 400 GT Monza
prototype was created that carried the mechanical components of
Lamborghini with styling reminiscent of Ferrari's legendary 250 GTO
series. The design was handled by Neri & Bonacini and was shown to
the public at the 1966 Barcelona Motor Show. It was sold to a wealthy
Spanish individual who used the vehicle as a daily driver. It was put
into storage in the early 1970's with the odometer reading just 7,000
km's. It remained in possession of the family until the owner's death
in the mid-2000's. Bonham's Auction had the pleasure of offering the
vehicle up for auction at the 2005 London Olympia sale where it was
sold for $315,000. During its introductory year, only
thirteen examples of the 350 GT version were created. Around 120
examples were created in total and all were mostly hand-built. Since
these were mostly hand-built, specifications and designs may vary. For
example, most of the 400 GTs intended for the US market were given four
round headlights, however, a few had larger oval units that were common
on the 350 GT. There were about 224 examples of the 400 GT 2+2 constructed. Five examples being right-hand drive. The
350/400 GT Series represent Lamborghini's intention to construct the
finest Grand Touring autombiles ever assembled. Many automotive
journalists at the time hailed the cars as being better than equivalent
exotic machinery.

1966 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2
Year	1966
Make	Lamborghini
Model	400 GT 2+2
Body Style	Coupe
Engine Location	Front
Drive Type	Rear Wheel (standard), Front Wheel
Production Years for Series	1966 - 1968
Body Designer	Touring
Price	$14,750.00
Weight	2754 lbs | 1249.2 kg
Introduced At	1966 Geneva Motorshow

Chassis / Engine Numbers Shown
Chassis Number	0454

Performance
0-60 mph	6.7 seconds.
1/4 Mile	15.00S seconds.
Top Speed	168 mph | 270.3 km/h Similar top speeds

Engine
Engine Configuration	V
	60-degree
	Vee-Type
Cylinders	12
	Solid valve lifters
Aspiration/Induction	Normal
Displacement	3929.00 cc | 239.8 cu in. | 3.9 L.
Valves	24 valves. 2 valves per cylinder.
Valvetrain	DOHC
Horsepower	320.00 BHP (235.5 KW) @ 6500.00 RPM
Torque	275.00 Ft-Lbs (372.9 NM) @ 4500.00 RPM
HP to Weight Ratio	8.6 LB / HP (Vehicles with similar ratio)
HP / Liter	82.1 BHP / Liter
Compression Ratio	9.2:1
Main Bearings	7
Fuel Feed	Carburetor
	6 Weber 2-barrel carburetors
Block	Light Alloy
Head	Light Alloy
	Vehicles with similar horsepower and weight

Standard Transmission
Gears	5
Transmission	Manual
Final Drive	4.08:1