The early Lamborghini were in many ways the best cars the company ever built. Class beating dream cars, the 350 GT of 1964 was faster, quicker, easier to drive and more carefully made than the equivalent Ferrari, yet surprisingly they were no more expensive. In fact, Ferrucio Lamborghini lost almost $1000 on every 350 he sold in 1964. Under the skin there was proper race cars suspension, the best disc brakes money could buy, five speeds where a Ferrari ad only four and, best of all, the world’s finest engine, a delightful, four camshaft, 3.5 liter V-12 that could push the car to 160 mph (256 km/h). All it ever lacked was great looks: somehow the Touring’s shape, though elegant in some ways, was never a classic. The initial 350 GT was the lightest and fastest of these early front engined Lamborghinis. Later 400 GT and GT 2+2s were steel bodied (the boot lid and bonnet were still of alloy) with more torque and horsepower to try to counteract the added weight now a corpulent 286 lb (1300 kg). By stretching the bore to 82mm, the V12 was now a 4 liter unit, 50 bhp stronger than its predecessors at 320 bhp, with a useful 276 lb/ ft of torque. It was a car where that type of extra power didn’t go to waste when you were driving it.
Although the styling was identical at a glance, and the same wheelbase was retained, the 2+2 had all new body panels, with a taller roof line to squeeze in rear passengers. Most of 400s, and all the 2+2s, had Lamborghini’s own transmission, a five speed unit with synchromesh or reverse gear. The 400 died in 1968. The Islero, the car that replaced the 400, was a simplified, boxy and less glamorous development of the old car that was nothing like as well built.
