The 350GT was Lamborghini’s first manufacturing automotive, and as we realized in our final entry, was a very fast adaptation of the 350GTV prototype. And whereas the GTV was actually extra elegant wanting than the GT, the previous’s foibles included a hood line that was too low to suit the corporate’s V12, in addition to a basic lack of practicality.
Practicality was the phrase of the day within the 350GT’s improvement. The 2+1 grand touring coupe introduced Ferruccio Lamborghini’s imaginative and prescient to life, as a competitor to the well-established finery from Ferrari. There have been simply 120 examples of the 350GT produced earlier than its successor joined the ranks. The new automotive had a bigger engine that made extra energy however seemed similar to its brother. Meet the 400GT.
Certainly not a clean-sheet design, the 400GT entered manufacturing in 1966. That was the ultimate 12 months the 350GT was provided, however as we’ll be taught in a second the precise 400GT was not fairly prepared. 1966 was an vital 12 months for Lamborghini because it launched its second mannequin, a automotive that occurred to ascertain the supercar class: The Miura.
The Miura was not an inexpensive venture for Lamborghini, and the event {dollars} required for the daring mid-engine automotive meant the corporate’s grand touring coupe wanted to proceed with out main visible modifications. Would prospects have the ability to discern between a 350 and 400 from the skin?
That was dependent upon how observant they have been. A key differentiator between the 2 vehicles was the arrival of quad sealed beam headlamps, because the 4 lenses of the 400GT changed the 2 ovoid headlamps on the 350GT. Apart from the headlamps, the remainder of the entrance finish was unchanged within the coupe’s transition into a brand new mannequin. The bumper and grille carried over, as did the nook markers and wheels. Some examples obtained a bit chrome bar that looped upward and tied the 2 nook segments of the bumper collectively (proven).
Along the facet, onlookers would notice the arrival of a chromed wing mirror. Sometimes solely the motive force obtained a mirror, and different instances the passenger had one too. Said mirrors have been additionally out there with a black cap as an alternative of a chromed one. Though the roof maintained the identical fundamental form because it had within the 350GT, the 400GT obtained a barely taller roof line. That led to extra glass space usually, an extra nod to practicality. More on that in a second.
At the rear, the informal observer would discover zero distinction between a 350GT and a 400GT. Those with eager eyes may notice the motion of the radio antenna: On the 350 it was on the correct facet of the trunk, close to the brake lamp. 400GT noticed its migration to the left facet, atop the rear fender. Lamps, door mirror, roof, and antenna location have been the one exterior variations between the primary two Lamborghini touring coupes.
Given the 400’s physique remained a lot the identical as its predecessor, it was nonetheless constructed by Carrozzeria Touring and used their Superleggera construct technique. The 100.4-inch wheelbase carried over, as did the general size of 176 inches. The width was an identical between the 2 at 68 inches. However, the 400GT sat larger with its revised roof than the 350, and had an general peak of 49.5 inches over its predecessor’s 48″. As one would anticipate with a rise in engine dimension, the 400GT was additionally heavier: It weighed, 3,245 kilos, barely extra portly than the 350GT at 3,197 kilos.
Some of the extra weight was additionally as a result of bigger glass space of the raised roofline, and one key distinction within the 400GT’s inside: Another seat! The odd 2+1 association of the 350GT noticed a single rear passenger seated in the course of the automotive. In the 400GT the extra roof peak meant there was room for two+2 seating; two actual human beings may match into the again seat.
Elsewhere the inside remained the identical within the transition from 350GT to 400GT, with one notable exception. It appeared early examples of the 350GT weren’t outfitted with a radio, and it turned an possibility later within the run. The 400GT had a devoted house on the passenger facet of the sprint the place a radio might be put in into an oblong panel. On most examples of the 350GT, this panel was not current and the sprint mirrored a Touring brand in that space.
To create the 400GT’s energy, Lamborghini took the Bizzarrini-designed 3.5-liter V12 and enlarged it to three,929 ccs. Keen readers will discover the brand new automotive’s identify ought to have been 390GT, however 400 sounded nicer. The 3.9 was the second of many enlargement procedures for the V12, and it retained the three.5’s wet-sump lubrication. Recall the race specification of the GTV prototype promised 320 horsepower (however the engine was by no means put in), and when it was tuned for production-car specification that determine dropped to 280 horses.
The displacement progress made up for the unique V12’s shortcomings, as the three.9 produced 380 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. The engine improve was a notable one when it comes to energy and was simple sufficient to finish on previous 350GTs that some house owners did an engine swap a few years into Lamborghini possession. When the Miura debuted in 1966 it used the brand new 3.9-liter and stored it for its total run. That explicit engine configuration had good longevity at Lamborghini and lasted properly into the Seventies.
Lamborghini put a transmission of its personal design into the 400GT and removed the ZF field it had utilized in its first automotive. Of the five-speed persuasion, the brand new Lamborghini transmission featured a synchromesh on all gears and made the 400 simpler to drive. But that wasn’t the one expertise and livability change.
The 400 employed the Pirelli Cinturato tire. The Pirelli diagram above explains higher than your writer can, as somebody who’s not a scientist. The Pirelli design was the first-ever wrap-around radial tire and was first launched in 1952 when it was marketed as Cintura. Pirelli modified its identify to Cinturato in 1963.
The Cinturato turned customary gear for high-end Italian vehicles for round three a long time, all by way of the Seventies. A landmark tire, the unique Cinturato sample remains to be made at this time, and the Cinturato continues in trendy kind because the P7. The majority of recent passenger automotive tires are primarily based on the Cinturato’s design.
The 400GT was prepared for its debut on the 1966 Geneva Auto present, however was not put into manufacturing immediately: There was a really restricted run of a holdover mannequin! While the upgraded 3.9-liter was able to go, the taller-roof tackle the 350GT’s physique was not. When the brand new Lamborghini began manufacturing in 1966, the 400GT was later termed the “Interim.”
The Interim had new lamps, and a brand new engine, however the 350GT’s physique and a couple of+1 inside. Just 23 examples of Interim have been made earlier than manufacturing converted to the precise 400GT 2+2 in late 1966 or early 1967. Lamborghini created a really uncommon subset of the 400GT with the Interim, which was much less usable than different examples (however extra helpful later). Much extra widespread, 224 examples of the 400GT 2+2 have been made, in a brief manufacturing run that lasted by way of 1968.
As quickly because the 400GT concluded its tenure, Lamborghini was prepared with one other grand touring coupe. This one had all-new styling and seemed far more trendy than its predecessor. Subjectively, it may also be essentially the most stunning Lamborghini ever made. In our subsequent entry, we’ll cowl the one customized one-off tackle the 400GT ever produced, and discuss in regards to the stunning Islero.
[Images: Lamborghini, Pirelli, YouTube]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the most recent information, options, TTAC takes, and every thing else that will get to the reality about vehicles first by subscribing to our publication.
Related
Source: www.thetruthaboutcars.com