Lamborghini 350 GT
The Lamborghini 350 GT is a grand tourer manufactured by Lamborghini between 1964 and 1966. It was the first production vehicle produced by Lamborghini. The 350 GT was based on the earlier Lamborghini 350 GTV and was equipped with a 3.5 liter V12 engine and a 2-door coupé body by Touring Superleggera|Carrozzeria Touring]. The 350 GT debuted at the March 1964 Geneva Motor Show and production began the following May. The success of this model ensured the company's survival, establishing it as a viable competitor with rival manufacturer Ferrari.
History
Initial design team
After the testing of his prototype Lamborghini engine in May 1963, then-lead engineer Giotto Bizzarrini left the company. The following month Ferruccio Lamborghini tasked engineer Giampaolo Dallara with developing a production version of Bizzarrini's 350 GTV grand tourer. Dallara was assisted in this project by engineer Paolo Stanzani and test driver Bob Wallace.Dallara and Stanzani quickly realized that the 350 GTV was not properly designed for mass production. They began working in parallel on two projects that would result in the production 350 GT. First, they began de-tuning the original Bizzarrini engine and redesigning the original Bizzarrini chassis for street use. Second, they started readying the 350 GTV for its late-October 1963 Turin Auto Show debut, where Lamborghini hoped it would raise interest in the eventual production 350 GT.
Redesigning the GTV Prototype
The 350 GT shared a number of features with the 350 GTV prototype, including a four-wheel independent suspension, the quad-cam 3.5 liter Lamborghini V12, and an aluminium body. A number of mechanical revisions and refinements were made due to the suggestions of the Neri and Bonacini racing development shop and test driver Bob Wallace. The body was redesigned by Carrozzeria Touring, retaining the original profile while cleaning up details of the design to result in a more cohesive appearance. Most noticeable was the replacement of the prototype's rotating hidden headlights with fixed headlights.As equipped to the 350 GTV, the Bizzarrini-designed 3.5 liter V12 was essentially a race motor, potentially developing at 11,000 rpm. In order to fit his grand touring car with a smoother, more pleasant, longer-lasting engine that would be "good for 40,000 hard miles between services," Ferruccio had Dallara and Wallace de-tune a version of this prototype GTV motor for street use. This included:
- Replacing the elaborate and costly racing-style dry sump oiling system with a conventional wet sump system
- Reducing the compression ratio from 11.0:1 or above to 9.4:1
- Cutting back on the exotic materials specified for the crankshaft and other components to reduce cost
- Relocating the distributors to more accessible positions on the fronts of the exhaust camshafts
- Adoption of a single, very tall Lamborghini-made oil filter
- Replacing the expensive 36 mm down-draft racing Weber carburetors with conventional, less expensive side-draft 40 DCOE Webers. This resolved clearance problems seen in the GTV prototype and enabled the exceptionally low hood line Ferruccio desired.
- Softening the cam profiles for smoother running during street driving
While this 350 GT design work continued, the 350 GTV prototype was rushed to completion for the upcoming October 26 press meeting and the subsequent inauguration of the Turin Auto Show on the 30th. The 350 GTV was shown at the Turin Auto Show with the original Bizzarrini "racing" V-12 enginewith its downdraft Webers, rear distributors, etc.displayed alongside as it was not "adapted to the chassis." The car was a static display with the suspension arms simply tack-welded in place and the engine not installed. Lukewarm reaction to the car caused Ferruccio Lamborghini to postpone plans for immediate production and move on to introducing Dallara's new 350 GT design.
In March 1964, only five months after the debut of the GTV in Turin, the "redesigned GTV"now called the 350 GTwas debuted at the Geneva Auto Show. It was greeted with sufficient enthusiasm that Ferruccio decided to proceed with production in May 1964.
Manufacturing and assembly
The manufacture of the bodies was entrusted to Touring of Milan, who used their patented Superleggera method of construction to fix aluminium alloy panels directly to a tubular structure. The first 350 GT frame was fabricated by Neri and Bonacini, who continued to act as Lamborghini's chassis supplier until production of the 350 GT was underway, when the job was turned over to Marchesi. Chassis and bodies were mated at Touring, which then delivered the complete assemblieswith even the bumpers in placeto the Lamborghini factory. The cars could be ordered in several colors.The first 350 GT chassis and body, delivered to the Lamborghini factory on March 9, 1964, was named No. 101. That same month No. 101 debuted at the Geneva show. The first customer delivery of a 350 GT was No. 104, delivered on July 31, 1964. No. 104 is displayed at the Sinsheim Technical Museum. Production increased slowly: despite the initial goal of building 10 cars a week, less than 25 cars were delivered to customers in 1964.
Lamborghini produced one hundred-twenty 350 GTs before replacing it with the Lamborghini 400 GT in 1966. Many 350 GTs were subsequently fitted with the larger 4.0 litre engine used in the 400 GT, in order to take advantage of the later engine's greater power and better replacement parts availability.
Specifications
The 350 GT had an all-aluminium alloy V12 engine mated to a five-speed ZF manual transmission. It had an aluminium body, a Salisbury limited-slip differential, four-wheel independent suspension, and vacuum servo-assisted Girling disc brakes all round. The 350 GT was originally fitted with Pirelli Cinturato HS 205-section tyres.It had a wheelbase of, with a front and rear axle track of. It measured long by wide and was high. With its kerb weight of, the 350 GT could accelerate from in 6.8 seconds, and from in 16.3 seconds, and go on to reach a top speed of.