Lot 591: 1967 Lamborghini 400GT Coupé
Coachwork by Carrozzeria Touring

It is the stuff of legend that Ferrari-owning industrialist Ferruccio Lamborghini only turned to automobile manufacture as a result of receiving off-hand treatment at Maranello, vowing to build a better car. A successful manufacturer of tractors and related machinery, Lamborghini possessed the resources to realise his dream without having to compromise.
Lamborghini’s first production car, the Touring-styled 350GT, debuted at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show. The work of two of Italy’s most illustrious automobile designers, the 350GT featured a glorious 3.5-litre, four-cam V12 designed by Giotto Bizzarrini, housed in a chassis penned by Gianpaolo Dallara. The 350GT’s four camshafts and all-independent suspension meant that it upstaged the best that Ferrari offered at the time; but to compete with his Maranello rival’s larger models, Lamborghini needed a four-seater, and the 400GT 2+2 duly appeared in 1966. A development of the 350GT, the newcomer used an enlarged - to 3,929cc - V12. This 4-litre unit had first appeared in 1965, finding its way into a handful of late 350GTs, this interim model being known as the 400GT. The 400GT’s claimed maximum power was 320bhp - up from the 350GT’s 270 - an output sufficient to make the former a 150mph-plus car.
Despite its novice status as an automobile manufacturer, Lamborghini soon dispelled any lingering doubts about its ability to compete with the world’s best Grand Tourers. Reviewing the 400GT in its 2+2 form in 1967, Autocar magazine voted it “better than all the equivalent exotic and home-bred machinery in this glamorous corner of the fast-car market.” The relaxed manner of its long-legged performance was reckoned the finest quality of the Lamborghini, its V12 engine being judged to have the broadest range of smooth torque the testers had experienced. Autocar concluded: ‘To achieve this level of performance without noise, fuss, temperament or drama is an achievement; in the time taken for development, it is nothing short of sensational.’
This left-hand drive 400GT was purchased by the current owner in California, USA in the early 1980s and for more than the past 25 years has been cherished as part of his significant private collection. The car retains its original engine and while in the vendor’s care has been continuously maintained by respected Italian car specialists DK Engineering, benefiting from an engine rebuild carried out in the 1980s. Finished in black with black-piped tan interior, this rare and desirable early Lamborghini has seen little use in the past 15 years and, some minor paintwork imperfections apart, is presented in generally excellent condition. Very original and possessing a delightful patina, it has covered only 60,000-or-so kilometres (approximately 37,000 miles) from new.