Lot 233: 1967 Lamborghini 400GT 2+2 Coup�

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.�
One of only 247 units built between 1966 and 1968, this �matching numbers� Lamborghini 400GT 2+2 was first registered on 16th March 1967 and delivered new in Paris to a Mr Ducruet. In 1979 it turned up at the French Lamborghini dealer Ciclet and was later sold to an important Lamborghini collector in Holland. During the 1990s, the car returned to France, passing through the hands of a Mr Ricci to its current owner.
Over the past year, the car has been the subject of a complete professional restoration including a total mechanical rebuild that included the engine, gearbox, brakes, suspension, steering and electrics. The interior has been re-trimmed in red Cartier leather, the bodywork refurbished and a stainless-steel exhaust system fitted, while the Borrani wire wheels were rebuilt at the Borrani factory. We are advised by the vendor that the engine was dynamometer tested before installation (test sheet available) and that the car has yet to be run in following this complete rebuild. Offered with French Carte Grise.