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Lamborghini 350 GTV - the first prototype under the sign of the roaring bull

Name: Lamborghini 350 GTV 1963
Brand: Lamborghini

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Created on April 5, 2013

Text:

Stefan Fritschi, translated by DeepL

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv Lamborghini

Archiv

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv Lamborghini

Archiv

Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - airy cabin, retractable headlights

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - sharp-edged body that looks somewhat like an American concept car

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - Presentation of the new sports car in the presence of Ferruccio Lamborhini

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - elegantly shaped and sporty at the same time

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - the view-through drawing shows the box frame made of tubular cross members and the independent wheel suspensions

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - the new V12-cylinder engine

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - the first Lamborghini sports car at the Paris Motor Show

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - with sleeping eyes and an almost uncannily sleek shape

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - one of the first shots of the prototype

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - Franco Scaglione's design has withstood the test of time well

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - the rear end designed by Franco Scaglione divided tastes

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - Franco Scaglione was responsible for the design

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - the driver sits almost on the rear axle

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - with extended loop eyes

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - generous rear glazing

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - elegant interior, note the 300 on the speedometer

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - Interior and dashboard of the prototype, photographed at the 1963 Paris Motor Show

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - Sleeping eyes and tapered front on the prototype

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - sharp-edged rear contrasts with the curves

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - with the "signature" of the owner

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - the V12 engine was shown separately in Paris

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - the manufacture of the engine block

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - Crankshaft and camshaft

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - Cylinder head

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - Axle suspension and chassis

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The Lamborghini plant under construction

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1963) - the final engine in the GTV successor 350 GT

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1964) - looks shapely even from this perspective

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1964) - with classic proportions

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1964) - a convincing first model

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1964) - elegant coupé bodywork

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1964) - Presentation at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1964) - Rear view of the Gran Turismo - seen at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1964) - rear view of the exhibition vehicle

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1964) - Chassis of the production sports car

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1964) - front engine shown open, at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1963) - Rear axle suspension

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - Participant in Class H - Lamborghini - at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2013

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Lamborghini 350 GT (1964) - Participant in Class H - Lamborghini - at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2013

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Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - Präsentation des neuen Sportwagens in Anwesenheit von Ferruccio Lamborhini

Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - elegant geformt und sportlich zugleich

Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - die Durchsichtszeichnung zeigt den Kastenrahmen aus Rohrtraversen und die unabhängigen Radaufhängungen

Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - der neue V12-Zylinder-Motor

Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - der erste Lamborghini-Sportwagen in Paris am Autosalon

Lamborghini 350 GTV (1963) - mit Schlafaugen und einer geradezu unheimlich schnittigen Form

Summary

Ferruccio Lamborhini unveiled his first sports car, the Lamborghini 350 GTV, at the Turin Motor Show in 1963. The car impressed with its daring design and the finest racing car technology, but the public received it less enthusiastically than expected and the prototype was far from being ready for series production. Only the subsequent 350 GT made up for the weaknesses of the previous one-off, but also took away its sharpness. This report analyzes the 350 GTV from 1963 and follows its development, accompanied by many pictures, some of which have never been shown before.

This article contains the following chapters

Racing technology without racing ambitions
Design by "BAT-Man" Scaglione
No sign of series maturity
Body looks American and "overstyled"
Complete redesign leads to the production 350 GT
Prototype is subsequently completed and restored
Further information

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

As early as 1948, tractors, refrigerators and heaters bearing the Lamborghini logo were being produced in the northern Italian towns of Cento and Pieve. After his meteoric rise as an industrialist, the successful and wealthy Ferruccio Lamborghini naturally owned a number of status symbols in the form of top-class cars such as the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and various Maserati and Ferrari models. His desire to build his own car became a firm decision at the latest when he got into a legendary clinch with Enzo Ferrari. This was triggered by a clutch problem on Lamborghini's Ferrari 250 GT. Whether the story is true or not remains to be seen.

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