This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2018) |
Lamborghini 400 GT | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Lamborghini |
Also called | Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2 |
Production | 1966–1968 247 built [1] |
Assembly | Italy: Sant'Agata Bolognese |
Designer | Carrozzeria Touring |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Grand tourer |
Body style | 2-door coupé |
Layout | FR layout |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 3.9 L (3,929 cc) Lamborghini V12 |
Transmission | 5-speed manual |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 2,550 mm (100.4 in) [2] |
Length | 4,470 mm (176.0 in) [2] |
Width | 1,727 mm (68.0 in) [2] |
Height | 1,257 mm (49.5 in) [2] |
Kerb weight | 1,472 kg (3,245 lb) [2] |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Lamborghini 350 GT |
Successor | Lamborghini Islero |
The Lamborghini 400 GT is the name given to two grand tourers produced by Italian manufacturer Lamborghini between 1966 and 1968.
The first 400 GT, commonly referred to as simply the 400 GT or 400 GT Interim, was essentially the older 350 GT featuring an enlarged, 3,929 cc V12 engine, with a power output of 320 hp (235 kW). Twenty-three of these cars were built, with three featuring aluminium bodywork.
The second 400 GT, commonly known as the 400 GT 2+2, was first presented at the 1966 Geneva Auto Show. The steel-bodied 2+2 has a different roofline with larger side windows and a smaller rear windshield, and subtle but thorough sheetmetal changes compared to the 350 GT and first 400 GT. The floorpan is slightly lower while the beltline is actually 66 mm (2.6 in) taller. [3] The larger body shape enabled the +2 seating to be installed in the rear, where the 350 GT only had room for luggage or the rarely selected option of +1 seating. The bodywork revisions were carried out by Carrozzeria Touring, who also built the first examples, but after Touring's 1967 bankruptcy Marazzi took over production. [3] The 400 GT 2+2 also had a Lamborghini designed gearbox, with Porsche-style synchromesh on all gears, which greatly improved the drivetrain. When leaving the factory the 400 GT was originally fitted with Pirelli Cinturato 205VR15 tyres (CN72).
A total of 23 units of the 400 GT Interim and 224 units of the 400 GT 2+2 were built from 1966 to 1968, when it was replaced with the Islero.
The 400 GT 2+2, 400 GT Interim and the 350 GT all shared the same 2,550 mm (100.4 in) wheelbase.
Lamborghini 400 GT Monza | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Designer | Giorgio Neri, Luciano Bonacini |
Body and chassis | |
Body style | 2-seater coupé |
The Lamborghini 400 GT Monza was a one-off two-seater gran turismo based on the 400 GT "Interim", featuring unique bodywork by the shop of Neri and Bonacini, who were already previously known for their work on the "Nembo" series of Ferraris. [4]
Giorgio Neri and Luciano Bonacini were initially hired by Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963 to construct the chassis of and assemble the first prototype Lamborghini, the 350 GTV. Following this, they supplied some early production chassis, before turning that job over to Marchesi once series production of the 350 GT was well underway. [4]
Through this pre-existing relationship with Lamborghini, Neri and Bonacini were commissioned to create a one-off two-seater sports car based on a 350 GT chassis (number 01030) and a 400 GT V-12 engine. Possibly built for an unknown American client to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the car was completed in 1966 and named the 400 GT Monza. The original name was the "400 GT Neri and Bonacini," but the final name Monza was eventually chosen due to its brevity and evocation of racing history. The aluminum body was hand built in the Neri and Bonacini shop and went through many revisions during the fabrication process. The final result was a distinctive fastback, with a long hood and Kamm tail. The designers integrated a roll bar into the extremely thick C-pillar, possibly increasing roll-over safety but compromising rearward visibility. Other details included a very low and raked windshield, prominent but non-functional air vent grilles behind the front wheels and stylized "400 Monza" badging. [5] Overall, the design shows visual similarities to other contemporary Italian sports cars, including a striking resemblance to the Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada . [4] [6]
Homologation problems prevented the car from ever racing and the American customer who commissioned it apparently never received the car. It was instead displayed at the 1967 Barcelona Motor Show on the Lamborghini importer Amato's stand. A wealthy Spaniard purchased it at the show and the 400 GT Monza remained in his family after his death in the early 1990s. In 1996, auction house Brooks (now Bonhams) discovered the car in storage when they were contacted by the family of the now deceased owner to appraise some other cars. After nine years of negotiations, the car was finally sold at Bonhams' December 2005 auction in London for £177,500 GBP. [4] [7]
The Lamborghini Miura is a sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1966 and 1973. The car was the first automobile with a rear mid-engined two-seat layout, although the concept was first seen in a production road car with René Bonnet's Matra Djet, introduced in 1964. This layout has since become the standard for high-performance sports cars. When released, it was the fastest production road car.
The Ferrari 250 GTO is a grand tourer produced by Ferrari from 1962 to 1964 for homologation into the FIA's Group 3 Grand Touring Car category. It was powered by Ferrari's Tipo 168/62 Colombo V12 engine. The "250" in its name denotes the displacement in cubic centimeters of each of its cylinders; "GTO" stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, Italian for "Grand Touring Homologated".
Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera is an Italian automobile coachbuilder. Originally established in Milan in 1925, Carrozzeria Touring became well known for both the beauty of its designs and patented superleggera construction methods. The business folded in 1966. In 2006 its brands and trademarks were purchased and a new firm was established nearby to provide automotive design, engineering, coachbuilding, homologation services, non-automotive industrial design, and restoration of historic vehicles.
Ferrari America is a series of top-end Ferrari models built in the 1950s and 1960s. They were large grand touring cars with the largest V12 engines and often had custom bodywork. All America models used a live axle in the rear, were front-engined, and had worm and sector steering.
The Ferrari 250 is a series of sports cars and grand tourers built by Ferrari from 1952 to 1964. The company's most successful early line, the 250 series includes many variants designed for road use or sports car racing. 250 series cars are characterized by their use of a 3.0 L (2,953 cc) Colombo V12 engine designed by Gioacchino Colombo. They were replaced by the 275 and 330 series cars.
Superleggera is a custom tube and alloy panel automobile coachwork construction technology developed by Felice Bianchi Anderloni of Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. A separate chassis was still required.
The Ferrari P was a series of Italian sports prototype racing cars produced by Ferrari during the 1960s and early 1970s.
The Ferrari 330 was a series of V12 powered automobiles produced by Ferrari in 2+2 GT Coupé, two-seat Berlinetta, spyder, and race car versions between 1963 and 1968. The name "330" refers to the approximate displacement of each single cylinder in cubic centimeters.
The Lamborghini Espada is a 4-seat grand touring coupé built by Italian car manufacturer Lamborghini between 1968 and 1978.
The Lamborghini Islero is a grand tourer produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1968 and 1969. It was the replacement for the 400 GT and featured the Lamborghini V12 engine. The car debuted at the 1968 Geneva Auto Show.
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 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.
The Lamborghini Jarama is a 2+2 grand tourer manufactured and marketed by Italian car manufacturer Lamborghini between 1970 and 1976. It was styled by Bertone designer Marcello Gandini.
The Lamborghini 350 GTV is a Lamborghini prototype and forerunner of the automaker's first production model, the 350 GT. It was first presented to the public at the 1963 Turin Auto Show.
The Lamborghini Flying Star II was a one-off concept car built by Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera in 1966 on a Lamborghini 400 GT chassis. It debuted at the 1966 Turin Auto Show.
The Maserati 3500 GT and the Maserati 3500 GT Spyder are 2-door coupé and convertible grand tourers made by Italian car manufacturer Maserati between 1957 and 1964. It was a seminal vehicle for Maserati as the company's first successful attempt at the Gran Turismo market and series production.
The Maserati 5000 GT is a 2-door coupé car, made by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati from 1959–1966. A total of thirty-four were produced with bodies made by eight different Italian coach builders.
The Fiat-Abarth 750 is a compact sporting series of automobiles manufactured by the Italian manufacturing firm Abarth & C. of Turin, Italy in the 1950s and 1960s. The cars used the floorpan and often the bodywork of the Fiat 600 but were fitted with Abarth's modified engines. Abarth also offered a number of bodyworks by other designers for the 750 and its derivatives, most famously Zagato but also Allemano and others.
Neri and Bonacini, also known as Nembo, was a small carrozzeria and mechanic shop based in Modena, Italy, active from the late 1950s to around 1967. Founded and run by Giorgio Neri and Luciano Bonacini, the shop worked on and produced bodies for Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati road and race cars, both in an official capacity for those manufacturers and for private owners. Their best known projects are the Ferrari 250 GT-based Nembo spiders and the Lamborghini 400GT Monza. Neri and Bonacini also designed a car under their own name, the Neri and Bonacini Studio GT Due Litri. Two prototypes of this car were made between 1966 and 1968 but it never entered series production. The shop closed around 1967 when Bonacini went to work for De Tomaso and Neri started his own shop, Motors-World-Machines (MWM).
The Ferrari 250 GT Coupé represented a series of road-going, grand touring cars produced by Ferrari between 1954 and 1960. Presented at the 1954 Paris Motor Show, the 250 Europa GT was the first in the GT-lineage. The design by Pinin Farina was seen as a more civilised version of their sporty Berlinetta 250 MM. Series built cars were an answer to the wealthy clientele demands of a sporty and luxurious Ferrari Gran Turismo, that is also easier to use daily.
Thomas Meade was an American automobile designer and dealer best known for his Thomassima series of custom cars based on Ferrari engines and chassis. He was based in Modena, Italy from the early 1960s through the early 1970s, where he met and collaborated with many Modenese carrozzerie, manufacturers and mechanics.