350 GT
LAMBORGHINI 350 GT/ISLERO
by David Gidman
In 1963 Ferruccio Lamborghini’s dream became a reality.
His very own sports car company to bring his ideas to life.
The first of Lamborghini’s creations was the 350 GT, essentially
it was a grand tourer fitted with a de-tuned 3.5 litre V12 engine
producing 270 bhp making the 350 GT good for 0-62 in 6.8 seconds
and top speed of 158mph in 1964. The V12 engine was originally
designed essentially as a race engine producing 400 bhp. This
wasn’t very practical for a Grand Tourer so the engineers set about
detuning the V12 engine to make it smoother, more pleasant and
longer lasting. This was the start of Lamborghini’s love affair with
the V12 engine which has become part of Lamborghini’s DNA.
The original prototype, the 350 GTV was rushed to completion for the
inauguration of the Turin Auto Show on October 30th 1963. The 350 GTV
was shown with the original “racing” V12 engine. Lukewarm reaction
caused Ferruccio to postpone plans for immediate production and move
swiftly on with the 350 GT design.
Only 5 months after the debut of the GTV in Turin, the “redesigned GTV”
now called the 350 GT was revealed to the world at the Geneva Auto Show
in March 1964. It was greeted with much more enthusiasm and Ferruccio
decided to proceed with production in May 1964. The first customer took
delivery on July 31st 1964.
The success of this model ensured the company’s survival and established
Lamborghini as a viable competitor with rival manufacturer Ferrari.
Lamborghini produced 120 350 GT’s before replacing it with the 400 GT
in 1966. The 400 GT was essentially a 350 GT with a large 4.0 V12 engine
producing 320bhp. There were only 23 400 GT’s produced. The 400 GT
evolved into the 400 GT 2+2 in 1966. This was built on the same chassis as
the 350 & 400 with a different roofline. The larger body shape enabled the
2+2 seating. 224 400 GT 2+2 were produced between 1966 to 1968.
104 wirrallife.com
It was then replaced with the Islero.
The Islero debuted at the 1968 Geneva Auto Show. The Islero was named
after the legendary Miura Bull that killed Spain’s best matador Manuel
‘Manolete’ Rodriguez on the 28th August 1947. Lamborghini Chassis
were originally designed and built by Carrozzeria Touring until they went
bankrupt. Carrozzeria Marazzi took over production of the chassis. The
Islerio had a slightly altered track to allow for wider tyres. The Islerio’s
body suffered from a lack of proper fit between the panels. It did however
have better outward visibility, roomier interior and much improved
soundproofing. The V12 engine had a small power increase to 325bhp.
There were only 125 units produced before the updated Islero S was
released in 1969. The engine was re-tuned to 350bhp. There was quite a
few styling changes, larger brakes and revised rear suspension. The top
speed of the S was improved to 161mph and 0-60 improved to 6.2 seconds.
Only 100 examples of the Islero S were built, bringing the production total
of the Islero to 225 cars.
Ferruccio Lamborghini drove an Islero during that era. An Islero S was
also driven by Sir Roger Moore, in the 1970 cult thriller “The Man Who
Haunted Himself”. It was Moore’s last movie before taking over from Sean
Connery as James Bond and is considered by many - Moore included -
to be his best work. He played both Harold Pelham, a conventional city
businessman, and his doppelganger, an urbane Bond-like individual. The
latter drove this Islero S, which served as a powerful representation of
Pelham’s alter ego throughout the film.
His actual ‘signed’ car (opposite) was bought in 1969, for £8,440 and was
sold at auction in 2015 for £350,000.
If you want a 350 GT, expect to pay around £550,000.
[email protected]