Here’s something a bit more exotic than average, posted at the Cohort by C.107: The very first Lamborghini prototype, the 350GTV, which was first exhibited at the 1963 Turin Auto Show. The body was designed by Franco Scaglione, and built by Carrozzeria Sargiotto. It sat on a tube frame, and the engine designed for it, a 3.5 L V12 was designed by Giotto Bizzarrini, was in a very high state of tune, making 347 hp @ 8,000 rpm. Oddly enough, it wasn’t actually ever installed in the car.
During the assembly of the prototype, it turned out that the engine wouldn’t quite fit. Since Ferruccio Lamborghini wasn’t quite satisfied with a number of aspects of the 350GTV, and thus this would be a one-off show-car, he had some bricks installed in the engine compartment so that it would sit level, and the car was pushed into the auto show hall.
Lamborghini made substantial changes before the production 350 GT (pictured behind it) arrived. Given the number of other vintage Lambos in the shots, I suspect this show might well have been in or near Sant’Agata, site of the Lamborghini Museum and where this splendid car now resides. And after sitting engine-less for some twenty years, the car was restored and finally given an engine.
Very attractive and very cool. And, its the first non-Mopar I have ever seen with that dogleg A piller that showed up on the Forward Look cars and stayed into the early 60s on some models.
Now thats what I call rare, the only one ever it makes that Humber or the Ruggles truck I shot just seem like traffic, great find and a beutiful car.
Stunning looking car,you had to be someone special to own a Lamborghini then,now every drug dealer and wide boy has one!Today’s Lamborghini looks vulgar and ostentatious compared to this masterpiece.
“wide boy”. Had to Google that. lol
The taillights remind me of a Mark IV. Actually the way the reflections hit it almost make it look like it has a Continental hump 😀
The GTV is definitely gorgeous. The production 350GT though does nothing for me.
Wish the front treatment made it to production. Love the early GT’s but the lights were the worst part of the design. Still, the GTV was more cutting edge looks-wise than the competition down the road….much like their next offering in 1966.
I was struck with how much I thought the tail lights/rear of this car looked like an rx7 . I realize this vehicle was made well before the Mazda. Strange what your first Impressions are.
Engine won’t fit in the car? HOW ITALIAN!!!
No, I didn’t forget the MGC.
Very beautiful, and I love the emerald green paint. While I can see the resemblance to the production 350 GT, the GTV also reminds me of a classic Ferrari Superamerica.
What a great find!
Wow, I had not seen this car before and am surprised at how much change there was to the production version, a lot more than just the change of headlamps