Modern Classic: Lamborghini 350 GT

To qualify as "modern classics," we choose vehicles, which are comparatively affordable now and that we think will increase in value over time. These are cars many people would love to have: head-turners, trend-setters in their time, cars that people see that still make them smile, cars that were definitive in their own right, stylish and fun to drive. Our focus is on cars at least 25 years old, so they can be registered and insured cheaply and aren't subject to annual inspections.


Tastes may vary, as may peoples' own definitions of "affordable." Our theoretical limit is $50,000 for a car in good to excellent condition, which rules out many of the traditional exotics. This month's selection is the Lamborghini 350/400/400GT 2+2

History
It took a lot of guts back in 1963 for anybody, no matter how egocentric, to even think of displacing the might of Maserati and the already splendid fame of Ferrari. And to do it without a racing reputation was folly indeed! Still, Ferruccio Lamborghini had three things going for him: a youthful trio composed of ex-Maserati engineer (and before that, Carlo Chiti's assistant at Ferrari), Gian Paolo Dallara; managing engineer, Paolo Stanzani; and a lanky ex-mechanic turned development tester from New Zealand named Bob Wallace.


Asked how a tractor manufacturer could possibly become a credible builder of high performance cars, his reply was classic. "In the past," Lamborghini said, "I have bought some of the most famous grantourismo cars, and in each of these magnificent machines I have found some faults. Too hot. Or uncomfortable. Or not sufficiently fast. Or not perfectly finished. Now, I want to make a GT car without faults. Not a technical bomb. Very normal. Very conventional. But a perfect car."


Lamborghini needed a noteworthy engine; it could be nothing less than a V-12. He recruited another ex-Ferrari engineer, Giotto Bizzarrini, to lay out a fresh design. Bizzarrini sculpted from scratch a 4-cam, 6-carburetor, dry-sump, 3.5-liter V-12 that handily trounced the contemporary Ferrari 250 GTs output. The veloce version's initial output (360 bhp @ 8,000 rpm was the claimed figure) exceeded expectations; in street tune, the "cooking" version packed 280 DIN bhp (336 SAE bhp) at 6,500 rpm.