May 1964 the engineers at Lamborghini created the 350 GT this car is a great example of the benefits of building a car by hand instead of an assembly line. When Production started The Lamborghini 350 GT was the first production vehicle produced at the Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. Production started in May 1964, after a very good launch at the 1964 Geneva auto show, its success at the show ensured the company’s survival, establishing it as a viable competitor with the sports car maker Ferrari S.p.A.
In May 1963 after the company tested the prototype Lamborghini engine in May 1963, Giotto Bizzarrini left the company, and the following month Ferruccio Lamborghini assigned Gian Paolo Dallara – with the assistance of Paolo Stanzani and Bob Wallace- the task of developing a production version of the grand tourer.
Although the car was a great success the engineers Dallara and Stanzani, did have problems due to the fact the car was not made for Mass production.
The original engineer Bizzarrini-designed a 3.5 liter V12 400 hp (at 11,000 rpm) which was essentially a race motor. He did this in order to fit his grand touring car with a smoother, more pleasant, longer-lasting engine, that was “good for 40,000 hard miles between services” Ferruccio had Dallara and Wallace detune a version of this prototype “GTV” motor for street use. This included:
The 350 GT shared a number of features with the 350 GTV prototypes, including a four-wheel independent suspension, quad-cam V12, and an aluminum body. A number of revisions and refinements were made due to the suggestions of the Neri & Bonacini racing development shop, and test driver Bob Wallace. Fixed headlights replaced the prototype’s pop-up variety, and twin-barrel side-draught Weber 40 DCOE 2 carburetors reduced the height of the engine, thereby negating the clearance problems of the GTV prototype, and giving the car the exceptionally low hood line Ferruccio desired.
This was the case with the motor; Bizzarrini’s GTV “racing” chassis designed being a GT “street” chassis. This model had far heavier materials; Dallara created an extremely strong chassis created from square-section tubing which provided easy entry and exit through the doors, aided in the quietness of the car, and provided a solid platform which made it easier to mount the body, the car was much like the Aston Martin DB4. In conclusion the engineers were able to create one of the best engines of all time as well as show the benefits of building a car by hand instead of an assembly line.
