What was the first Lamborghini?
If you enjoy history, and you love Lamborghini, then you will want to learn all about the first Lamborghini. It was called the 350 GT and it sure had a lot of interesting features, surprising specifications, and gorgeous lines. Allow us to tell you all about it right here.
When did the Lamborghini 350 GT come out?
If you want to get technical, the 350 GT was not the first car Lamborghini ever made. Instead, that honor goes to the 350 GTV. It was a prototype car, and though it never saw production, it paved the way for the 350 GT to see the light of day.
The first 350 GT rolled of the assembly line in Italy in May 1964. Lamborghini only built 120 and it only stayed in production until 1966 when it was replaced by the 400 GT.
See more images of the 350 GT and 350 GTV
350 GT engine specifications
This is the engine that started it all, so it should be no surprise that even Lamborghini’s first engine was a V12. This specific engine is small compared to modern V12 engines at 3.5-liters. Interestingly enough, this engine had to undergo extensive modifications from the initial design which was essentially a race motor.
The initial design had the V12 cranking out 400 horsepower and revving as high as 11,000 rpm. Lamborghini removed many racing specific components and lowered the compression to make something the was more pleasant to operate and lasted longer.
After the compromises had been made, the new version of the V12 generated a still impressive 270 horsepower. In later iterations such as the 400 GT and Islero, the displacement of the engine increased and the horsepower improved to as high as 350.
Read More: What are the origins of the Lamborghini name and logo?
Performance of the 350 GT
With its lightweight design and powerful V12 engine, the 350 GT sure could move. Not only was it capable of a top-speed as high as 158 mph, but it could accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 6.8 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in 16.3 seconds.
This may not sound so impressive today, but to put it in perspective, a Pontiac GTO from the same era with 335 horsepower had a 0 to 60 mph time of 7 seconds.
Where to get spare parts for your vintage Lamborghini
