350GT Every legend has a humble beginning. Before the supercars, Lamborghini’s dramatic start began with this gorgeous .

Ferruccio Lamborghini was 46 years old when he vowed to success. The team Lamborghini assembled was comprised beat at his own game. The automotive world contains of young blood, nearly half the age of Ferruccio—Gianpaolo its fair share of rivalries, most of them ­seemingly revolving , for example, was just 24 years old when he took over around . Possibly for good reason: when he told the development of ’s engine, tuning it to nearly Lamborghini to stick to building , he unwittingly 400 horsepower at a massive 11,000 RPM. It was nothing created one of the automotive world’s great rivalries. Like short of a full-fledged racing engine. any good and famous story, it is ­potentially apocryphal, Reportedly, Ferruccio had aimed for 350 horsepower filled with passion, and repeated withreverence. ­ As far as from this 3.5-liter V12, going so far as to dock Bizzarrini’s origin stories go, it is one for the ages. payment by certain lira for every 10 horsepower that his Lamborghini would eventually make its mark in terms engine couldn’t reach. And yet, it was too much. He ­wanted of eyeball-searing wattage. Right from the start, as a matter a grand tourer, not a race . This was at odds with what of fact, at the with the stunning 350 GTV his young and hot-blooded crew sought. Bizzarrini left concept. From Ferrari’s affront in 1958 to the unveiling in in a storm, out to work on other strange and ­fascinating 1963, Lamborghini had assembled an all-star cast: designed ­projects. Dallara, engineer Paolo Stanzani, and test driver by Giorgio Prevedi, under the supervision of the legendary­ Bob Wallace set about detuning the ­engine to something Franco Scaglione, with a V12 racing engine by Giotto less insane—something that could last at least 40,000 miles Bizzarrini, and built by Carrozzeria Sargiotto. The GTV between services. What’s more, Ferruccio found Scaglione’s was simultaneously elegant and futuristic, resembling styling too outré, and so he found Carlo Anderloni of little else on the road. The concept led to Lamborghini’s Carrozzeria Touring to tone down the ­design—no more first car, the stunning 350 GT. Which can only mean one pop-up headlights, no more edgy, space-aged­ rear end thing: if the story is true, then Lamborghini not only but something that could be built with production parts. took Enzo’s affront personally, but sought revenge with Side-barrel Weber carburetors­ reduced the hood’s height, seemingly unlimited resources. which was exactly what Ferruccio sought. How do you make a splash in the realm of luxury grand With a more tolerable 270 horsepower, the resulting 350 touring when you’re a mere upstart? It was a question­ that had GT could still reach 160 miles per hour. More importantly, boggled every teary-eyed dreamer of the Italian GT dream: it kept most of the concept car’s sleek, long-lined styling, from Bizzarrini to to . Even ­established its glassy-topped compartment, and subtle surfacing. The players like and weren’t guaranteed success of this car was vital to the future of the nascent 147