Lamborghini 400 GT: Celebrating 60 Years of a Raw V12 Grand Tourer

Sixty years ago this March, Lamborghini unveiled the Lamborghini 400 GT at the Geneva Motor Show. It arrived as a statement from a company barely three years old, and purists still value it today.

Lamborghini 400 GT Adds Rear Seats

Compared with the two-seat 350 GT, the newcomer gained a slightly raised Touring roofline. That extra headroom made room for two occasional rear seats and a larger trunk, turning a pure sports car into a genuine long-distance tourer. Its twelve-cylinder DNA still flows through the Lamborghini Revuelto SV, proving the formula has staying power.

A Bigger Bizzarrini V12 Arrives

Giotto Bizzarrini’s engine grew from 3.5 to 3,929 cc, using 82 x 62 mm bores and strokes. Six Weber 40 DCOE carburetors feed the 60-degree V12, which now produces 320 hp and 374 Nm at 4,500 rpm. A new in-house five-speed manual replaced the Borg-Warner units, and the suspension was revised on both axles.

Savile Row Cameo and Collector Value

Only 274 examples of the 4.0-liter version left the factory before production ended in 1968. Twenty-three rare 400 GT Interim cars kept the original 350 GT body, making them even scarcer. On 30 January 1969, a Rosso Alfa example parked on Savile Row, just steps from the rooftop where the Beatles played their final public concert.

According to Lamborghini, its Polo Storico department still verifies and restores surviving cars. On paper, a clean 400 GT should climb as collectors chase rare V12 grand tourers. Ultimately, this analog brute could outlast many modern fads.

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Written By

Marcus Vance

Senior Track & Performance Editor at Auto News Magazine. Veteran automotive journalist specializing in chassis dynamics, apex telemetry, track-day specials, and high-revving mechanical purity.

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