On this day in engineering history, Ferruccio Lamborghini showcased his first sports car at the Turin Motor Show. The Lamborghini 350 GTV was an unfinished prototype which featured a crate of ceramic tiles instead of an engine. Critics dismissed the powerless vehicle and only one GTV was ever produced.
A year later, Lamborghini surprised observers at the Geneva Motor Show by introducing the 350 GT, a refined version of the failed GTV prototype. The 350 GT featured a four-cam V12 engine, a fully-synchronized five-speed transmission, limited slip differential, four-wheel independent suspension, and four disc brakes. Produced in a corner of Lamborghini's tractor factory, the car sold for $13,900 USD.
|