Touring Superleggera Lamborghini 350/400 GT History

When Ferruccio Lamborghini decided to build a production grand tourer to rival Ferrari, his prototype — the 350 GTV styled by Franco Scaglione and shown at Turin in 1963 — was not what he envisioned for production. He approached Carrozzeria Touring, who substantially redesigned the exterior: the striking but impractical rotating headlights were replaced with fixed oval units, the angular surfaces were softened, and the overall shape was made manufacturable. The revised car debuted at Geneva in March 1964 as the 350 GT.

Touring used their Superleggera method throughout: aluminium panels over a steel-tube chassis, producing a body both light and rigid. The 350 GT was powered by a Giotto Bizzarrini-designed 3.5-litre DOHC V12. Lamborghini produced 120 examples before the 400 GT succeeded it in 1966, displacing the engine to 4.0 litres and offering a 2+2 configuration.

The 400 GT 2+2 (1966–1968) continued with Touring coachwork and added a small rear seat. Production of the 400 GT ran to approximately 247 units before Lamborghini's next model, the Miura, moved body design to Bertone — ending Touring's direct role in Lamborghini's production story just as the original Touring house was closing in 1966.