In 1970, after just 7,136 km, this unique V12 Granturismo was bricked up in a garage on a busy street
Lamborghini’s first model-the 350 GT-wowed the motoring press and public at its 1964 launch. Not content to rest on their laurels, Lamborghini’s engineers were already at work on the 400 GT, which was in road testers’ hands by the end of the year.
The series-produced 350 GT/400 GT coupé was the work of respected carrozzeria Touring of Milan, retained by Ferruccio, who, some say, was not entirely happy with Franco Scaglione’s design for the first 350 GTV prototype.
Though even the revised design remained somewhat controversial, just a handful of bespoke show cars were built on the 350/400 GT chassis. Touring was responsible for a pair of handsome spyders and the rakish, shooting brake-inspired “Flying Star II” for a French client.
Sporting Milanese firm Zagato penned a pair of coupés with many of their trademark features. Almost certainly the most exotic creation of all, however, came from much closer to home: Neri & Bonacini’s mysterious “Monza.”
Believed to have been finished in May-June 1966 (this date appears on photographs shot by journalist Pete Coltrin of the car nearing completion), the Monza may have been intended as an alternative Lamborghini model but, after attracting the attention of the motoring press, it remained a tantalizing one-off and disappeared from view for almost four decades.
This rakish one-off was shipped to Spain and shown on Lamborghini importer Amato’s stand at the 1967 Barcelona Motor Show, where it caught the eye of a wealthy Spanish gentleman.
In 1970, after just 7,136 km, this unique V12 granturismo was laid up in one of the owner’s garages on a busy shopping street alongside numerous motorcycles and a powerboat before the entrance was blocked off. Here the car sat for the next few decades while thousands of miles away, motoring historians speculated as to its fate. Rumors abounded that the car had been sold to an American collector, and books on the marque invariably listed the Monza as missing, but nobody knew for sure.
As offered today, the Lamborghini 400 GT Monza is “as-found.” The word original could not be more appropriate: paint, leather, carpets, trim-nothing has been touched since 1966, with the exception of a mechanical check-up by former factory foreman Orazio Salvioli to ensure the engine runs, and cleaning of the coachwork and interior by Modenese coachbuilder Pietro Cremonini.
SCM Analysis
Detailing
| Vehicle: | 1966 Lamborghini 400GT Monza |
| Number Produced: | 23 (400GT interim) |
| Original List Price: | $14,750 |
| SCM Valuation: | $275,000 - $325,000 |
| Tune Up Cost: | $500 |
| Distributor Caps: | $400 (each, two needed) |
| Chassis Number Location: | Plate on firewall and right frame member, front of engine compartment |
| Engine Number Location: | Top left side of engine towards firewall between cylinder heads |
| Club Info: | Lamborghini Club of America, Jim Kaminski, P.O. Box 7214, St. Petersburg, FL 33734 |
| Alternatives: | 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Jet, 1972 Maserati Boomerang, 1966 Lamborghini Flying Star II |
| Investment Grade: | B |
This 1966 Lamborghini 400 GT Monza sold for $315,446 including buyer’s premium, at the Bonhams sale held in London December 5, 2005.
Lamborghini hit a home run with his initial model, the 350 GT. A follow-up to the rather baroque 350 GTV prototype, it entered production in 1964 and was rapturously received by the world’s motoring press. It was even more impressive as the first product of a startup.
The Bizzarrini-designed engine, developed for production by Gianpaolo Dallara, was a smooth, powerful 3.5-liter four-cam V12 producing 270 hp. Touring was commissioned to revise the prototype for production and was remarkably successful in retaining the overall feel of the GTV prototype while eliminating some of the wilder excesses. Nevertheless, many felt that the true strength of the car was in the mechanicals and chassis rather than its looks.
A 4-liter version of the V12, with downdraft carbs and 350 hp was introduced for the mid-engined Miura in 1965. A “milder” version of this engine, producing 320 hp with the sidedraft carbs of the 350, found its way into a car called the 400 GT (now referred to as the “interim”), an option on the 350 GT, which continued for a while.
This car, a two-seater like the 350 GT, should not be confused with the later 400 2+2. Although the engine was the same and the cars look similar, the 400 GT 2+2 was significantly changed-it had a lowered floorpan and raised roof to accommodate the rear seat (such as it was); a reshaped roof, rear window, and trunk lid; and a transmission and differential produced in-house at Lamborghini.
These details are important, as identifying the 400 GT Monza is an interesting task. Record keeping at small manufacturers has always been haphazard-updates and changes can be planned by engineering or the availability of a given part on a particular day. In addition, the need to impress bankers, dealers, and the press frequently comes before accuracy in detail.
The birth of the 400 GT Monza, despite being documented in the press, still has its mysteries. Built in 1966, it seems to have been built on a 350 GT rather than 400 GT 2+2 chassis. It is also fitted with the Lamborghini transmission and rear end, making it an “interim” car. Various opinions hold that the car was commissioned by an American to run at Le Mans (along the lines of the privately ordered Ferrari “Breadvan,” also built by Neri & Bonacini); indeed, the car wears English-language Dynotype labels on the dashboard switches.
It’s also been suggested that it was a stillborn design to replace the 350/400 GT. To add to the confusion, the car wore a “Jarama” badge years before Lamborghini made a totally different car with the same name. Apparently, the first (and until this sale, only) owner, a Spaniard, renamed the car in honor of the region famous for breeding fighting bulls. Whatever the truth, it remained a one-off.
Finally, there’s the challenge of resurrecting a “sleeping beauty.” As presented, the 400 GT Monza was observed to be structurally sound, with some bubbling in the paint at the panel seams, some small dents, and a few scratches on the bodywork. The simple interior seemed to be in very good shape. The engine had been restarted, but the brakes, clutch, and steering need work.
So what does the new owner do? Restore it to its motor-show glory? Or, to use a phrase which conjures up a shop with low lighting, aromatherapy candles, and new-age music, undertake a “sympathetic restoration”?
The buyer, a U.K.-based collector, intends to make the car fully roadworthy and is leaning away from a restoration if at all possible.
There are very few special-bodied early Lamborghinis-two Touring-built 350 GTS convertibles, the Zagato 3500 and 400GTZ coupes, and the Touring Flying Star II “shooting brake.” The Monza was lost for many years and stirred up a great deal of excitement when it came to market. Compared to the Miura SV that sold at the same auction for $313,136, this beautiful one-off, one-owner car has to be considered well bought.