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1966 Lamborghini 400-GT Monza by Nembo, the Missing Gem

The origin of the Lamborghini 400 GT Monza

In 1963, the 350-GTV was introduced as the 1st prototype by a new Italian company, Lamborghini. Giotto Bizzarrini designed a race-type tubular frame chassis and a V-12 engine for it which was built by Neri & Bonacini. Established by Giorgio Neri & Luciano Bonacini in Modena, and known as Nembo, it was a coachbuilding and mechanic workshop generally working on race cars for Maserati and Ferrari, also accepting orders from private clients.

Photo courtesy of © Bonhams

They continued their cooperation with Lamborghini, making the chassis for the 1st production model, the 350-GT, but gave it up later due to the increase in the orders for production. This was not the end.

Whereabouts

At the 1967 Barcelona Motor Show, where the new model, Miura, was also presented by Amato, the Spanish Lambo agent, a car was of as much interest, if not more: Lamborghini 400 GT Monza .

This exotic one-off was hand-built on a 350-GT chassis, no. 01030, and equipped with the stronger engine of the later model, 400-GT; guess by who, Neri & Bonacini. In a recent interview with Octane magazine, Giorgio Neri mentioned that the car was built earlier in 1963 or 4, for an American commissioner, probably to race at Le Mans, but it never happened due to the homologation rules. What we know is that the very car we see today was finished by June 1966.

Photo courtesy of © Bonhams

Back to the Barcelona Motor Show, a wealthy Spanish sportsman and race driver falls in love with the Lamborghini 400 GT Monza and succeeds in the negotiations to buy it.

The car, then badged as Jarama after its new home by the owner, had covered just 7136 km by 1970, when it was left in his garage and maybe forgotten.

For a long time after, many journalists and enthusiasts had been looking for the Lamborghini 400 GT Monza and there have been some rumors about its whereabouts. It was missing until 1996, when Bonhams, which was known as Brooks then, announced that they have found the missing gem in its totally original condition. The owner had passed away a short while before and it took 9 years until his family decided to sell it.

It was auctioned at Bonhams’ London Olympia sale on December 5, 2005 and sold at for $315,000 buyer’s premium included.

Tecnical specifications

As mentioned, the Lamborghini 400 GT Monza was built on a 350-GT chassis which was a redesigned production format of the 350-GTV’s race chassis.

Designed by Gian Paolo Dallara and Paolo Stanzani, it had a tubular steel frame structure with square tubing for the central floor and round tube for its superstructure. For the suspension, it used all-independent, double wishbones with coil springs over telescopic shock absorbers and anti-roll bar both in the front and rear. It also used 4 wheel Girling disk brakes.

Photo courtesy of © Bonhams


It was powered by a front-mounted 400-GT model engine which was a naturally aspirated all-aluminum block V-12 @ 60°, wet-sump DOHC with 2valves/cyl, with a bore/stroke ratio of 82/62mm, a compression ratio of 10.2:1 and a total displacement of 3929cc. Fed by 6 twin-choke Weber 40 DCOE 2 carburetors, it was able to produce 320 bhp @ 6500 rpm and 375 Nm @ 4500 rpm of power & torque respectively which was delivered through a 5-speed ZF manual gearbox and a Salisburry limited slip differential to the rear wheels and able to propel the car to a top speed of around 250 km/h.

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Celebrating 115 years of Carrozzeria Garavini, the brand sees its rediscovery and relaunch in the world of cars, design and elegance.

At Garavini, craftsmanship, manufacture and uniqueness come together to create works of art on wheels that go beyond the concept of a simple means of transport to become symbols of passion and refinement.

115 years after its foundation, the company has decided to start again with the Alfa Romeo 4C, in the 10th anniversary year of the model’s presentation, in collaboration with the IAAD in Turin. This partnership between the historic brand and the design institute represents an opportunity to create a high-end sports car that combines outstanding Italian aesthetics with the best technologies.

Poltu Quatu immediately turned out to be the ideal location for the premiere of the project, thanks to the famous Concours d’Elegance which, as the perfect combination of worldliness, elegance and the joy of living the dolce vita, allows the meeting from all over the world of those enthusiasts who, more than anyone else, can appreciate the value and style of a vision such as Garavini’s.

The project takes its inspiration from the 1930s Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 by Garavini, the star of the Italian Dolce Vita and the birth of the classic car movement in Italy. The Garavini Perenne represents an extraordinary sports car that combines the Italian tradition of elegance and style with innovation and high quality craftsmanship. Garavini’s tribute to the model, the 4C, which, with its debut 10 years ago, decreed the real relaunch of Alfa Romeo, is no coincidence: symbolic value, as happens in all valuable initiatives, has a decisive weight in the conception and realisation of unique products.

The soul of the project is Luca Babbini, a young entrepreneur with experience in research and development for various industries, in particular the automotive industry. Babbini’s path, which started at IAAD and has been refined through subsequent collaborations, has always been linked to a passion for luxury, not so much as a material passion, but derived from the emotion that an object or an experience conveys.

“When I crossed Garavini’s path,” explains Luca Babbini, Garavini Design Director, “with family origins and values that can be traced back to mine, I thought it was a sign: the awareness of this affinity has allowed us to give life to a new chapter, a reality in which passion for craftsmanship, luxury and family heritage come together. The Garavini Perenne will be an opportunity to enhance the Turin area but in an international key, thanks to the freshness and desire to do that only a young team, such as that of Garavini and that of the IAAD master’s degree course in Transportation Design, can guarantee.”

On 8 July on the occasion of the Poltu Quatu Classic, a preview of the concept on which the students of the IAAD master’s course in Transportation Design are working, reasoning and declining the Garavini values of elegance and attention to detail, aimed at creating a modern classic with a first series of 15 examples, which aspires to become a timeless model, a source of inspiration for the present and the future. The lines are classic, inspired by a sporty use that smells of fresh air and speed. Driving pleasure is at the heart of the design with a set-up dedicated to usability on the road as well as on the track.

Again Luca Babbini: ‘The valorisation of young people is a key aspect of the project: it always seems, in the common narrative, that unreachable challenges and moments of continuous crisis await us, but the future is full of opportunities and style and beauty are not a closed chapter. The creation of new classics is the true ambition of a project, which looks to the future aware of its past but with the confidence that it can still make a difference. The Turin area, then, is rich in excellent craft realities with which to create synergies and develop a true pole of high craftsmanship. There is nothing to stop us from looking beyond the automotive field and broadening the declination of our values with incursions into other sectors… in short, there is a lot to build on, and the Garavini lifestyle begins today with Garavini Perenne.

The result of this partnership is a high-end compact sports car with a sculptural aesthetic design. Garavini is committed to satisfying a discerning international audience that appreciates the art of automotive design and Italian craftsmanship. The ability to excite both long-time enthusiasts and new customers is a challenge Garavini sets itself, aiming to create a fascinating and successful future for the brand.

The Garavini Perenne will be released in 2025.