Lamborghini 3500 GT Zagato

Vehicle Overview

The Lamborghini 3500 GTZ is a special car built by Zagato workshops in Milan on the chassis of the Lamborghini 350 GT. It was first presented at the London Motor Show in 1965 and sold to Marquis Gerino Gerini. A second model was commissioned and delivered to Dani Gambirasi, cousin of Lancia owner Giampiero Pesenti at the time. The idea to create a special body on the basis of the new 350 GT came to Lamborghini from Zagato at the request of Gerini, who owned the Milanese dealership of the bull brand. At the time, Zagato was one of Italy’s most renowned coachbuilders, with 46 years of collaborations with prestigious brands like Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Porsche. Ercole Spada was tasked with the design, which resulted in a more compact and aerodynamic shape compared to the model it was based on, while still retaining typical Gran Turismo features such as practicality and drivability. Despite Zagato’s traditionally sporty style, Ferruccio Lamborghini had never hidden his aversion to racing and wanted all cars bearing his name to be powerful and fast, yet usable every day like regular sedans. The car received positive reviews from both the press and the public at the London debut, but after the two prototypes built by Zagato, there was no further production, partly because the car had not fully convinced the management in Bologna, but mainly because the following year in Turin another sports model was presented alongside the 350 GT: the Miura. The car presented in London was originally white with black interiors. It was sold by Gerini to Australia where it was repainted red and the driving position was moved from left to right. In 1999, it was resold to a German collector and underwent a restoration to return it to its original condition, except for the vinyl interiors which were redone in wood and leather. The Lamborghini 3500 GT was exhibited in 2008, alongside the 350 GT, at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in the presence of Valentino Balboni. The second car built, Gambirasi’s, was silver in color. It is believed that this car may have been destroyed in a road accident.