When Ferruccio Lamborghini introduced his new car company in 1964, the world was amazed at how a tractor builder was brave enough to challenge the biggest names in the automobile industry. But with the release of the first 350GT model, the Lamborghini brand attracted attention.
Subsequent models, like the 350 and 400 GT, were styled after the famous Carrozzeria Touring and were really beautiful. But Ferruccio was not satisfied with the look of the 400 GT. While Ferrari made every car enthusiast dream machine with the 275 GTB and 330 GT, Lamborghini was still looking for new ideas.
Despite its elegant appearance, the 400 GT did not have that exotic atmosphere for which the brand was striving. It could easily be mistaken for a Fiat. But with the updated Italian bodywork from Neri & Bonacini, the newer Lamborghini 400 GT Monza now had enough exoticism.
Neri & Bonacini Were Working On The Lamborghini 400 GT Monza
These craftsmen were known for making bodies for Ferrari and Maserati, so they knew their work perfectly. They worked with Lamborghini from the beginning, supplying the chassis and engines. However, one day they decided to make their own version of the Lamborghini Grand Tourer. The 400 Monza was very different from the standard with its low-slung cockpit, a new grille that looked like it's about to bite you, and an overall design that made it look like the Ferrari 250 GTO's evil twin.
Overall, the car had the proportions of the classic Grand Tourer with the shades of Bizzarrini 5300GT and Ferrari 275GTB / 4. The originally conceived title "400 GT Neri & Bonacini" was also shortened to simply "Monza".
The project was constantly monitored personally by Ferruccio. The sports car was powered by the same 3.9-liter 320 hp V12 from the standard model.
First, the car was ordered by an American customer to race at Le Mans but was put on hold due to problems with homologation. Later, Ferruccio Lamborghini, disappointed with the design of the Scaglione for the 350GTV and the changes made to the production of the 350GT, gave the green light to continue work.
Since The Beginning Of Development, The Car Attracted A Lot Of Attention
Monza was not a secret project: American journalist Peter Coltrin took pictures of the car during construction in a workshop. And Italian magazine Autosprint published an article about the completed Monza in August 1966, saying that the car looked more like a Ferrari than a Lamborghini. Either way, the 400GT Monza was completed in 1966. Monza ended up at the Lamborghini booth at the Barcelona Motor Show in 1967, parked next to a silver Miura. This was supposed to be the only time the car appeared in public. The car attracted a lot of attention, but, unfortunately, remained in a single copy.
The First Owner Of The Monza Quickly Left It Gathering Dust In The Garage
The car was reportedly sold to a wealthy Spanish racer who used it as his daily driver. The wealthy Spanish enthusiast did not want to be on the four-month waiting list of the new Miura and bought this car straight from the stand. The owner renamed the car, giving it the name "Jarama," in honor of the Spanish circuit Circuito Permanente del Jarama. By an interesting coincidence, Lamborghini used this name itself a few years later.
After driving an impressive 4,450 miles, the owner left the 400 GT Monza in one of his garages in Spain. Parked there with several old motorcycles and a motorboat, the one-off car was soon forgotten. The legendary rare sports car spent almost 30 years in the garage, and many enthusiasts speculated about its fate.
Even After It's Disappearance Many Discussed The Lamborghini 400 GT Monza
For Lambo enthusiasts, it has been the biggest secret. Overall, very few books cover the Monza in great detail because few people ever had any real knowledge of it. This distinctively exotic front-engined Lamborghini has been the subject of controversy not only among collectors and enthusiasts of Italian Lamborghini cars but also among many classic car enthusiasts around the world. Indeed, many doubted its safety, and its whereabouts were a widely debated issue.
Then, in the early 1990s, the owner passed away. When his family found the car, they didn't pay much attention to it. Finally, in 1996, they contacted the famous Bonhams auction, which identified the missing Lamborghini Monza. The car was in almost its original form. Since 1966, nothing was touched or replaced on the car and even the engine worked well. So the car was handed over to the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata, Italy.
After the car spent some time in the museum, it was returned for auction. In 2005, the Lamborghini 400 GT Monza sold for $315,000 at an auction in London. Hopefully, the current owner takes good care of it.