Mechanical Masterclass: Driving Lamborghini’s Greatest V12s At Speed – SlashGear

It’s raining and I have no idea where the switch for the headlights is. This car, the 400 GT, was built in 1967, long before multi-function column stalks became a thing. In the center of the dashboard, five big, chunky toggles all sit in a row. I start flipping, each inch-long toggle clicking from down to up with the sort of delicious tactility not seen since the Carter administration.

The left toggle starts a fan buzzing somewhere down by my feet. That’s not it. The next switch has a light bulb printed on it, so that’s clearly not it either. Third time’s the charm. Flipping this starts a motor somewhere behind the dash humming and the windshield wipers in motion.

I can’t help laughing as the two wipers start shakily sweeping left and right. Not only are the hardened blades doing nothing to improve my visibility, at their greatest extent they only reach half-way up the windscreen. I decide to make do without.

Now to be totally fair, the 400 GT was not exactly Lamborghini’s true first road-going V12. That was 1964’s 350 GT. The 400 GT was its successor, but it’s largely the same car but with a bit more displacement (3.9-liters up from 3.5) and, optionally, 2+2 seating.