Chassis Number: 400GT2216634
Launched at the Geneva Salon in 1968, the Islero was a development of the 400 GT 2+2, which was itself derived from Ferruccio Lamborghini’s first production car, the Touring-styled 350 GT of 1964. The Islero’s square-tube chassis was based on that of its predecessors, though with wider track to accommodate fatter rubber, while its elegantly understated coachwork was styled by ex-Touring personnel led by Mario Marazzi. The model was named after the legendary bull that had killed Spain’s best matador, Manolete. Housed beneath an impressively low-slung bonnet, Lamborghini’s 4-liter V12 engine was carried over from the 400 GT and produced 320 bhp initially, 350 bhp in later Islero S form. The latter appeared in 1969 and could be distinguished by its flared wheelarches, vented front wings and a revised interior with more supportive seats and improved instruments and switch gear. Improvements were also made to the suspension and brakes. Despite an impeccable pedigree, the Islero, 225 of which were manufactured between 1968 and 1969, is today the most overlooked of Lamborghini’s early front-engined cars. One of the more powerful Islero S models, this matching-numbers example was first registered on September 15, 1970. The accompanying Certificato d’Origine confirms this car was built in 1969 and originally finished in Bianco (white) with Senape (mustard) interior. Delivered new via Garage Foitek AG in Zurich, Switzerland, the Lamborghini was sold new to Ruf AG in Switzerland. In 1981 the car belonged to Mr. Philipp Messerly (still in Switzerland). Mr. Messerly owned the Islero for seven years before passing the car on to Mr. Andreas Kury, a member of the Lamborghini Club Suisse, who kept it for the next 18 years. Mr. Kury had the car repainted red and put it up for sale in 2001, apparently with an overhauled engine but with the body and paintwork in need of some attention. In 2006 the Lamborghini moved to Belgium, where it was restored around 2014–15, including a complete respray and an interior retrim. Presented in the attractive color scheme of dark gray metallic with two-tone tan/beige leather and Alcantara interior, the car benefits from a fully overhauled engine and has covered fewer than 2,000 kilometers since the rebuild; indeed, it is not yet fully run in. A wonderful opportunity to acquire a matching-numbers example of one of these exclusive, limited-edition early Lamborghinis.
