In general conversation, the terms “reliable” and “high mileage” aren’t usually applied to Italian sports cars, of any vintage. As with any rule, there are exceptions, and one happens to be the 1967 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2 owned by Jack Riddell.
At first glance, the car looks like a pristine museum specimen, driven infrequently but lovingly maintained for posterity. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll see that all isn’t as it appears; in fact, Riddell’s 400 GT has racked up over 250,000 miles since leaving the factory.
Riddell purchased the car used, from the original owner, in 1972. Since then, he’s rebuilt the engine five times, rebuilt the transmission “several” times, funded an interior restoration and even resprayed the body himself in a lighter shade of red, as close to the original color as he could get.
We don’t mean that Riddell has paid for engine rebuilds, either. In fact, he’s done the job so many times on the car’s 340 horsepower, 4.0-liter V-12 that he’s written an online book for owners willing to tackle the task themselves.
Since the same engine was used in a fair number of Lamborghini models (including the early Countach), Riddell’s book is a valuable resource for any vintage Lamborghini owner. Aside from rebuilds, other modern engine upgrades include hardened valve seats and an MSD electronic ignition.
Not every Lamborghini owner has the skills (or funds) necessary to maintain a high-mileage Italian exotic car, but Jack Riddell is living proof that it can be done. Next time someone says there’s no such thing as a high-mileage Lamborghini, you’ll know how to prove them wrong.