Lamborghini Jarama

Lamborghini and sports car are two inseparable entities and their fusion has been working perfectly for years. The Lamborghini Company has proven to be a pioneer in the field of performance cars and its designers have envisioned interior and exterior looks that match the powerful engine hidden under the hood.

One of these performance cars is the Lamborghini Jarama, a sports coupe manufactured by the Italian automaker between 1970 and 1976. This supercar was designed by Nuccio Bertone and is an ideal combination between elegance and power. The car’s name reminds us of the Jarama racing circuit located near Madrid, but it also brings in mind the Jarama bullfighting region, also located in Spain. This Lamborghini was revealed at the 1970 Geneva Salon and was produced in 328 units (Jarama 176 units and Jarama S 152 cars).

In 1970, Lamborghini tried to enter on the US market and for that purpose the company needed to meet the American safety and emissions regulations. Because of that, the Italian automaker had to redesign the Islero, but instead the company decided to create a new supercar, the Lamborghini Jarama, the perfect successor of the Islero. Having to meet the requested US safety and emissions regulations, the Jarama became a low, wide car equipped with two NACA ducts, wheel arch flares and four headlamps. The new Lamborghini was manufactured on a shorter chassis using the same platform as the Espada. In addition, the Jarama was heavier than the Islero, but it could acheive the same maximum speed.

The Lamborghini Jarama is also known as the GT and it was powered by a 4.0-liter V12 engine mounted in front, centrally. Actually, the Jarama was the last Lamborghini car that had the engine placed in the front. This V12 engine was able to produce 350 horsepower at 7,500 rpm. The car was also equipped with a 26-gallon fuel tank, a five speed manual gearbox and with six Weber carburetors.  The Jarama could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than seven seconds and its top speed was of 162 mph.

Inside, the Lamborghini Jarama featured leather upholstery that gave a touch of luxury to the interior while the wood trim was replaced by the brushed aluminum for a more stylish look. In addition, the rear window was heated while the side windows could be opened and closed electronically.

The Jarama S version was released a few years later, in 1973 and was manufactured until 1976. The engine which powered the Lamborghini Jarama S was the same powerful V12 engine used for the original Jarama, but it was slightly improved to offer 365 horsepower. This Lamborghini Jarama came with a power assisted steering wheel, removable roof panels and an optional Chrysler TorqueFlite automatic transmission. Because of the new exhaust system, the revised heads, the new camshafts and the carburetors, the Jarama S obtained the extra power that made it different and better than the previous version.

The exterior design of the Lamborghini Jarama S was similar to that of the Jarama, but some improvements were made. These improvements included the revised taillights created by DeTomaso Deauville and the new air intakes placed on each front wheel. The interior wasn’t forgotten either! In fact, it gained new, slimmer seats which offered more rear legroom.

The Lamborghini Jarama followed the principles of the Italian automaker being comfortable and powerful as each Lamborghini manufactured all these years. Unfortunately, the Jarama didn’t reach the status of a Lamborghini world-wide known model. That is partially because of its rather strange design, but more likely because of its low sales.

Post tags: Tags: 1970 geneva salon, Lamborghini Jarama, old Lamborghini