Ferruccio Lamborghini’s inaugural production car, the 350 GT with Touring styling, made its debut at the 1964 Geneva Motor Show. It boasted a magnificent four-cam 3.5-liter V12 engine, crafted by Giotto Bizzarrini, and found its home in a chassis engineered by Gianpaolo Dallara. The lineage of front-engined Grand Tourers continued with the 4-liter 400 GT and Islero 2+2s, followed by the Espada four-seater saloon. Finally, in 1970, Lamborghini unveiled the Jarama GT, marking the conclusion of Lamborghini’s front-engined road cars.
The Jarama, introduced at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show and named after a renowned Spanish bullfighting region, could reach 160mph (257km/h). It shifted away from Lamborghini’s original spaceframe chassis, adopting a platform-type unitary construction similar to the Espada but with a shorter wheelbase. An unusual design feature was the nose with quadruple headlamps, partially concealed by electrically raised covers. Marcello Gandini, the creator of the Miura, styled the Jarama at Carrozzeria Bertone, with body assembly by Marazzi.
In 1972, an enhanced GTS version with a 365bhp V12 engine emerged, followed by advancements like Torqueflite automatic transmission and power-assisted steering. Production continued until 1976, yielding 327 cars, including 150 in GTS specification. Among these, only 23 were crafted in right-hand drive configuration, with 18 being the superior Jarama GTS model.
Source: Bonhams
