[Auto] Lamborghini Jarama, "the perfect sports car if you just want to have a car"

[G h o s t l y.]

 

The name "Jarama" can refer to: a river in Spain, in a region north of Madrid where nationalist and republican forces fought during the Civil War (1936-1939); to the first dedicated racetrack built in the country (1969); to a famous breed of fighting bulls; and to the identification that Lamborghini used on 328 of its sports cars produced between 1970 and 1976.

Officially christened the Lamborghini Jarama GT, it was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1970 and was, according to the Italian house, “the latest evolution of the company's 2 + 2 gran turismo concept, with a 12 front-mounted cylinders ”. Building on the existing Lamborghini 400 GT and Islero, the Jarama had a bodywork designed at Carrozzeria Bertone, Turin, by Marcello Gandini. The “taut and angular lines” were the general theme, which fit perfectly with the trends of the 70s.
Its design is not perceived as fast as that of a Countach or a Miura, but it was a relatively successful model for the brand, with 328 units manufactured. The bodywork of the pre-series units was assembled by Carrozzeria Marazzi from Caronno Pertusella, Varese, just after the production of the Islero, while the series models would be produced at the Carrozzeria Bertone plant in Grugliasco, Turin. The last 100 units made in 1972 would be "hybrids", with body panels courtesy of Bertone and assembled at Marazzi.


 

Despite having a known structure as a starting point, the chassis was renewed with a braking system made up of four large discs (instead of drums), which had ventilation on the front axle, and the track width was enlarged by 10 centimeters (to 1,490 mm in total). On the other hand, the set of 15-inch Campagnolo magnesium wheels completed the rest of the new highlights to enter the new decade. Al Jarama was in fact known as the "small" version of the four-seater Lamborghini Espada.

In truth, it had the Espada's chassis trimmed by 270 millimeters, keeping the engine and most of its components. Its heart, a 3.9-liter V12, was powered by six Weber carburettors, delivering 350 hp at 7,500 rpm and 394 Nm at 5,500 rpm. All the cavalry was transferred to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox, or as an option a three-speed Chrysler origin automatic. In terms of performance, it sprinted from 0 to 100 km / h in less than seven seconds and touched 250 km / h top speed.


 

The interior was typically Italian, with leather upholstery for almost everything the hands could reach, air conditioning and a "comfortable cabin" for a sports car, plus a "roomy" trunk. However, the position behind the wheel was not very ergonomic, with a rim too far away and some pedals close to the seat. Its design is not that it was very careful: the seats offered a "reasonable" lateral support, and most of the keypad and secondary controls were distributed without any logic on the dashboard.

The production of the Lamborghini Jarama, after the 1972 Geneva Motor Show, was expanded with the 365 hp “GTS” version, with a transverse air intake in the hood and two air outlets behind the front wheel arches. Inside there was a newly designed dashboard with new instruments and a different shape of the front seats to improve space at the rear. 152 units of this slope were manufactured. In the "S" version, the alloy wheels were also different: less elaborate and without the only central nut.

 

For many years, both the Islero and the Jarama were Lamborghini's "forgotten" in the automotive market; most people only know the Countach, the Diablo, the Murcielago and the Aventador, along with the Gallardo and the Huracán, but models like the Jarama or the Urraco were not well known to many. But this has been changing in recent years, and today a Jarama is just as valued as any more modern model of the bull's signature, although the values that they ask for it are not yet as high as those of a Miura or a Countach.

Ferruccio Lamborghini, at 75, told Thoroughbred & Classic Cars in a 1991 interview that the Jarama 400 GT was "the perfect car." With so many fabulous sports cars to choose from, it was the Jarama that its founder chose to elevate from the history of the exotic manufacturer. "I preferred the Jarama to everyone else, because it is the perfect compromise between the Miura and the Espada," said Lamborghini. Keep in mind that the Jarama was the last vehicle in the house equipped with a forward position engine, with the exception of a couple of SUVs, the LM 002 and the Urus.

“The Miura is a sports car for the young at heart. Myself, I found him too outgoing after a while. In turn, the Espada was my Rolls-Royce, still quite fast, but also big and comfortable. The Jarama is the perfect sports car if you just want to have one car, "he told the British publication.