1991 Lamborghini Jalpa P350
Coachwork by Carrozzeria Bertone
Chassis no. ZA9J00000LA12152

The aim of a smaller less-expensive model to complement its V12-engined cars was realised by Lamborghini in 1970 with the announcement of the Urraco. Intended to compete with rivals such as Ferrari's Dino 308 and Porsche's 911, the Bertone-styled four-seater Urraco retained the mid-engined Miura's basic mechanical layout, but in place of the former's transversely-mounted 4.0-litre V12, used a 2.5-litre V8 mounted in a all-steel unitary body/chassis. A two-seater development, the Bertone-styled Silhouette, appeared in 1976 powered by the Urraco P300's four-cam, 3.0-litre V8. Intended as a 308 GTB competitor, the Silhouette possessed excellent handling balance and was every bit as quick as its Ferrari rival in a straight line, but never achieved anything like the same volume of sales. Notable as the first open Lamborghini, the Silhouette was produced for little more than a year, a mere 52 being made, and had gone by 1978. The Urraco P250 followed a year later, and the concept of a smaller V8-engined Lamborghini was allowed to lapse until the arrival of the Jalpa in 1982.

Based on the defunct Silhouette, the Jalpa P350 was reworked by the celebrated engineer Giulio Alfieri, late of Maserati, who lengthened the engine's stroke for a capacity of 3,485cc. Maximum power increased to 255bhp, good enough to give the aerodynamically efficient Jalpa a top speed of around 249km/h (155mph), while maximum torque of 235lb/ft delivered at a lowly 3,250rpm made for an unusually wide useable power band. The coil-sprung suspension followed the pattern established by the Urraco/Silhouette, consisting of McPherson struts and lower 'A' arms at the front, and Chapman struts with reversed lower 'A' arms and trailing links at the rear. The rest of the running gear - rack-and-pinion steering, anti-roll bars at both ends and ventilated discs all round – was pretty much the norm for a 1980s supercar.

There were a few styling changes from the Urraco - neater chin spoiler, subtly altered rear quarters, different wheels - while the interior's ergonomics were significantly improved. Otherwise the Jalpa remained much as its predecessor but would enjoy considerably greater success, remaining in production into the 1990s by which time 410 cars had been built.

Motor magazine found that their test car was every bit as quick as the Porsche 911 SC and Lotus Esprit Turbo opposition, while remarking on the 3.5-litre V8's tremendous flexibility that made the Jalpa a significantly superior top-gear performer. "In full cry, it's hard-edged yet resonant howl rivals an F1-racer's for scalp-tingling drama and mechanical purity but, around town, there's a smooth, flexible and, more importantly, totally untemperamental power unit willing to accept any amount of traffic queue crawling and dawdling..."

Finished in white with red leather interior, the Jalpa we offer is in very good condition. It was Purchased by the vendor in August 1999 at auction in Switzerland and currently displays a total of 8,920 kilometres on the odometer. The car has been stored for some years and will require servicing before returning to the road. Offered with a Swiss Carte Grise.