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LAMBORGHINI Jarama Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

Generations: 2
First production year: 1970
Engines: Gasoline
Body style: Coupé (two-door)
LAMBORGHINI Jarama Rallye photo gallery

Lamborghini introduced the Jarama in 1970 as its last front-engined vehicle until the 1985 LM002, and Bob Wallace thought that the Italian supercar could be a perfect rally car, so he made the Jarama Rallye.

Bob Wallace was a race driver from New Zeeland, and his talents were noticed by the Italian carmaker. Thus, he was hired after 1963 as a troubleshooter for Lamborghini. At first, his role was to assist in the production of the 350 GT, and later on, he became a road development engineer. In those years, Europe's motorsports arena was dominated by rally racing, and Wallace thought that it might be an excellent idea to create a rally version from a Jarama. After all, it was a short enough vehicle and had enough power to dominate most of its competitors.

In 1972, Lamborghini was ready to introduce the upgraded version of the Jarama, the Jarama S. Wallace took the last chassis from the non-S version and started to work on it. He added more welding points onto the bare bodywork, strengthening it. Then, he replaced some of the steel body panels and replaced them with aluminum ones, which were lighter, and also installed aluminum doors. Moreover, he replaced the side windows with plastic ones and made a filler cap that went right through the rear right one. Thus he shaved a few hundred pounds from the base vehicle.

Moving onto the interior, Wallace installed a mandatory roll cage that offered protection in case of a crash. He stripped all the unnecessary features and installed low-back Miura seats. In addition, the dashboard was very simple, with only the mandatory dials and gauges mounted on it.

Under the hood, Wallace installed a 3.9-liter V12 powerplant. It is believed that the engine came from an Islero model, not from the regular Jarama. But after it went through some major changes and upgrades, the powerplant ended up developing 380 ponies. It was the only one Jarama Rally.

full description and technical specifications
LAMBORGHINI Jarama photo gallery

The 1970 Jarama was Lamborghini's last front-engine vehicle until the 1986 LM002 off-road vehicle, and it tried to get into the hearts of the American customers.

With a love-it-or-hate-it design, the Jarama took its name from the Spanish race-track, even though it was a GT. Lamborghini sold it in the GT or GTS trim levels and built only 328 units. After that, it focused on mid-engined supercars that were far more appealing, and the Italian carmaker lost the battle against its main competitor, Ferrari.

After the soft and curved lines featured on its predecessor, the Islero, the Jarama came with a wedged-shaped bodywork that looks somehow impressive. At the front, it featured half-covered dual round headlights. Its turn-signals were mounted into the metallic front bumper. The flat hood sported two air-intakes on the sides to provide cold air to the engine. From the sides, the roof revealed a slight up-kick toward its end and a sloped back. Despite the hatchback styling, the Jarama featured a trunk lid that opened without the rear windscreen.

Inside, the Jarama offered four seats, even though those in the back were very hard to reach since the front ones didn't tilt. Lamborghini installed a tall center console where it mounted the gear stick and the buttons for power windows. The carmaker chose an unusual place for the radio, between the seats, with the face forward, toward the center stack. It was straightforward to access if the driver knew where each button and turning knob was.

Under the hood, the carmaker installed a 4.0-liter V-12 engine that provided 350 hp. It paired it with a five-speed manual and sent the power to the rear wheels.

full description and technical specifications