Back when Lamborghini wasn’t re-skinning the Audi Q7 into the Urus, a man called Marcello Gandini was penning the Italian automaker’s supercars. The Miura is the crowning achievement of Gandini at Lamborghini in the 1960s, followed by the Countach in the 1970s and Diablo in the 1990s. But in addition to production models, the 79-year-old designer is also credited for a great number of concepts.
The Marzal is the concept we’ll talk about today, created at the request of Ferruccio Lamborghini as a possible replacement for the 400GT 2+2. Even though the four-seater grand tourer with futuristic looks and gullwing doors remained a one-off, the 3.9-liter V12-engined Espada took influence from the Marzal both inside and out.
First presented at the 1967 Geneva Motor Show, the Marzal made an appearance in Monaco before the start of the 1967 Monte Carlo Formula 1 Grand Prix. On that day of May 7th, the Prince of Monaco was given the keys to the car and the honor to complete a lap of the street circuit in the prepossessing concept with glazed doors.
51 years later, Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A is bringing the Marzal back to Monte Carlo on this very weekend for the 2018 Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, “celebrating its history by completing several laps on the same roads as in 1967.” Not a bad way to honor the brand’s legacy and the prowess of Gandini, isn’t it?
The thing is, the Marzal isn’t as fast as it looks, not even as fast as the Espada that it influenced. Even though the speedometer’s gauge goes all the way up to 320 km/h (200 miles per hour), the concept uses a half-split version of the Lamborghini V12.
Featuring six cylinders arranged in a line and a displacement of less than two liters, the Marzal churns out 175 horsepower, translating to underwhelming performance for a Raging Bull. The Espada Series 1, by comparison, tops at 245 km/h (152 miles per hour) thanks to 325 horsepower and no less than six Weber side-draft carbs.
The Marzal, bearing chassis number 10001, was sold at auction in 2011 for €1,512,000. If you’re curious how the Lamborghini inline-six sounds, press play, close your eyes, and imagine yourself in the driver’s seat, speeding through the tunnel under the Fairmont Hotel, revs up to the redline and windows down.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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