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Rare Old Lambo With Odd Story and Multiple Mishaps Falls Short of Buyers' Interest

Only ten Lamborghini Jarama (do pronounce it in Spanish, with an H instead of J, thank you very much) had a factory-installed automatic gearbox, and this specimen is one of those select few. The car has an interesting history: it came to the US via Canada, was abandoned for 15 years, and ended up worn and torn for sale. 
1975 Lamborghini Jarama GTS 11 photos
Photo: BaT/colleen365gtb4
1975 Lamborghini Jarama GTS1975 Lamborghini Jarama GTS1975 Lamborghini Jarama GTS1975 Lamborghini Jarama GTS1975 Lamborghini Jarama GTS1975 Lamborghini Jarama GTS1975 Lamborghini Jarama GTS1975 Lamborghini Jarama GTS1975 Lamborghini Jarama GTS1975 Lamborghini Jarama GTS, Ferruccio Lamborghini and a Tractor
2016 brought about a shift of luck for this historic icon of the Italian carmaker (the Jarama was the last front-engined V12 Lamborghini sportscar). A new owner fell in love with the poor-looking jewel, giving it a new life, fresh paint, interior refurbishment, and several other cosmetic improvements that took six years to finish. Notably, the car needs some serious work to make it safely drivable. The seller notes that the brakes, engine, headlight doors, turn signal switch, driver door window switch, air conditioning, and power accessories need serious servicing before regular use.

Also, while the shown mileage of just over 13k (21k km) is promising, take it with a pinch of salt. Since this is an old Lambo, the project will likely translate into an obscene bill. It will need to be taken out of planned non–operation to be enjoyed on any public strip of tarmac. The highest bid was $67k but fell short of the seller's mark. Still, it is intriguing to know that the 2016 sale price was $89k, and it failed to sell today for $22K less.

The 1970 Jarama followed in the footsteps of the Espada, and the S (or GTS, since it went by both nameplates) came equipped with a 365hp 3.9-liter quad-cam V12 sporting six Weber carburetors. The engine is said to have made Lamborghini the supersport icon it is now and also Ferruccio's all-time preferred car (as the photo in the gallery proves). A fast car for its time, it still draws attention today. The addictive sound it makes, even at low RPMs, is enough to send the driver in frantic pursuit of a long straight tunnel to put the pedal to the metal. The GTS Jarama features a fully independent suspension and disc brakes in all corners to tame this fast-on-the-gun Italian with five-lug wheels.

A proper Grand Tourer with four seats (and space for four actual humans inside), the Jarama is arguably the best drive from what Italy had to offer in that era. Both comfortable and fast, the Jarama was its founder’s car of choice (see the gallery for an iconic photo). This vehicle received an updated interior, which retained a 2+2 seating configuration but moved controls for the wipers and lights to the center stack forward of the shifter. The four bucket seats, door panels, and center console got an upcycling with tan leather, and the dashboard is upholstered in mouse-fur black.

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About the author: Razvan Calin
Razvan Calin profile photo

After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads.
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