The Jarama GT was regarded as the latest evolution of the proven 2+2-seater GT coupé concept with a four-liter twelve-cylinder front engine. The Jarama, named after an area north of Madrid known for breeding fighting bulls, was technically developed on the basis of its predecessors, the Lamborghini 400 GT and the Islero, whose mechanical structure was adopted. What sets it apart, however, is the line designed by Marcello Gandini for Carrozzeria Bertone, which, with its taut and angular contours, is much more in keeping with the stylistic standards of the 1970s.
Powerful bull
The start of the new decade was to be just as it should be for a sporty Lamborghini: the chassis was equipped with a braking system with four large disc brakes (ventilated at the front) and optimized with a track width widened by ten centimetres to 1,490 mm and 15-inch Campagnolo magnesium rims.
The engine, fed by six Weber twin carburetors (type 40 DCOE), was the tried-and-tested V12 unit with double overhead camshafts per cylinder bank, which developed an output of 350 hp and allowed the car to reach a top speed of 260 km/h.
The bodywork for the pre-production models was assembled by Carrozzeria Marazzi in Caronno Pertusella (near Varese), which had just completed production of the Islero. The series models were to be produced at the Carrozzeria Bertone plant in Grugliasco (near Turin). The last 100 examples of the Jarama, which were produced in 1972, were to be a "hybrid" made from body parts pressed by Bertone and assembled at Marazzi.
Equipped with leather upholstery and air conditioning, the interior was exceptionally luxurious. The spaciousness, respectable for a sports car, also offered a relatively large trunk.
The last of its kind
From the 1972 Geneva Motor Show, production was extended to include the 365 hp Jarama GTS version, which featured a transverse air intake on the hood and two air outlets behind the front wheel arches. The interior featured a new dashboard with modified instruments and a different shape of the front seats for more space behind them. The wheels were also different on the GTS: the central locking system was omitted and the alloy wheels were less elaborate.
The Jarama, of which a total of 328 were produced, is an important model in the history of Lamborghini: not only because of its light and striking lines, which still have an aesthetic appeal today, 50 years later, but also because it was the last front-engined GT from Sant'Agata Bolognese. Apart from the LM002 and Urus super SUVs, Lamborghinis have only had mid-engines since then.
Around 176 examples of the Jarama GT were produced between 1970 and 1973, and around 152 vehicles of the Jarama GTS between 1972 and 1976.
