The Jarama Is Lamborghini’s Forgotten Front-Engine GT

Since Lamborghini burst onto the scene more than six decades ago, it has created some of the most widely recognized supercars in the world, including the Miura, Countach, and Diablo. In fact, the company has such a high profile that you could be forgiven for assuming that all of its models are seared into the consciousness of enthusiasts. Not so, because we’ve previously brought you the stories of the Islero and Silhouette, and there’s one more to go: the Jarama. 

Launched at the Geneva Salon in March 1970, the Jarama picked up the baton from the Islero as a 2+2 with Lambo’s familiar Bizzarrini-designed V-12, in 3929-cc form. But whereas the Islero featured a tubular chassis, its successor had a steel platform that was essentially a shortened version of the Espada’s. Styled by Marcello Gandini, there were distinct shades of the Iso Lele in the Jarama’s shape, which is no coincidence, because that car, which was also penned by Gandini, was revealed the previous year. 

The Jarama certainly had presence. With its low and wide stance, peaked headlamps, and heavily flared wheel arches, the Lambo was distinctive. There were also twin NACA ducts in the hood, there to feed fresh air into the cabin rather than the engine.

That quad-cam 60-degree V-12 in the nose was fed by a sextet of twin-choke Weber 40 DCOE carbs, and as such it was rated at 350 hp at 7500 rpm. There was also 289 lb-ft of torque at 5500 rpm, but what really impressed was the grunt at tickover; the Jarama would pull with just 600 rpm on the dial. All of this was enough to take the car to 162 mph, after hitting 60 mph in just 6.8 seconds and 100 mph in 16.4. 

The Jarama’s power was sent to the back wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox, and to rein it all in there were disc brakes all around and double-wishbone suspension at each end. Cast alloy wheels were standard, but you’d have to pay an extra $675 for air conditioning, while metallic paint would set you back another $550. 

More than a year after the Jarama was unveiled in Geneva, Motor magazine finally tested Lamborghini’s latest 2+2. Priced at $21,550 (roughly $180K today), it was cheaper than a Miura or Espada, but much more costly than a Jensen FF II ($18,500) or Iso Rovolta ($13,000), while even a Ferrari 365 GT was slightly cheaper at $21,000. Even Aston Martin’s most expensive car, the DBS V8, was “only” $18,000.

It was against this backdrop that Motor reviewed the Jarama, opening with, “Does value really matter when you can write a five-figure cheque without looking at your bank balance?” The world was a very different place before the advent of relentless growth targets and easy finance. 

Another thing that has changed, of course, is the quality of the cars. Motor collected the first right-hand-drive Jarama at the factory in Sant’Agata, drove it back to the U.K., then looped the island, covering 2000 miles or so in the process. Things did not run smoothly. The magazine’s opening gambit was that “it doesn’t look like £9000-worth inside, and one’s initial impression is clouded by the poor driving position, heavy steering and indifferently planned cockpit.” Oh, dear. 

With its shockingly poor ventilation, seriously cramped rear seats (too tight even for 10-year olds), poor all-around visibility, ludicrously heavy steering, short range thanks to a small fuel tank and a 12-mpg thirst, plus a low-rent interior, the Jarama really struggled to justify its price. Things got even worse when it came to the lighting, because the headlamps were woefully inadequate—and that’s before the lighting failed altogether because of an electrical glitch. 

But it wasn’t all bad news, because the Lambo’s ride quality was better than many luxury saloons, its performance was deeply impressive, and the soundtrack was nothing less than glorious. It also featured that raging bull on the hood, so if you wanted bragging rights at the golf club, the Jarama more than fit the bill. 

Unfortunately, Motor’s experiences weren’t unique. Road & Track tested a Jarama 400 GT in summer 1972, its opening summary running: “A Lamborghini is a Lamborghini, but this one wasn’t up to the usual standard.” Priced at a hefty $22,625, R&T reckoned the Jarama’s cabin was badly laid out, the V-12 was lackluster, and the car was overweight, while the build quality throughout was indifferent at best. 

Whichever review you read, there was undoubtedly plenty of room for improvement, and in summer 1972 the Jarama S was introduced. It was at this point that Ferruccio Lamborghini sold 51% of the company to Swiss businessmen Georges-Henri Rossetti and René Leimer. The Jarama S that they inherited featured a completely overhauled interior, with a new dashboard and center console, redesigned back seats, plus Espada wheels. There was also now a hood scoop to feed air to the slightly uprated engine, which now had a claimed 365 hp and a 167-mph top end. But all of this made little difference to sales. 

The Jarama was just the thing for the international playboy who wanted something a bit special and had the wherewithal to pay for it—regardless of whether it was actually worth it. The problem was that there weren’t enough international playboys to go round, and sales were hard to come by for the Jarama’s entire existence. Incredibly, it remained in production all the way through 1978, by which point 177 examples of the initial model had been made, along with 150 copies of the Jarama S. 

Values of this much maligned Lambo remained in the shadows of its more famous ancestors for quite some time, but good ones have come into their own in recent years. Most nice Jaramas have now been restored to a standard far better than when they left the factory, and you’ll have to part with $100K or more to land one. Not bad for a car that most of the world has either forgotten or didn’t know existed in the first place.