The last small GT sedan with a V8 engine! Sant'Agata Bolognese, November 16, 2021 - This year Lamborghini is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Jalpa, which was first presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1981. In the best Lamborghini tradition, the name of the Jalpa comes from a breed of fighting bull, the Jalpa Kandachia. It is the last evolutionary stage of the concept of a small GT sedan with an eight-cylinder mid-engine from the manufacturer from Sant'Agata Bolognese. The Jalpa is the final evolution of the Urraco and Silhouette project, of which it maintains the general architecture. However, it is equipped with a larger engine, which has been enlarged to 3,5 liters displacement. The line with the Targa top was designed by the French Marc Deschamps, style director of Carrozzeria Bertone since 1980, and directly influenced and partly co-developed by Giulio Alfieri, the then managing director and technical director of Lamborghini.
Lamborghini jalpa
The most important technical innovation of the Jalpa is the final evolutionary stage of the 90-degree V8 engine, which is made entirely of aluminum and has four chain-driven overhead camshafts and was originally built into the Urraco and Silhouette. Thanks to an enlarged bore, the 3,5-liter engine (3485 cm3), powered by four Weber 42-DCNF double carburetors and with a compression ratio of 9,2: 1, a maximum output of 255 hp at 7000 rpm and a maximum torque of 1 kgm at 32 rpm. This enables the Jalpa to reach a top speed of 3500 km / h (1 mph).
The prototype of the Jalpa, the vehicle presented at the Geneva Motor Show, has a special history. It is based on a silhouette that could not be sold after its production. This was sent back to the factory and served as the basis for the new model. The 1981 Jalpa presented in Geneva is easy to recognize by its special metallic bronze color and has some unique aesthetic features that were not used in the production version.
The Jalpa, which went into production in 1982, consists of a semi-supporting steel body and features black bumpers and engine air intakes as well as horizontal taillights. The 16-inch alloy wheels were taken directly from the prototype Athon and equipped with the P7 low-profile tires from Pirelli. The interior of the Jalpa is luxurious, with extensive use of leather and carpets. The Targa hood is designed to be easy to remove and put on and can be stowed in a space provided behind the rear seats.
In the numerous test reports that appeared in specialist magazines at the time, experts enthusiastically described his direct, appealing and uncompromising driving behavior.
At the 1984 Geneva Motor Show, the "second series" of the Jalpa was presented. It was characterized by some aesthetic changes such as bumpers and air intakes in body color, rounded taillights and a revised interior. The commercial life of the Jalpa ended in 1988 after the production of 420 vehicles. It was the last small sedan produced by Lamborghini with a V8 engine and historically the last sports car in this segment with this displacement and this positioning of the engine. Conceptually, the Jalpa is the direct predecessor of the 2003 Gallardo, which became one of the best-selling Lamborghini cars in history.
Number of items produced
Lamborghini Jalpa: 1981-1987, 420 pieces: The Lamborghini Polo Storico, launched in 2015, is the department of Automobili Lamborghini responsible for maintaining the historical identity of the company from Sant'Agata Bolognese. Its main task is the restoration and certification of all Lamborghini vehicles produced up to 2001. In addition, he is responsible for maintaining the archive and opening up new sources of information in order to develop and maintain the value of all classic Lamborghinis. Ultimately, due to inquiries from passionate owners of classic Lamborghini vehicles, special attention is paid to the production of spare parts that are no longer available on the market.
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Lamborghini jalpa
Photo credit: Lamborghini
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