Description
Lamborghini entered the second half of the 1970s with a range of four cars in production. The four-seater Espada, the Jarama S and the amazing Countach all featured versions of the Dallara-designed V12, while the Urraco had the company’s smaller V8 engine. First to be replaced was the Urraco, which gave way to the Silhouette. Announced in 1976, this was really a reworking of the Urraco by its original designer Bertone, with more than a nod to the brutality inherent in Marcello Gandini’s Countach design. The Silhouette, though, did not last. It disappeared in 1978 along with the Jarama S and the Espada, leaving only the Countach in production. These were difficult times for Lamborghini, which had changed hands more than once since its founder had sold the company in 1972. A brief liaison with the M1 supercar, that the Italian manufacturer was to build, ended with the Germans walking away. Lamborghini’s owner put the company into receivership in 1981 and it was bought at auction by the Swiss Mimram family later the same year. Even that ownership did not last, and in 1987 Chrysler became the next company to take over the reins at Lamborghini. Yet the cars kept on coming, even though all-new designs did not appear with the regularity Ferruccio Lamborghini himself had aimed for in the 1960s. The Countach took on wider arches in 1978, its V12 was further developed to give 5.1 litres and from 1985 there were four-valve cylinder heads as well to keep the car fresh. Meanwhile, the Silhouette had been reworked, and reappeared after a three-year absence as the Jalpa, this time with its transverse V8 engine boasting 3.5 litres by courtesy of Giulio Alfieri. Lastly, let us not forget the amazing LM002 off-roader (developed from the stillborn Cheetah) which married the 455 bhp V12 of the Countach to a bluff and tough-looking 4×4 to exploit the trend towards luxury off-road vehicles which was gathering pace by the end of the 1970s. By 1989, when the period covered by this book reached its end, Lamborghini was producing 350 cars a year at its Sant’ Agata factory. 31 articles sourced from the leading publications of the day cover road tests, model reports & buying used. Models covered: Silhouette, Urraco P300, LM 002, Cizeta V16T, Jalpa, Countach S, 500S, 5000S, Quattrovalvole & Anniversary.
With a total of 136 fully illustrated pages. SB.
