It really is surprising, that at that time, Ferruccio Lamborghini gave priority to the Jarama over the other vehicles in his company. He described it as fitting in perfectly between the wild Miura and the established, large Espada, of which the Jarama is practically a shortened version. Presumably, the stable handling characteristics are a result of the weight, which it took over as the offspring. It would (for the time being), be the last front-engined and rear-wheel drive car in the history of the company.

If we disregard the American cars and the European small-series vehicles, then the second series Jarama from 1970 was, after the Lotus Elan and the Miura, one of the first sports cars with pop-up headlights. In most cases this was imposed by the American registration authorities. The particular emphasis in this case, was that they could blink, making an additional headlamp for the high-beam flashing unnecessary.

Having a look at the engine specifications, you'll see that here we're dealing with a particularly high quality product. This doesn't mean, that an American V8-product couldn't have produced a similar or even a higher perormance, indeed 4 camshafts with six twin-carburettors in a V12, is a very high standard. Then the wheelbase can be even shorter that of the VW-Beetle, the engine alone with the flamboyant instrumentation, the huge centre-tunnel and the fine leather seating completed the appeal, we won't even mention the sound up to about 8000 RPM.

The space in the rear of course, was hardly sufficient even for small children. One could go on criticising, e.g., the poor overall view or the exorbitantly high fuel consumption. Indeed, this didn't bother anyone two to four years before the oil-price crisis, certainly, the forces needed to change gears and for the steering were too high, but as far as the safety and handling perfection were concerned, this car was above all doubt. Did you know, that not only the engine but also the gearbox was manufactured by Lamborghini themselves?

Whatever the case may be, Ferruccio Lamborghini appeared to enjoy driving this car, apparently it fulfilled his own high demands. After the sale in 1972 however, the company's history was full of changes. Otherwise, have a look, and be critical if you like, at the restoration projects in video 2 and 3. 07/15