Have I mentioned that we're on a Gandini kick? Well, we are - here's another Gandini design. Today's Lamborghini Jarama eschews the wedge shapes from last week's Countach P400 and Urraco, and isn't a tarted up Mini, like yesterday's Innocenti. Rather, the Jarama employs sharp creases and smart proportions in to create an aggressive profile, and a controversial one at that.
As of today, we are not entirely sure why the Jarama was offered as a contemporary to the Espada. Some research in the near future should sort that out. To us, both front engine V12 2+2's seem to achieve the same goal. Oddly enough for cars of their class, they both offer useable rear seat space for a second pair of passengers, though accessing those seats isn't the most convenient of tasks. We prefer the Jarama to the Espada, if only for its styling.
The Jarama seems to us to be a more aggressive alternative to the Ferrari 400 - a favorite of ours from the same era. Both maintain impressively low cowls, with their hoods just skimming the front fenders. And, both allow for a great distance between the dash and the front axle - a critical criterion for any attractive GT car. But, the tumblehome on the Jarama's side flanks and the way that its rear deck narrows from the bumpers to the rear crease of the roof really win us over.
1972 Lamborghini Jarama S an extremely well preserved example of this rare and desirable model. V12 with six Carbs/five speed/AC ID#10354. A true S, is an very rare find. This California car is believed to have had only three owners all from the Bay Area since 1972. The paint is quite serviceable and while it has some minor cracks and imperfections, is consistent with the patina of the rest of the car. The interior is beautiful original red leather and even the dash is still nice and original. The body, including door, hood and boot fit is extremely nice, and undisturbed, and being from San Francisco free of the normal rust the plagues low production Italian exotics. The 73,543 total kilometers (45,965 miles) are correct, and the car comes with the tool roll and jack and bag together with the manual and shop manual. The car sounds and runs well, however there is a breach from a combustion chamber somewhere as it starts to get hot during a short drive, and is also getting moisture into the oil. This can be caused by a leaking head gasket, or a crack in a casting, and will require immediate repair prior to use. The motor however, runs and sounds great. Gearbox, clutch and suspension feel good. AC blows, but not cold. With the heating situation solved, this would be a great car to just leave alone and enjoy.
Price: $139,500
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While our styling opinions should be taken with a grain of salt, we do have useful mechanical knowledge, and we'd like to offer some here: prepare for the worst on this one. The seller notes temperature issues and moisture in the oil. Best case, it's a head gasket - not so bad. Worse, and it's a cracked head - repairable, but not a great outcome. But, the real question is, how much time has the engine spent with moisture (i.e. coolant) in the oil, and what has been the toll on the bottom end? Hydrodynamic bearings prefer oil to ethylene glycol, after all.
Mechanical reservations aside, should we be considered disturbed for actually having an interest in digging into the lovely Lamborghini V12 on this thing? Where we lack in storage space, we make up for in ambition. Or zeal. But not naivete - no, we're not optimistic about this one. It could be a decent buy though - the Jarama S spec is more desirable than the plain old Jarama. And, it's said to be a rust-free example, which we gather is uncommon on these models. For those still unconvinced, well, there are much worse deals to be found on 6 Webers.
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