Most car enthusiasts tend to know a few crucial Lamborghini models, like the Miura, the Countach, the Diablo and newer ones like the Murcielago, the Gallardo, the Huracan and the Aventador. But Lamborghini has made several other models over the years; they’ve just faded into the background.
And their weirdest one was undoubtedly the Jarama.
Yes, the vehicle you’re seeing above is a Lamborghini — a car from the same company that did the Miura and the Countach. Stranger than that, the car you’re seeing above came from the same era as the Miura and the Countach. But while those vehicles looked striking, ridiculous and crazy, the Jarama looks… like a 1970s hatchback.
Sold from 1970 to 1976 with only 328 total units made for the entire world, the Jarama may not have the look of other Lamborghini models, but it has the performance. Under the hood of that rather unusual body is a 3.9-liter V12 that makes 350 horsepower or, in the later Jarama GTS model, 365 hp. The Jarama was intended to be more of a touring car than the Miura and the Countach, so it had four seats, extra practicality and (according to Wikipedia) an automatic-transmission option. Personally, I’ve never seen an automatic Jarama.
And some days, I wish I hadn’t seen a Jarama at all. While the Miura and the Countach are undoubtedly among the most striking Italian cars, and while I’ve always said the Lamborghini 350GT is the most beautiful car ever built, the Jarama is decidedly the opposite. Even though it was styled by Marcello Gandini, who designed some of the most beautiful cars ever made, it’s not pretty. It’s a car you’d walk right by at a car show in order to see something more exciting, without ever knowing you’d just passed a classic Lamborghini.
Interestingly, values haven’t exactly shot up, either, likely due to the unusual styling. While the Miura is now a $1 million car and early Countach models are creeping into that territory, you can pick up a Jarama for $100,000 or less. A bargain for a V12 Lamborghini like the Jarama — presuming that you’re sitting inside and you don’t have to look at it.
The Jarama was Lamborghini’s last "grand tourer." When it died in 1976, Lamborghini never made another 2+2 vehicle — perhaps because they were afraid of creating another vehicle as strange-looking as the Jarama. Find a Lamborghini Jarama for sale
Doug DeMuro is an automotive journalist who has written for many online and magazine publications. He once owned a Nissan Cube and a Ferrari 360 Modena. At the same time.
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1986 Honda Accord rear quarter view.
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