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The Lamborghini Jalpa: The Countach’s Little-Known Sibling

When the Lamborghini Jalpa was first shown to the world alongside the Lamborghini LM001 super SUV at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show the fate of the company was resting on its shoulders.

Lamborghini had been in dire financial straights in the late 1970s and this new model was hoped to have a wider appeal than the range-topping Lamborghini Countach, due to the fact that it was more affordable and easier to drive.

Fast Facts – The Lamborghini Jalpa

The Jalpa (pronounced “hal-pah”) was an evolution on the earlier Lamborghini Silhouette, a production car from the late 1970s with similar styling of which just 54 had been made.
Lamborghini know they needed a model below the Countach that was more affordable and easier to drive, as it turns out they were right and they sold over 400 examples of the Jalpa between 1981 and 1988.
Power is provided by a transversely mounted all-alloy V8 with double overhead cams, a swept capacity of 3.5 liters and a power output of 250+hp depending on region.
The Jalpa can do the 0 to 62 mph dash in 5.8 seconds onto a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h), good figures for the era and certainly no slouch even by modern standards.

The Jalpa: A Brother For The Countach

The Lamborghini Countach had been released in 1974 to a shocked global audience, the future had arrived with a V12 roar and other automakers rushed to catch up.

The styling of the Jalpa is unmistakably a Lamborghini creation, taking many cues from the earlier Gandini-designed Countach and from the Silhouette.

So advanced was the Marcello Gandini design of the Countach that it would stay in production from 1974 until 1990 with occasional updates including a rear wing, wheel arch extensions, a front lip spoiler, and other body accoutrements.

In 1976 the Lamborghini Silhouette was introduced to fill the market segment below the Countach, however due to the severe financial distress that Lamborghini was in at the time just 54 of them were made.

The core design of the Silhouette was deemed a good starting point for a new model named the Jalpa after the “Jalpa Kandachia” – breed of fighting bulls.

The vehicle was developed under the leadership of Giulio Alfieri at Carrozzeria Bertone and it featured very clear references to both the earlier Silhouette and the later examples of the Countach – there was no mistaking this model for anything other than a Lamborghini of the 1980s.

Unlike the Countach which was famously challenging to get in and out of and almost impossible to reverse without opening the door and sitting on the sill, the Jalpa was considerably easier to drive on a regular basis, with some owners using them daily.

The Jalpa went on sale in 1981 at a critical time for the Italian automaker, the fact that over 400 of them were sold brought in vitally needed revenue for the company and helped keep it afloat into the 1990s and onto the present day.

The lower original purchase price and the fact that the Jalpa sits below the Countach in the Lamborghini model hierarchy means that it’s been overlooked by many collectors and prices have remained far lower than its V12 engined siblings.

The car has a rear-mid mounted transverse V8 powering the rear wheels and seating for two inside.

Values have been on the rise however it’s still possible to buy an excellent example for under $90,000 USD with cars requiring some work still selling for around $50,000 USD.

Lamborghini Jalpa – Specifications

The Jalpa used an enlarged version of the alloy V8 from the Silhouette, now with a capacity of 3.5 liters and 255 hp at 7,500 and 225 lb ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. American cars had to adhere to more strict emissions regulations, but they only lost approximately 5 hp when compared to cars delivered in Europe.

The Lamborghini V8 was designed by Gian Paolo Dallara, it has a bank angle of 90º, double overhead cams per bank, two valves per cylinder, four downdraft Weber carburetors, and an alloy crankcase and heads.

This was only the second engine developed at Lamborghini after the original V12, and after being used in the Jalpa Lamborghini wouldn’t use another V8 engine again for decades until the release of the Urus SUV in 2018.

Power from the transversely mid-mounted V8 was sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission and it was used in displacements from 2.0 to 3.5 liters in a number of Lamborghini models including the Urraco, Silhouette, and Jalpa.

The 3.5 liter 90º V8 would be the last V8 used by Lamborghini until the release of the Lamborghini Urus in 2018.

The Jalpa uses a modified version of the steel monocoque chassis from the Silhouette, and it has the same suspension layout including MacPherson struts with lower A-arms up front and Chapman struts with reversed lower A-arms and trailing arms in the rear. Coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers are used front and back, with anti-sway bars at each end.

Period road tests showed that the Jalpa was capable of doing 0 to 62 mph in 5.8 seconds and achieving a top speed of 155 mph – highly respectable figures for the era.

The Lamborghini Jalpa P350 GTS Shown Here

The car you see here is a 1985 Lamborghini Jalpa P350 GTS finished in red with a tan leather interior. It has a removable targa panel roof, power windows, power four-wheel disc brakes, air-conditioning and a Pioneer stereo.

Koni shock absorbers and a sports exhaust have been fitted and the car comes with the optional rear wing and Michelin Pilot XGT Z4 tires fitted on all four corners to the original Lamborghini alloy wheels.

This car benefited from a major engine servicing in September 2007 which included an upper engine rebuild, stainless steel valves, a new clutch, alternator, plug wires and seals, and many more maintenance items.

It was also repainted in 2007 and given a new leather interior and carpets, with additional maintenance work being carried out as needed. The car now has 63,500 kms (~39,500 miles) on the odometer and it’s due to cross the auction block with RM Sotheby’s on the 3rd of September with a price guide of $90,000 to $120,000 USD.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

The post The Lamborghini Jalpa: The Countach’s Little-Known Sibling appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/lamborghini-jalpa/
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Weekend Project: A Custom Ford Thunderbird Go-Kart – $500+ USD

This unusual vintage go-kart features a Ford Thunderbird inspired body fitted to a traditional tubular steel go-kart frame with a rear-mounted Briggs & Stratton engine.

Karts like this have been popular for decades as both fair ground and amusement park attractions as well as toys for adults and kits alike. A number of companies popped ups that offered go-karts in either turnkey condition or as kits that people could build themselves at home over the course of a weekend.

One of the most common engine manufacturers for go-karts has always been Briggs & Stratton, an American company that was founded back in 1908 by Stephen Foster Briggs and Harold M. Stratton. The two men achieved great success initially selling the small Briggs & Stratton Flyer, an incredibly simple early automobile with a wooden chassis and five wheels.

The engine that powers this go-kart is a 3.5 hp Briggs & Stratton four-stroke with a single cylinder, air-cooling, and a pull start. These engines are renowned for their toughness and will typically last decades with regular maintenance.

The controls are simple, with a yoke for steering and both a brake and accelerator pedal.

The Thunderbird fiberglass body on this kart can be unbolted and removed in once piece for easy access. It has a single padded seat and the driving controls are as you would expect, with a steering yoke for directional control and two pedals – one to go and one to stop.

For the past few years this go-kart has been part of the large Glen Hague Collection however it’s now coming up for sale with many dozens of other vehicles from the collection, with the auction taking place in Auburn, Indiana in early September.

The listing for this unusual kart doesn’t mention if it’s running or not, so any buyer should expect to need to do at least a little work on it before putting it into use. The good news is that spare parts for the engine will be nice and easy to come by.

The price guide on this kart is $500 – $1,000 USD and you can click here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.

The post Weekend Project: A Custom Ford Thunderbird Go-Kart – $500+ USD appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/ford-thunderbird-go-kart/
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jacdurac:1955 Chrysler C300 Convertible Hemi
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utwo:…surreal photographs by :© E. Johansson

utwo:

…surreal photographs by :

© E. Johansson

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qusarts:Four Meters of PerfectionMichelangelo’s David at the School of Belle Arti Museum in...
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Van Royalty: A 1969 Fiat 238 B Van In Ferrari Livery

This humble Fiat 238 B van is finished in period-correct “Ferrari Assistenza Corse” livery, these Fiat vans were frequently by racing teams and by Ferrari dealerships for roadside assistance and the transportation of parts.

Fiat took a 50% stake in Ferrari in 1969 as work began on a factory extension to build the Ferrari V6-engined Fiat Dino.

The two companies sold their own versions of the Dino with the same V6 under the hood, and Fiat’s injection of capital was instrumental in keeping Ferrari in business throughout the difficult years of the 1970s.

Fast Facts

The Fiat 238 series of vans was sold from 1967 until 1983 as a replacement for the Fiat 1100T.
In order to reduce costs and complexity, the Fiat 238 was based on the chassis of the Autobianchi Primula and it used a detuned version of the engine from the Fiat 124.
A number of different body styles and engine options were offered over the production run, including both petrol and diesel engines.
The front wheel drive layout results in a low, flat floor which helped to maximize cargo space and made the 238 popular with mobile home conversion companies.

The Fiat 238 Van

When it was released in 1967 the Fiat 238 offered a locally made van to Italians that would rival the similar vehicles coming out of Germany and Britain – vans like the VW Kombi and the Ford Transit.

During its restoration this 238 van was given full Ferrari Assistenza Corse livery, this means “Ferrari Racing Assistance” in English and it would have been used by Ferrari racing teams in the period.

In order to save money and reduce the development time the 238 is based on the front-wheel drive Autobianchi Primula platform and it’s powered by the Fiat 124 inline-four cylinder engine.

Suspension and brakes were relatively simple, as you would expect for a commercial vehicle from the 1960s, with drum brakes on all four corners, a transverse leaf spring up front, and a torsion bar arrangement in the rear.

A wide variety of body styles could be built onto the Fiat 238 platform including a variety of vans of course, as well as ambulances, trucks, passenger transport, and more. The use of front-wheel drive gave the 238 a low, flay rear floor area with was ideal for cargo, however it also made it well-suited to camper conversion.

A number of different companies offered camper builds on the 238 and the surviving examples are now considered highly collectible as the van life movement continues to gain steam.

Over the course of its production run Fiat offered a few engines in the 238, the first was the 1,197cc petrol engine, a simple inline-four cylinder producing 43 hp. In 1975 the larger and more powerful 1,438cc engine producing 45 hp and more torque, though a 51 hp version of this engine was available only in ambulances.

The spartan interior has seating for three and the engine is accessible inside the driver’s compartment.

The 238 was replaced with the Fiat Ducato in the early 1980s and the Ducato has been sold over three generations, remaining in production today.

The Fiat 238 Shown Here

The 238 you see here is a 1969 model that I thought to have been originally finished in white when it was delivered new to its first owner in Italy. It’s fitted with the 1,197cc four-cylinder engine and a manual transmission as you would expect, and its riding on period-correct steel wheels with chrome hub caps.

At some point in the van’s more recent history it was given a restoration, when the original white paint was replaced with the eye-catching Ferrari Assistenza Corse you see it wearing today.

Vans like this will appeal to a lot of people, it’s possible that it’ll sell to someone who races vintage Ferraris or to a specialist workshop that provides maintenance and restorations for Ferraris from the ’60s and ’70s.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on H and H Auctions. It’s due to roll across the auction block on the 8th of September and it’s being offered with no reserve.