Yahoo Finance This Rare 1984 Lamborghini Is the Countach’s Forgotten Sibling. It’s Now Heading to Auction.
A rare example of the Lamborghini Countach’s little brother is heading to auction.
A 1984 Jalpa coupé is set to go up for bid later this month during Mecum Auctions’s annual Indianapolis sale. The sporty two-door dates back to an era when the Italian marque might only build a hundred cars per year as opposed to the thousands it makes annually today.
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How big of a shadow does the Countach cast? So big that even some Raging Bull enthusiasts forget that the automaker released three other models during the 16 years its most iconic supercar was on the market. The second of these was the Jalpa, which was also Lamborghini’s attempt at building an “affordable” sports car. It may have a wedge shape just like its older sibling, but its general design is more restrained and it comes with a V-8 instead of a V-12. It’s hard to imagine someone buying a Lambo that wasn’t a Countach during the 1970s and ‘80s, but 410 examples left the factory between 1981 and 1988. It may not have been a hit per se, but it helped lay the groundwork for the brand’s “starter” supercars to follow, like the Gallardo and Huracán.
This particular Jalpa, serial no. ZA9J00000ELA12127, dates from midway through the model’s production run and is finished in bright red Rosso Siviglia. It may not be as brash as the Countach, but its angular body features removable roof panels—it was the brand’s second targa after its immediate predecessor, the Silhouette—and rides on a set of white Route Z alloy wheels. The interior, meanwhile, is covered in black leather and has a grated shifter, its factory air-conditioning system, and an Alpine stereo system.
The vehicle is powered by a mid-mounted 3.5-liter DOHC V-8. The eight-cylinder mill produced 255 hp and 225 ft lbs of torque, all of which was sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. The coupé is capable of launching from zero to 62 mph in six seconds and reaching a top speed of 155 mph. This example has 18,701 miles on the odometer and looks to be in great shape, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if it’s still almost capable of those performance figures.
This Jalpa is scheduled to hit the auction block on Saturday, May 18. Mecum hasn’t announced an estimate for the car, but decent condition Jalpas sell for around $85,000 and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this example exceed that number.
Click here for more photos of the 1984 Lamborghini Jalpa.
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