Known as the Lamborghini Jalpa P350, it was a natural evolution of the Silhouette and the final attempt at creating an entry level Lamborghini with a V8 engine. Power increased and handling was markedly better than the Silhouette while the body was again a new design crafted by Bertone. Jalpa looked less spectacular than the Silhouette but it was actually very in style.

The final attempt at creating an entry level Lamborghini with a V8 engine was the Jalpa (pronounced ‘yawl-pa) another name given in true Lamborghini tradition, taken from a famous breed of fighting bulls, just like the Miura model name all those years ago.

This new V8 model was based on the original Urraco, just like the Silhouette a few years earlier, but the Jalpa was more a successor to the Silhouette in concept due to the similar open top, targa style roof configuration of one large removable panel above the driver and passenger.

The Jalpa was fitted with a 3.5 L double overhead camshaft version of the V8 engine used in the Silhouette on which it was based. The version used in the Jalpa produced 255 hp and 225 lb/ft of torque.

The Jalpa could be driven topless once again, and this time power and workmanship was right up to the level we’ve come to expect from Lamborghini, this Bull was actually easy to drive, even in city traffic so the Jalpa could have become a massive success but it disappointed again, and after about six years of production only 410 units had left the gates at Sant’Agata.

Our car

This Jalpa was delivered new in Belgium to Sterca in May 1984