The Lamborghini Urraco is a 2+2

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

manufactured by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

automaker

Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi. Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...

, introduced at the

Turin Auto Show The Turin Motor Show ( it, Salone dell'Automobile di Torino) was an auto show held annually in Turin, Italy. The first official show took place between 21 and 24 April 1900, at the Castle of Valentino, becoming a permanent fixture in Turin from ...

in 1970, marketed for model years 1972-1979, and named after a line of Miura-bred fighting bulls; the name translates to "little bull".

History

The car is a 2+2

coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

with body designed by

Marcello Gandini Marcello Gandini (born 26 August 1938) is an Italian car designer, known for his work with the automotive design house Gruppo Bertone, including his designs of the Lamborghini Miura, Countach, and the Lamborghini Diablo. In a 2009 interview wit ...

, at the time working for Carrozzeria

Bertone Bertone is an Italian surname meaning "descendant of Roberto". Notable people with the surname include: * Alicia Bertone, American academic, researcher, and veterinary surgeon * Catherine Bertone (born 1972), Turkish-born female Italian marathon r ...

. Rather than being another range topping sports car, like the

Lamborghini Miura The Lamborghini Miura is a sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1966 and 1973. The car was the first supercar with a rear mid-engined two-seat layout, although the concept was first seen in a production road car with Ren ...

, the Urraco was intended to be more affordable and an alternative to the contemporary

Ferrari Dino Dino () was a marque best known for mid-engined, rear-drive sports cars produced by Ferrari from 1957 to 1976. The marque came into existence in late 1956 with a front-engined Formula Two racer powered by a brand new '' Dino'' V6 engine. The name ...

and

Maserati Merak The Maserati Merak (''Tipo AM122'') is a mid-engined 2+2 sports car produced by Maserati between 1972 and 1983. The Merak was closely related to the Maserati Bora, sharing part of its structure and body panels, but was powered by a 3.0 L V6 in pl ...

. When production ceased in 1979, 791 Urracos had been built, of which 21 were Urraco P111s (P250 Tipo 111s) for the American market. In order to comply with American regulations, these cars had larger front bumpers and emissions controls, the latter resulting in less horsepower. The other Urraco versions were the Urraco P200, Urraco P250 and Urraco P300 with 2-litre, 2.5-litre, and 3-litre V8s respectively. Both the

Lamborghini Silhouette The Lamborghini Silhouette P300 is a two-door two-seat mid-engined rear-wheel drive sports car, that was made in small numbers by Lamborghini between 1976 and 1979. Officially presented at the 1976 Geneva Auto Show, the Silhouette began as a sty ...

, with its detachable roof panel, and its successor

Lamborghini Jalpa The Lamborghini Jalpa () is a sports car produced by the Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini from 1981 until 1988. It debuted at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show alongside the Lamborghini LM001 concept off-road vehicle. The Jalpa was the last ...

, with a 3.5 litre V-8 engine, were based upon the Urraco. Lamborghini Urraco 2

Specifications and performance

References

Sources

Lamborghini Registry
{{Lamborghini Urraco Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1970 Group 4 (racing) cars