The Lamborghini Jalpa () is a

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 ...

produced by the

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 ...

automotive manufacturer

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) ...

from 1981 until 1988. It debuted at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show alongside the

Lamborghini LM001 The Lamborghini LM001 was a prototype off-road vehicle designed and built by Lamborghini. It was first revealed at the 1981 Geneva Auto Show alongside the new Jalpa. Despite the failure of the Cheetah project, the idea of a Lamborghini off-ro ...

concept Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs. They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...

off-road vehicle An off-road vehicle, sometimes referred to as an overland or adventure vehicle, is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with dee ...

. The Jalpa was the last Lamborghini to use a

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...

until the Urus SUV in 2018.

Overview

The Jalpa was a development of the earlier

Silhouette A silhouette ( , ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhou ...

intended to fill a role as a more "affordable" Lamborghini, being much less expensive than the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

Countach and being also designed by

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 ...

. Compared to the Countach, the Jalpa was much easier to drive, having better visibility and being more tractable in heavy traffic and at slow speeds, although reviewers have noted that it had a heavy steering and accelerator.

Name

Sausalito, California - USA (8725921986)

The name ''Jalpa Kandachia'' came from a famous breed of fighting bulls, a tradition later followed with the Gallardo.

Engine

The Jalpa was fitted with a double

overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...

version of the V8 engine used in the Silhouette on which it was based. The version used in the Jalpa had a power output of at 7,000 rpm and of torque at 4,000 rpm in European specification. The engine in the US models had a power output of . Fuel flow was managed by four twin-barrel down-draught Weber 42 DCNF carburetors.

Performance

Lamborghini claimed the Jalpa could accelerate from 0 to in 6.0 seconds, to in 19.1 seconds and a 1/4 mile time of 15.4 at with a top speed of , Curb weight was . The performance of the Jalpa was comparable to the entry-level

Ferrari 328 The Ferrari 328 GTB and GTS (Type F106) are mid-engine V8, two seat sports cars created by Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari. It was the successor to the Ferrari 308 GTB and GTS. While mechanically still based on the 308, modifications we ...

which itself was based on the older Ferrari 308. ''

Classic & Sports Car ''Classic & Sports Car'' is a British monthly magazine based in Twickenham, London, and published by Haymarket Media Group. It was launched in April 1982 and concerns itself with classic cars as well as the people involved in their design and sub ...

'' magazine quoted a acceleration time of 6.8 seconds and a 0–161 km/h time of 16 seconds for the Jalpa, while ''

Car and Driver ''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011. It was fou ...

'' reported a 0–60 mph acceleration time of 5.8 seconds.

Revisions and end of production

When the car was sold in 1981, the plastic components (bumpers, air intakes and engine cover) were black, and the car carried over the rectangular taillights of the

along with the

targa top Targa top, or targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. The term was first used on the 1966 Porsche 911 Targa, and it remains a registered trademark of Porsch ...

body style. This was changed in 1984 when round taillights were fitted and the black plastic parts were replaced by parts in body colour. A rear wing, as with the Countach, was optional. In 1988, after falling sales, the new owners,

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

, decided to end Jalpa production despite its being Lamborghini's second most successful V8 car to date (after the Urraco), having sold 410 units.

In popular culture

A black Jalpa was featured prominently in the 1985 film ''

Rocky IV ''Rocky IV'' is a 1985 American sports drama film written, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Rocky III'' (1982) and is the fourth installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Ca ...

'', driven by

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

portraying

Rocky Balboa Robert "Rocky" Balboa (also known by his ring name The Italian Stallion), is a fictional title character and the protagonist of the ''Rocky'' film series. The character was created by Sylvester Stallone, who has also portrayed him in all eigh ...

. The car had a Pennsylvania license plate of " SOTHPAW", referencing Balboa's fighting stance.

References

External links

History and specifications of the Jalpa
{{Lamborghini Jalpa Sports cars Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1981