Jarama Monza? Anyone know more about this car?

Not familiar with it. I need more information (pictures). Appears to be following several Miuras.

Looks a bit like a Bizzarini.

 

It's the Lamborghini Monza -- once long lost, then turned up about 2 years ago and auctioned off by Bonhams. Here are some photos the owner sent me:

http://www.400gt.com/photos/monza/monza.htm

And here's a photo from the auction brochure:

http://www.400gt.com/photos/misc/Monza_Bonhams.jpg

It's built on a 350 chassis so it's more of a 350 than anything. (Just ignore the Jarama script...)

It was built by Neri and Bonacini ("Nembo") and R&T did a photo spread on its construction in Nov 1966.

An attempt to make Lamborghinis look more like Ferraris! And Ferruccio nixed the project.

Cheers,

Fred

PS: Current owner in is England

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Which photos are more recent? The tubular bumpers are awful. It's a shame they didn't stick with the 350 nose. much better than the "catfish" mouth.

What kind of money did it go for?

 

Fred is 100% right on the details. And the reason just one was made. But a very cool one-off nonetheless.

Joe

www.JoeSackey.com


PS - Fred, Im agreeing with you these days with frightening regularity. Whats come over me? LOL.

 

Much improved appearance.

 

lol!

Joe, I don't know. Maybe we should just kiss and make up. ;^D

 

it sold Dec 5, 2005 for "£160k+premium"

Fred

btw, the car was stored for something like 20 years in that state (bonhams photo). Several cars came from the factory with the "tubular bumper" to protect the nose, most notably Jack's 400GT 2+2. I don't have one on my 400, which may be one reason I have nose bumps. :-D

 

EEEWWWW!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I think the sales price was a real 'deal' for Martin....

Joe
www.JoeSackey.com

 

Here's a photo of the car as found in 2005:
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

and the bonham press release:

The following is from Simon Kidston, President, Bonhams, Switzerland, and
Miura owner.

PRESS RELEASE -

UNIQUE LAMBORGHINI 'MONZA' DISCOVERED AFTER 35 YEARS HIDDEN IN SPANISH
PLAYBOY'S GARAGE

After almost ten years' investigation and pursuit, Bonhams has been
successful in consigning for auction a unique Italian prototype that has
been hidden from public view since soon after its sale to the present
octogenarian lady owner's family in 1966.

This uniquely exotic front-engined Lamborghini - christened the '400GT
Monza' - has been the centrepiece of a celebrated marque mystery for decades
past. It has been the object of speculation not only by Italian car
collectors and Lamborghini enthusiasts, but also by myriad lovers of classic
cars worldwide. Indeed its mere survival has been doubted by many, and its
whereabouts have been a much-discussed question.

In fact this Lamborghini Monza first saw the light of day in May 1966,
combining the Sant'Agata marque's acclaimed 400GT chassis with gloriously
voluptuous, Ferrari-esque coachwork hand-crafted by tiny local autofficina
Neri & Bonacini, best remembered for their masterly creations on rival
Ferrari chassis but also builders of the first ever Lamborghini chassis.

The Lamborghini 400 Monza's coachwork is in fact reminiscent of a Ferrari
250GTO, right from its low, wide mouth through to its steeply raked
windscreen (which was in fact taken from a '64 GTO). But the Monza was
distinguished by a Maranello sports-prototype-inspired vestigial 'basket
handle' roof design, the body styling then terminating in an almost
horizontal fastback which was truncated by a classically cut-short, 'Kamm'
or 'transom' tail treatment. Trademark blade-like bumpers completed its
signature Neri & Bonacini styling.

According to at least one contemporary Italian source, company founder
Ferruccio Lamborghini followed this 400GT Monza project closely, hoping that
it might bear greater fruit than other designs by Italian carrozzieri on
Lamborghini chassis.

Exhibited to the public for the first and only time at the 1967 Barcelona
Motor Show, the Monza was instead sold to a wealthy Spanish sportsman with
the necessary high-level connections to enable him to import such a car when
most of Generalissimo Franco's citizens were obliged to make do with
home-grown utility vehicles.

After being used mainly to transport its owner to national race meetings in
which he was campaigning his Porsche 906 and 908 competition cars, the Monza
(now badged 'Jarama' in deference to its adopted country) was laid-up in
1970 with just over 7,000km recorded on its odometer.

Retained by the owner's family after his death, this unique Lamborghini
Monza is preserved exactly as last driven and when offered at Bonhams'
pre-Christmas Olympia sale later this year, this legendary, almost mystical
machine - the Lamborghini 'missing link' - will be seen by most enthusiasts
for the first time ever.

(Est. Eu.120-180,000)

 

Fred, I thought you'd determined that it was a 400, no?

Money-wise: a total steal, especially when compared to the GTZ, which is probably it's only real comparable.

 

350 GTV?

 

It's hard to tell what it is! Was supposed to be built on a 400 frame, but if you look at the rear "trailing arms" they are facing forward like the 350 or Interims, not rearward like the 400GT 2+2.

Then, during the auction there started to be speculation that it was actually a 350 frame.

When Martin got the car I asked him to take photos of the running gear and frame, which I posted earlier:

http://www.400gt.com/photos/monza/monza.htm

You can see it has the lambo diff and tranny, but it also has the forward facing rear "leading link" off the a-arms:

http://www.400gt.com/photos/monza/lambomonza006.jpg

So the frame has to be either a 350 or interim.

I'm actually wondering if it might actually be one of the interims. It would all depend on the engine size, which I believe is unknown at this point. Dipstick is on the driver's side, which indicates 350, but that's not always true as you can modify the oil pan. Tho generally it is true, so I'm thinking it may be one of those oddball "350/400/interim/whatever they had laying around the shop that day" Lambos. ;^D

Cheers,

Fred

 

My research tells me its on a 350GT chassis/engine.
Notwithstanding the forward facing trailing arms and dipstick on the driver's side, Ive found out that work started on this car in 1965. Also this car is a low-mileage 'survivor' stored away for most of its life and thus un-modified, and that fact when combined with the car's physical evidence and the initial build date all point towards it being based on a 350GT chassis. The 400 thing is just a...well, a 'thing'.

Joe
www.JoeSackey.com

 

The problem is that it has the lambo rear end, which means it can not be a 350 chassis. It is rather an interim chassis.

If it is a 350 chassis, then it is a 350 chassis modified to be an interim chassis. The 350 salisbury rear end attached from above and therefore had a different frame.

So I think it's an interim frame with a 350 engine. But I'm not sure anybody really knows what the engine size is at this point.

Fred

 

One of those mysteries....thats what makes it a unique car.

Joe
www.JoeSackey.com

 

Like with most of all Italian one-offs:
the boys from the beloved land of pasta put everything together that was laying around.So it was with Ferrari, Maserati, ISO and Lamborghini!

Ciao!
Walter

 

3500 GTZ

 

Isn't this the car featured in an OCTANE issue? I'll look...

EDIT: Found it, it was the featured car in the December 2005 issue...
http://shop.instant-shop.com/Octaneshop/product330536catno20536.html