Are there some typical upgrades that can be performed to the Jalpa to make it quicker? Shorter gears? More HP? It is one of my favorites although I have never driven one. Can you guys compare the driving experience to the 308? What do you really like? And dislike. Not too many out there. Is there a shop in the US that speializes in rebuilds and mods? Thanks for the info. Robb Williamson
Changing the gears is not going to do to much except cut the top end which is only about 150 or so stock. The gears are already a close ratio. You can turbo, super charge, free flow exhaust, remove cats, FI, etc just like any countach. As for for ride compared to a 308, it does not compare. I got rid of my 308, it was one of quasi dream cars, but was uneventful to drive and there was more maintance than with my Jalpa. The sound and feel of the Jalpa is great, plus the fact that there were less than 421 made and only aboput 150 in the States. this means you will almost never see two in the same place unless you are at one of the bigger shows or live in Daleville, AL (travis and I) As for shops there is Evan Auto and Exotic cars in Ohio and NJ respectively. Both of these places are well know for their outstanding Lamborghini work and Jalpa work. As for likes and dislikes. I llove the exclusivity of the car, the feel, the drive, the sound, and the fact that you can drive it daily. I drive my daily when in the States. The Targa top is key!!! Lastly it is so easy to work on because it is an old design. I do all of the little stuff myself. Dislikes. It is hard to set the carbs correctly, but not really a problem. Getting tires for the Bravo style wheels is getting harder, but I would not trade these wheels for the normal stock ones. More power is always great, but if you want the fastest car out there why are you buying a Jalpa anyway! The wiring sucks and the lack of factory engine manual is a small pain, but the 3.0 Urraco manual works just fine. I loe my car, not to many issues David Hope it helps.
Robb - what David sez!! close to Colorado shops are; Valtellina Automobili in Sausalito, CA / ask for Sean Pinnacle in Houston / ask for JRV if you can do some work yourself (I can't - still trying ta find the gol'durned gas cap) and have time to look for parts - GET ONE!! Investment wise - not a dog, but not a real money maker - you can drive it for a few years & get the same price you paid for it - just hope no big repairs while driving - so, you don't lose too much - but have LOADS of fun & looks! There's an '86 in Auto Week for $41,000 ~T~
Thanks guys. It is one of my favorite cars from the great 80's. I'll keep an eye out and keep you in the loop of how it goes. Kind of good and bad that they are so exclusive. You won't see many and that will be very cool, but I can imagine getting spares can be difficult. What do you do if you need a new windshield? Being in Colorado, the carbs issue worries me a little. The altitude does suck power from all vehicles but not as much as from the turbos. I'll look into the shops you suggested to see what it would take to get a jalpa where I would want it to be. Good comparison with the 308. Sorry for the late reply. I'm in vegas at an aviation event and just now got to a computer. Robb Williamson Centennial, Colorado
