LAMBORGHINI JALPA your comments please

i looked into these as i was narrowing my ideas for what to buy. some things i have learned:
1) they are prone to rust due to construction methods
2) few were made relative to " other " cars in the same price range, ergo the parts are expensive!
3) i am / was looking for something i can maintain myself, the lack of parts, the high cost of those i could find convinced me i dont have enough $$$ to both buy and support the car. your means may permit to to lavish the $$$ the car may need.
4) the way the fenders and rear quaters are welded / constructed makes even minor damage a major repair or alteration ( my opionion)
5) i love them with the rear wing ( prefer the countach without), i would love to have one.
6) forgive my non owners opionions but i did LOTS of homework on these, to me too few were made for someone such as me to feed and take care of it.
best wishes, there are some great owners here that i am sure can help !!!

 

I have had the the oppertunity to work on a couple of these cars. They are very rare only 410 were sold and built.

To do any kind of real service work the engine drops out the bottom. The entire rear section of the car drops down with the suspention peices like a 348 or 355 or a TR for that matter.

They have elecrtical gremlins out the ying yang, and the build quality of the car, espeacialy the interior is not the greatest. The dash lay-out I personaly hate. Heck half the switches in the car are partly covered by interior trim panels!!

I really like the way they look and sound. Damn if a 308 Ferrari had same sound as this car then the 308 would be worth a hell of alot more!! The sound of that v8 is just killer. But parts are VERY difficult to come by and are very expensive. Lambo as far as I know don't make anything for this car anymore. So if something big goes "boom" then your wallet is going to take a hit.

Best thing is to have the car checked by a shop that knows that particular model very well. I don't have much experiance with them to really give you a good basis for purchasing. All I can go on is the 2 cars that I have seen and worked on. The upper engine mounts seem to be weak. You can tell right away and the engine will touch the upper frame rail on the right side and make the car vibrate like crazy. Oil leaks seem to be common, as does only one head light operating when ever it damn well pleases. The cars use a mcpherson strut set-up for the suspension unlike Ferrari that uses a coil over type suspension with upper and lower control arms. I'm not sure if the struts are still available. it's possiable they were taken from another car already on the market at that time.

HTH

Tom.

 

I have often heard that the small Lambo V-8 sounds way better than the Ferrari V-8unit. Would be interested to hear why folks think this is. Is there something really different about how the exhaust is set up? Is the Lambo also a flat crank V-8?

Many thanks!
Russ

 

I've heard the same thing that they sound really good.I wish I could find a clip to hear it for myself.There was one in Rocky 4 as I recall.

 

The first Jalpa I ever saw was around 1985 or 6 in Tenafly NJ. The next time I saw a Jalpa in the flesh was in 2002 on Sepulveda Blvd in Los Angeles.

 

I think it is a beautiful car with somewhat of a kit car interior and a saleproof reputation.

 

Rocky Balboa drove one of those in his 4 part , doesn't that make it worth it

 

My uncle has owned one for years. Says he'll never sell it. Drives the snot out of it.

 

The Jalpa is in my opinion one of the worst cars Lamborghini has produced.It was supposed to compete with 308 Ferrari but it falls short in all departments.Bear in mind the car was an offshoot of the Silhouette which was not very popular at the time.
So when Lamborghini came up with the Jalpa,they were in financial dire straits which led to minimal development of the car.
Looks are always a matter of taste but the car itself has vey poor finish,it rattles and shakes all over the place and is really not that fast.However the engine does sound really nice.
I have never owned a Jalpa but have driven 4 different cars on separate occasions and none of them impressed.What really caught my attention was the amount of chassis flex as i had a targa panel fly off one car when i crossed some railway tracks.
I don't want to insult any owners out there in my first post but this is one car i would stay away from unless you are smitten by it.You can get a 3 series Ferrari for the same type of money and you will be much happier with the Ferrari.
Having said that,i am a huge Lambo fan and i have owned my fair share of Lambo's over the years,the last one being a Gallardo
Cheers
Aram

 

There is an article on lassic and sports car http://www.classicandsportscar - April issue that compares Jalpa and 328.

Ciao

Eugenio

 

I disagree on many counts. The Jalpa certainly does not fall short of a 308 Ferrari. Styling may be subjective, but its performance is definately superior. Fit and finish is as good as any coinciding 308. It all boils down to what you want. And before anyone says anything, id prob choose a 328, over both.

 

The Jalpa can be a great and fun car to own. I have had two and still own the second one.
1. The sound is ten times better than a 308...yes I had one before I bought my first Jalpa...yes the 308 did not need as much maintenance and the interior is a little more refined
2. I worked on my car without any special tools and was able to do everything needed in the year I had it. 308 the same
3. Personally I like the fact that there are only 419 Jalpas compared to the thousands of 308s.
4. Rattles, well a little, but not bad. Both of mine had very few noises except for the wonderful sound of that throaty V8.
5. As for the wheels the Bravo style wheels make the car look so much better.
6. I also like the side skirts and LOVE the Wing on the Jalpa!

FLA12191 is my old car and JLA12411 is my new car


Check out the ultimate Jalpa site www.jalpa.ch

 

This was always one of my favorite cars. It does however remind me of a Pantera with the wing on it. NICE!!!!!

 

I like it, can't decide with or without the wing though.

 

Great thread . A friend owned one in metallic purple ! Not sure if the colour was original but the car looked good in it. I 'll see if he has some pics i can post.
Tony

 

I agree on the sound comparison w/a Ferrari 308. Its a beautiful whip for the money, but maintenance will kill you if you aren't prepared to pay.