Page 1 of 1 The Bertone designed Jalpa was introduced in early 1982 as a successor to the rather unsuccessful Silhouette, of which only 52 were produced between 1976 and 1977. It features a 3.5 liter V8 engine, in good Lambo tradition transversely mounted. There are two OHCs per cylinder row, four twin-choke Webers, responsible for a hefty 255BHP. It could do 0-60 just under 6 seconds.
The chassis and suspension were taken over from the Urraco and the Silhouette, making the body the main difference of the new model. All Jalpas had a targa roof, which could be easily stowed behind the seats and against the engine bulkhead. Contemporary road-tests praised the seating position and the greatly improved ergonomics, but a recent review is rather critical about the pedal position, making heeling and toeing not so much an option, but mandatory.
A recent comparison in Classic and Sportscar between the Jalpa and the Ferrari 328 highlighted the roadholding capabilities of the Jalpa. It was impossible to provoke oversteer when gently lifting to compensate understeering in high speed corners, while the Ferrari would almost immediately step out its back. Overall the Jalpa was rated higher than the Ferrari, in particular because its rewarding behaviour on the road.
Production lasted from 1982 to 1988 and in total 410 cars were produced. The example shown here appeared at the Silverstone Classic in July 2005. Page 1 of 1
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Jalpa
The Bertone designed Jalpa was introduced in early 1982 as a successor to the rather unsuccessful Silhouette, of which only 52 were produced between 1976 and 1977. It features a 3.5 liter V8 engine, in good Lambo tradition transversely mounted. There are two OHCs per cylinder row, four twin-choke Webers, responsible for a hefty 255BHP. It could do 0-60 just under 6 seconds.