This Front-Engine Lambo Is Great Value (As Far As Vintage Italian V12 Sports Cars Go)

The Lamborghini Jarama, made from 1970 through 1976, is a vintage front-engine V12-powered vehicle. The Jarama represents excellent value among Italian sports cars that have similar 12-cylinder engines. It definitely qualifies as one of the most underrated Lamborghinis ever made.

In terms of value, the five Lamborghini Jaramas that have been sold on Bring A Trailer since 2022 have brought between $90,000 and $140,000 each. This compares well to other Italian exotic cars with V12 engines like the Ferrari Daytona, in which the sales figures on Bring A Trailer for the seven Daytonas in original condition, sold in 2025 and 2026, have ranged from $439,000 to 1.7 million. Consider yourself lucky if you owned a Ferrari Daytona in the '70s, because you were living the dream.

The Lamborghini Jarama 400 GT was introduced to the world at the Geneva Salon in March 1970. It was powered by a front-mounted 3.9-liter, quad-cam, V12 engine that breathed through six two-barrel Weber carburetors, producing 350 horsepower. The engine was mated to a five-speed manual transmission and drove the Jarama's rear wheels. During performance testing, a Jarama 400 GT did the 0-60 mph run in 7.2 seconds, with a quarter-mile time of 15.6 seconds at 97 mph and a top speed of 152 mph. An upgraded model of the Jarama, dubbed the Jarama 400 GTS and also known as the Jarama S, was introduced in the summer of 1972. It featured a power upgrade to 365 horsepower, a redone interior, and a functional hood scoop.

As it turned out, the Jarama was Ferruccio Lamborghini's favorite model. He stated in a 1991 interview that the Lamborghini Jarama "is the perfect compromise between the Miura and the Espada." A total of 328 Jaramas were produced, of which 176 were the standard model, and 152 were the Jarama S. While the Jarama was officially produced from 1970 through 1976, some additional cars were built to order through 1978. Its name, like many of Lamborghini's vehicle names, was tied to bulls and bullfighting. Jarama was the name of a well-known Spanish bullfighting area.

The Lamborghini Jarama was a departure from the voluptuous, curving bodies of the 1960s. It featured a more angular, geometric design. It was penned by Marcello Gandini, the well-known Italian stylist who also created the Countach and the Miura for Lamborghini. The Jarama rode on an Espada stamped-steel platform that was shortened by 10.7 inches, with independent suspension on all four wheels. 

The Lamborghini Jarama is a lesser-known Lambo that firmly belongs among the front-engine, V12-powered cars that shaped the history of Lamborghini's flagship V12 engine. Some of the Jarama's thunder may have been stolen by the spectacular mid-engine Lamborghini Miura that came before it and the Lamborghini Countach that came after, but for those who are in search of a V12 Lamborghini, the Jarama remains a relatively affordable option for today's buyers of exotic Italian sports cars.