This car, Lot 262351, was sold at $108,150, including buyer’s premium, at Bring a Trailer’s online auction on September 9, 2026.
Few cars are more underrated than the Jalpa, a compact 2-seater targa-top with a 4-cam 3.5-liter V8. But how is this possible, considering the overall performance and the Lamborghini brand adorning its hood?
The Jalpa was launched in 1981, the first model born under the ownership of the French Mimran family. They put all their love and money into the factory, while the technical parts were left to engineer Giulio Alfieri — a real genius, but limited by Lamborghini’s financial constraints at the time.
Indeed, in these early 1980s years, Lamborghini was far from what is today. Its survival was based on the V12-equipped Countach, a model that was not homologated for the American market at the time and sold in just a few dozen units every year. The second vehicle range, the smaller V8-powered model, debuted as the Urraco P250 in 1973. This was a 2+2 coupe with a belt-driven single-overhead-cam V8, but it left the fans of the brand quite cold. A mix of the international fuel crisis and some build-quality issues strongly limited the sale success of this first Urraco, replaced by the much-improved, chain-driven, 4-cam P300 in 1974. But damage to the model’s image was already done and sales never really took off.
Then came the Silhouette, strongly based on the P300 but with the (almost mandatory for the period) targa-style roof. The sale of the Silhouette was limited to 54 units, but the car made a positive impact, being amazingly good to drive and beautiful to look at. The problem was that there were no resources to develop it in the right way.
Third time’s the charm
With the arrival of Patrick Mimran in 1981, and Lamborghini’s desire to have a successful entry-level model still intact, Alfieri was finally able to perform his magic. He kept the Urraco’s chassis, made the wheelarches wider to contain bigger tires and brakes, and updated the mid-mounted engine, raising its capacity by 500 cc. The result was a torquey, 255-hp V8, fueled by four twin-throat Weber 40 DCNF carburetors that helped create an imposing soundtrack. Just for comparison, the Jalpa’s closest competitor at its launch in 1982 was the Ferrari 308 GTS, with 230 hp in carbureted form (down to 215 hp in fuel-injected U.S. specification).
The Jalpa was styled in-house by Alfieri himself, and he did an impressive job, with the car looking contemporary for the period and having aged well even today. For 1980s Lamborghini, the Jalpa also sold well, with 420 units being manufactured between 1982–88. The “second series” version arrived in 1984, sporting a revised interior, dashboard and wheels. Total sales are split about evenly between the two series.
While the Jalpa was a really good car, it suffered from cash-strapped Lamborghini’s scarce distribution and service facilities in-period. The result was a car with reliability issues, more the fault of poor maintenance than anything else. Consequently, this led to lower resale value, and budget-minded secondhand buyers often used inexperienced mechanics, completing the perfect storm.
After about 20 years of oblivion, Lamborghini collectors began to rediscover the Jalpa in the early 2000s. Ultimately, getting these cars into the hands of owners with greater resources and competent mechanics allowed the Jalpa to be seen as it should have been all along: as a drivable and enjoyable Lamborghini.
A bull market
This Jalpa, chassis ELA12127, has appeared at auction three times in the past six years. It first arrived at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction in January 2020, where it was sold for $62,700 (SCM# 6923843). Then, in December of the same year it was offered on Bring a Trailer, where it sold for $73,000. Following that sale, a lot of work was performed on the car, with a whopping $64k invoice paid in 2025. This bill includes an almost complete mechanical overhaul, with all the usual “delicate” parts reworked, and many details replaced or taken care of, including an engine reseal, new clutch and flywheel, plus brake and cooling-system repairs. Following this investment, the Jalpa sold on Bring a Trailer again recently for $108k.
Was it worth the purchase price? Definitely yes, and even more so considering the amount of refurbishment performed just one year ago. For a little more than $100k, the new owner got one of the most fun-to-drive sport cars of the 1980s, complete with a dogleg 5-speed manual gearbox and one of the most exciting exhaust notes in the automotive world.
It’s worth remembering that after the Jalpa ended production in 1988, there were no open-roof Lamborghinis with fewer than 12 cylinders until the 2005 Gallardo Spyder. And if someone were to think that the Jalpa is a lesser Lamborghini for not having a V12 engine, the new owner should offer a ride on a twisty road. Just 10 minutes in the Jalpa is enough to convert the skeptics and have them scanning current auction listings for one to call their own.
