Lamborghini Urraco (1972 - 1979)

Introduction

With the supercar and GT market now sewn-up, Lamborghini turned its attention to a little further down the market, where the Porsche 911 and Dino 246 ruled supreme. But Lamborghini's junior supercar was designed to offer more - most notably a V8 engine as opposed to the opposition's sixes. 

The Urraco was designed by Marcello Gandini, who was now defining the Lamborghini look, thanks to his work on the Miura and Espada, and in 2.5-litre form, it was first shown in 1970 pre-dating the Ferrari 308GT4 and Maerati Merak by several years. Problem was, as sweet as the V8 was, it wasn't quick enough.

So, in 1974, and as a direct response to the improving opposition, Lamborghini launched the much-improved 265bhp P300. With more than enough power, it gave the junior supercar a 160mph maximum speed, and improved its desirability considerably. An Italian-market 2.0-litre tax break P200 was also introduced, but these are rare outside of their home country. Sadly sales didn't pick-up, although the car lived on after it went out of production, forming the basis of the Silhouette and Jalpa.