Origin: Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy
Engine: 8-Cylinder
Transmission: 5-Speed Manual
The Jalpa, produced from 1981 to 1988, was Lamborghini’s counterpoint to their flagship Countach. Compared to the Countach, the Jalpa was more affordable (relatively speaking—it is still a Lamborghini), as well as easier to drive due to better visibility and better traction at both low speeds and in heavier traffic. Of course, such modifications came at a cost. The Jalpa was often criticized for having heavy steering and acceleration. It was also the last Lamborghini to have an V-8 until the Urus SUV in 2018, as Lamborghini moved on to bigger and better engines for their sports cars.
As with the majority of Lamborghinis, the name has to do with bull fighting. Jalpa is short for Jalpa Kandachia, a famous breed of fighting bull.
Chrysler bought Lamborghini in 1987. In 1988, after falling sales, Chrysler discontinued the Jalpa, even though it was Lamborghini’s second most successful V-8 car to date after the Urraco. This makes this 1988 Lamborghini Jalpa one of the last of the 410 that were produced.
If the car looks familiar to movie buffs, as it is a quintessential car of the 80s, that’s because it was Rocky Balboa’s car in the 1985 film Rocky IV. It had a Pennsylvania license plate of “SOTHPAW,” referencing Balboa’s fighting stance, though it was black instead of red.