1975 Lamborghini Urraco P250
S/N 15988, Engine No. 15988
Light Yellow with Beige/Tan Interior
The stunning and advanced Lamborghini Urraco with body designed by Marcello Gandini debuted at the 1970 Turin Auto Show, and was an exciting new Lamborghini model meant to introduce the marque to a new group of buyers at a more accessible price point. Featuring an all new 2.5 liter V8, it showed a healthy disregard for convention like the Miura before it. Like the Miura, the Urraco was penned by Marcello Gandini, and employed a transversely oriented mid-mounted engine. Additionally, it had four seats, laying the foundation for a format that would be adopted a few years later by Ferrari’s 308 GT4 and its Mondial successor. The production version of the Urraco arrived in 1973, initially in 2.5 liter form, with a 2.0 liter version introduced for the Italian market to take advantage of the significant difference in taxation rate for engines over 2 liters. The final version of the Urraco was the 3.0 liter P300 and was among the highest performance cars of the 1970s.
This particular P250 was completed at Lamborghini’s Sant’Agata Bolognese factory in 1975, making it among one of the rare (1 of 21) US market Urracos built. It spent most of its life in Stockton, California where its owner drove it regularly and attended car shows often. San Francisco Sports Cars in San Carlos, California sold the car to us in 2020. Since then it has been featured on social media and in a movie. The car presents very nicely in stunning colors. Painted a retro light yellow color, the finish is very well done overall exhibiting high gloss throughout, excellent coverage, with only minor fading on the back and a few other minor flaws. The color of paint on the front slightly mismatches the faded paint on the rear. Trim and plating are of very good quality overall, both on the chrome and black finished components. The glass and various rubber parts throughout the exterior are in very good condition. The front windscreen is good with period sticker intact. The beautiful and definitive Urraco satin black louvers are very nicely finished with excellent, even gapping at the rear, sides, and in the. The doors, engine lid, and trunk open and shut easily, showing excellent fit around the perimeter of all these openings including the headlight doors.
The interior appears to be original, and is in impressive condition considering this. The car has been properly stored indoors, preserving an excellent original dash pad, wonderful dished steering wheel, and a nicely trimmed center console with just minor evidence of aging. The contrasting dash and details enhance the tan seats and door panels, which remain impressively supple. The carpet appears to be original and generally in very good condition. The original instrumentation and switches are all in excellent condition mounted against a nice dash panel, with bright dials displaying excellent color. The black toggle switches are all in very good condition. The look and feel of the dash is very futuristic and sophisticated, with a marvelously retro futuristic execution and layout, from the italicized H shift pattern to the unusual placement of the speedometer and tachometer to the incredibly cool steering wheel. The seats are in excellent condition with good foam padding and nice upholstery which exhibits some minor surface wear to the bolsters and a few light scratches, but is impressively nice overall. The leather finishes overall are smooth and uniform, and stitching is also nicely preserved. Door panels are clean, correctly padded, and taut with excellent overall fit and finish. The trunk is finished with red carpeting while the front space is finished with a full size spare tire and easy access to the battery and other mechanical components.
The engine compartment has been properly finished and detailed during the service. The engine appears to have correctly restored components and details befitting a car of this period. Clean and tidy throughout, the cam covers and various other cast engine parts are all beautifully composed against the correctly finished textured black painted features. The undercarriage is very nice overall with a few scuffs and marks from normal use, having never been restored, while the rear mechanical components have a crisp, recently restored appearance following the recent engine-out service.
The car starts easily and runs smoothly, with a wonderful almost American V8 engine sound which is very different from that of a Ferrari 308. The carburetion and other running characteristics are excellent, having been tuned up when the engine was out for service. Acceleration is quick off the line with smooth clutch engagement and excellent gearbox action. Shift effort is low and synchromesh effectiveness could be described as ok, (but, it also comes with NOS original synco parts for future service) particularly compared against contemporary cars. The steering effort is remarkably light, despite the relatively small diameter steering wheel and the car is a pleasure to drive and easy to place on the road at all speeds. The ride quality is very good thanks to the ample sidewalls of the Michelin XWXs. Braking is effective, linear, and responsive in nature, as is the behavior from the chassis. There is a pleasing coherence to the way this car operates that gives the driver a sense of satisfaction and confidence. The car comes with extensive records from the current ownership period showing the many thousands of dollars that went into properly sorting the car. Also included is the original owner’s manual.
This is an exceptionally rare opportunity to acquire a wonderfully sorted and unmolested US market Urraco. These cars come to market so infrequently that the buyer seeking a Urraco must often compromise: on color, cosmetic condition, mechanical soundness, or on all of these aspects. This particular car however, is the right model in the right color in the right undisturbed but mechanically sorted state that makes it absolutely the ideal example for the enthusiast or collector seeking a wonderfully unique and thoroughly Italian expression of mid-engine performance motoring.
Available for delivery in US or Europe.
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