Lamborghini P140

Last updated

Lamborghini P140
Musee Lamborghini 0065.JPG
The third Lamborghini P140 prototype on display at the Lamborghini Museum
Overview
Manufacturer Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
Production1987
3 or 4 prototypes made
Designer Marcello Gandini
Body and chassis
Class Development prototype
Body style 2-door coupé
Layout Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Related Lamborghini Cala
Powertrain
Engine 4.0 L V10
Transmission 6-speed manual

The Lamborghini P140 is a code name given to a series of prototype cars built by Lamborghini starting in 1987. It was intended as a replacement for the outgoing Jalpa but never went into production, despite being close to production ready due to the fading interest of customers into high performance cars due to the Gulf Oil Crisis of the 1990s. [1] The P140 was the first Lamborghini to be powered by a V10 engine.

Contents

History

Rear view Musee Lamborghini 0066.JPG
Rear view

In the late 1980s, Lamborghini made plans to replace the aging Countach and Jalpa. While the development of the company's V12 powered flagship model had already started, work was undertaken in order to start development of the new entry-level model. The design work of the new model was once again contracted to famed Italian designer Marcello Gandini who had worked closely with Lamborghini previously. The wedge shaped 2-door coupé codenamed the P140 penned by Gandini was immediately recognised as a member of the Lamborghini family and was powered by an entirely new 4.0-litre V10 engine along with an ergonomic dashboard and an extensive use of aluminium in the construction of the car. Development of the model continued into the 1990s before the company's then owner Chrysler ultimately decided that the model would not be able to justify its development costs and garner much interest among customers due to the on going Gulf Oil Crisis of the 1990s which led to a fall in sales of high performance sports cars. The model was shelved in the final stages of its development but later on, the same engine and transmission used in the P140 would appear in the Giugiaro designed Calà concept introduced at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show. [2]

The Calà completely deviated from the wedge-themed design of the P140 and introduced a new curvaceous designed body made from carbon-fibre with innovative features such as a targa top design. The increased customer interest once again encouraged Lamborghini to develop a model to fill in the void left by the Jalpa but once again, the lack of funds needed for development meant that the concept once again needed to be shelved. It wasn't until 2002 until finally the Gallardo with an evolution of the V10 engine used in the P140 would be introduced as the new entry-level model of the brand and would be highly successful in terms of sales.

Production

3 to 4 P140 prototypes are known to have been built according to company records. The first one was painted orange and was fully functional, hitting a top speed of 295 km/h (183 mph) on the Nardò Ring in Italy. The second prototype was painted red but was just a rolling chassis and was never fitted with an engine, and the third, built in 1991-1992, was painted white. The third car ended up being crashed during testing but was later restored and is currently on display at Lamborghini's official museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. [3]

Performance

The P140 is powered by a mid-mounted, fuel-injected 4.0-litre V10 engine which sends power to the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual transmission. The engine was Lamborghini's first ever 10 cylinder engine and it generated a maximum power output of 370 PS (272 kW; 365 hp). The car is capable of accelerating from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in around five seconds. [4] The same V10 engine later appeared in the Calà concept which was introduced in 1995.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini</span> Italian automobile manufacturer

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini Diablo</span> Sports car

The Lamborghini Diablo is a high-performance mid-engine sports car built by Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini between 1990 and 2001. It is the first production Lamborghini capable of attaining a top speed in excess of 200 mph (320 km/h). After the end of its production run in 2001, the Diablo was replaced by the Lamborghini Murciélago. The name Diablo means "devil" in Spanish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V10 engine</span> Piston engine with ten cylinders in V configuration

A V10 engine is a ten-cylinder piston engine where two banks of five cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V10 engines are much less common than V8 and V12 engines. Several V10 diesel engines have been produced since 1965, and V10 petrol engines for road cars were first produced in 1991 with the release of the Dodge Viper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini Countach</span> Sports car produced by Lamborghini (1974–1990)

The Lamborghini Countach is a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini from 1974 until 1990. It is one of the many exotic designs developed by Italian design house Bertone, which pioneered and popularized the sharply angled "Italian Wedge" shape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini Miura</span> Motor vehicle

The Lamborghini Miura is a sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1966 and 1973. The car was the first automobile with a rear mid-engined two-seat layout, although the concept was first seen in a production road car with René Bonnet's Matra Djet, introduced in 1964. This layout has since become the standard for high-performance sports cars. When released, it was the fastest production road car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcello Gandini</span> Italian car designer (1938–2024)

Marcello Gandini was an Italian car designer, widely known for his work with the Italian car design house, Bertone, where his work included designing the Alfa Romeo Carabo and Montreal, Lancia Stratos Zero, Maserati Khamsin, Ferrari GT4, Fiat X1/9, and several Lamborghinis, including the Bravo, Miura, Marzal, Espada, Urraco, and Countach. Gandini himself said his design interests prioritised vehicle architecture, construction, assembly and mechanisms over styling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini Gallardo</span> Sports car produced by Lamborghini

The Lamborghini Gallardo is a sports car built by the Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini from 2003 to 2013. It is Lamborghini's second car released under parent company Audi, and the best-selling model at the time with 14,022 built throughout its production run. Named after a famous breed of fighting bull, the V10 powered Gallardo has been Lamborghini's sales leader and stable-mate to a succession of V12 flagship models—first to the Murciélago, then to the Aventador, being the first entry-level Lamborghini in one-and-half decades. On 25 November 2013, the last Gallardo was rolled off the production line. The Gallardo was replaced by the Huracán in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancia Stratos</span> Rally racing sports car 1973–1978

The Lancia Stratos HF, known as Lancia Stratos, is a rear mid-engined sports car designed for rallying, made by Italian car manufacturer Lancia. It was a highly successful rally car, winning the World Rally Championship in 1974, 1975 and 1976; and race car winning 1974 Targa Florio, five times the Tour de France Automobile and three editions of Giro d'Italia automobilistico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi R8</span> Mid-engine sports car made by Audi

The Audi R8 is a mid-engine, 2-seater sports car, which uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. It was introduced by the German car manufacturer Audi AG in 2006. Production ended in the first quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini V10</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Lamborghini V10 is a ninety degree (90°) V10 petrol engine which was developed for the Lamborghini Gallardo automobile, first sold in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini V8</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Lamborghini V8 is a ninety degree (90°) V8 petrol engine designed by Lamborghini in the 1970s for their less-expensive vehicles. It was only the second internal combustion engine ever developed by the company, and first saw production for the 1971 Lamborghini Urraco. It was designed by Giampaolo Dallara. The all-aluminium alloy engine was introduced as a 2.5-litre variant, displacing 2,463 cc (150.3 cu in), but was expanded, by increasing the piston stroke to a 3.0-litre variant for 1975 - now displacing 2,997 cc (182.9 cu in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judd (engine)</span> British company

Judd is a brand of racing car engines built by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Engine Developments was intended to build engines for Brabham's racing efforts, and became one of the first firms authorised by Cosworth to maintain and rebuild its DFV engines, but has since expanded into various areas of motorsport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini Urraco</span> Motor vehicle

The Lamborghini Urraco is a 2+2 sports car manufactured by Italian automaker Lamborghini, introduced at the Turin Auto Show in 1970 and marketed for 1972–1979 model years. It was named after a line of Miura-bred fighting bulls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cizeta-Moroder V16T</span> Sports car produced by Cizeta

The Cizeta-Moroder V16T, now known as just the Cizeta V16T, is an Italian sports car developed by automotive engineer Claudio Zampolli in a joint venture with music composer Giorgio Moroder and designed by Marcello Gandini. It was the only product of the Cizeta company. It was developed by a group of ex-Lamborghini employees and initially introduced in Los Angeles in December 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini Portofino</span> Motor vehicle

The Lamborghini Portofino is a concept car developed for Lamborghini by Kevin Verduyn, one of Chrysler's chief designers. Introduced at the 1987 Frankfurt Auto Show, it was a fully functional, four-door, four-seat sport sedan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini Calà</span> Concept car

The Lamborghini Calà was a concept car designed for Lamborghini by Italdesign Giugiaro. It was first shown at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show. It was a completely functional prototype that never made it into production. Its name was derived from the Piedmontese dialect of Northern Italy and meant “look, over there!”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfa Romeo Carabo</span> Concept car designed by Bertone

The Alfa Romeo Carabo is a concept car first shown at the 1968 Paris Motor Show. It was designed by Marcello Gandini, working for the Bertone design studio. The Carabo name is derived from the Carabidae beetles, as evoked by the car's iridescent green and orange coloring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini Urus</span> SUV manufactured by Lamborghini

The Lamborghini Urus is a luxury SUV manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini. It was introduced in December 2017 as a 2018 model year production vehicle. The Urus is the first Lamborghini SUV and five-door vehicle in the modern era, and the second SUV in the brand's history after the LM002, which was produced between 1986 and 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Lamborghini</span>

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury automobiles. Lamborghini's production facility and headquarters are located in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. Italian manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini founded the company in 1963 with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with offerings from established marques such as Ferrari. The company's first models were introduced in the mid-1960s and were noted for their refinement, power and comfort. Lamborghini gained wide acclaim in 1966 for the Miura sports coupé, which established rear mid-engine, rear wheel drive as the standard layout for high-performance cars of the era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamborghini Asterion</span> Hybrid concept car developed by Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini

The Lamborghini Asterion LPI 910-4 is a concept hybrid car manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer Lamborghini, which was unveiled at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. The car is named after a Minotaur called Asterion and was to be Lamborghini's first hybrid model. The half man – half bull Minotaur was chosen keeping in mind Lamborghini's tradition of naming their cars after a bull while alluding to its usage of different modes of power.

References

  1. Glon, Ronan (20 July 2017). "Lamborghini's V10 history started with the P140 and Calà concepts". Driving. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  2. "Lamborghini's V10 history started with the P140 and Calà concepts". Driving. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  3. Glon, Ronan (2 August 2016). "The Jalpa replacements that never were – Lamborghini's P140 and Cala prototypes". www.hemmings.com. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  4. D, Nick (21 April 2016). "1988 Lamborghini P140 Concept Review". Supercars.net. Retrieved 12 May 2018.