1990 Lamborghini P140 Prototype

The Lamborghini P140 was a prototype designed by Marcello Gandini, an employee of Bertone and a designer of the Lamborghini Uracco, Bravo, and many other Lamborghini models. Lamborghini was looking for a design that would replace the aging Urraco (meaning little bull) and Jalpa models. The goal was to produce a car that had competitive pricing and could be produced in higher quantities. The result was a design that resembled the Diablo, a design that Gandini had helped create. The engine used in this was a smaller version of the Diablos. It was a ten-cylinder, 4.0-liter power plant in 'vee' configuration that produced 400 horsepower and had been created in a mere ten months. A six-speed gearbox, independent suspension, carbon fiber body, and aluminum monocoque chassis composed the contents for this 2800-pound super car. Top speed was achieved at 186 mph and zero to sixty took only five seconds.

A total of three or four prototype models of the P140 were built before Chrysler, owner of Lamborghini at the time, decided to shelve the project due to the ongoing Gulf Oil Crisis of the 1990s, and the stagnant sales of high-performance sports cars of the time.

The P140 was later re-bodied by Ital Design, dubbed 'Cala', and debuted to the public in 1995 at the Geneva Motor Show. It used the same engine and transmission as the P140, but unlike the wedge-themed design of the P140, the Cala embraced a new curvaceous designed body formed from carbon fiber and a Targa top design.

The Lamborghini Gallardo, introduced in 2002, used an evolution of the V10 engine used in the P140.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2008