More Bull: : ’68 Lamborghini Islero

Ferruccio Lamborghini built tractors before he built GT cars. As the story goes, Ferruccio was unhappy with the quality of his latest Ferrari and had words with Enzo. Enzo kind of blew him off and that you don’t do to a Lamborghini. He said he would show Ferrari how to build a proper GT car. It took him a few tries but he got it right. The Islero, like all Lamborghinis, is named after a bull –  Islero killed a superstar matador. He was a Miura bull and now we know where that car’s name came from.The Islero succeeds the 400GT built by Carrozzeria Touring. With Touring in bankruptcy, the Islero project went to Carrozzeria Marazzi. The design is an improvement over the predecessor but it lacks some of the boldness of other Lamborginis of the period like the Espada. The Islero was propelled by a 325 hp V-12 originally designed by Bizzarrini and modified by Gian Paolo Dallara. With a top speed of 159 mph, the Islero was a capable GT car. Trouble is, it wasn’t very successful, selling only 125 cars. Today’s find can truly be called rare with so few built. It looks pretty neat in fly yellow and the paint is said to be recent as is the interior. It is a low mileage car showing just over 32,000 –  at least it has had some exercise. The mechanicals have been sorted so says the seller, but you don’t go anywhere near this or any exotic without a thorough PPI. You may discover a condition the seller does not know exists and that can be expensive. Well, owning one of these or a Ferrari of similar vintage, is never inexpensive. If you are looking for a screaming V12 with a pleasant but not too outrageous appearance, this may be something to put on your radar scope. If you buy it, lose the yellow knock-offs. More info on eBay by clicking here.