Sunday, July 24, 2011

1967 Lamborghini Marzal

The Lamborghini Marzal was a prototype concept car presented at the 1967 Geneva Motor Show.

Designed by Marcello Gandini of Bertone, it was created to supply Ferruccio Lamborghini with a true four-seater car for his lineup which already included the 400GT 2+2 and the Miura. It was distinguished by amply glazed gullwing-doors and an equally amply louvered rear window. Propulsion was by a 2L 175 bhp (130 kW) in-line six engine, actually a split-in-half version of Lamborghini's 4L V12, mated to a five speed transmission.

The Marzal remained a one-off, though the general shape and many of the ideas would go on to be used in the Espada. The Marzal design probably found wider recognition as a die-cast model, with both Dinky and Matchbox making scale models, albeit in other colours such red, although the original show car was painted silver. This car was publicly driven only once by Princess Grace and her husband as the Monaco Grand-Prix pace car the same year it was designed.

The Marzal made a second public appearance at the 1996 Concours Italiano in Monterey, California in honor of Carrozzeria Bertone. The Athon was also exhibited at this time. The Marzal was located for long time in the Bertone Design Study Museum, and it was sold at auction at Villa d'Este (Italy) on 21 May 2011, for 1,350,000 Euros, approximately $US 2 million.
The Matchbox model (1:65-scale)

(info from Wikipedia)

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