Lamborghini Silhouette
1976–1979 · Lamborghini Silhouette — Sports Car, V8, designed by Marcello Gandini.
The Story
The Silhouette is the Lamborghini almost nobody bought — which is exactly why collectors now chase it. A 1976 Bertone design experiment based on the Urraco, it was the first Lamborghini ever to wear a Targa top, with sharp, squared-off Gandini styling and a transverse 3.0-litre V8 making 265 hp.
It arrived during the company’s bleakest years — financial chaos, no proper US certification, a market still reeling from the oil crisis — and it sold disastrously. Just 54 were built (42 left-hand drive, 12 right-hand), of which only about 31 are known to survive today. That makes the Silhouette one of the rarest production Lamborghinis ever made.
Commercially it was a flop; historically it’s a crucial link. The Silhouette introduced Lamborghini’s first Targa roof, directly previewed the Jalpa, and kept the V8 ‘baby Lambo’ idea alive through the marque’s near-death years. Rarity plus pivotal-but-overlooked is catnip for the serious collector.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Sports Car class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Marcello Gandini
One of history’s most influential car designers; defined the wedge era at Bertone (Miura, Countach, Stratos). Penned the EB110’s body for the reborn Bugatti. Born Turin 1938, died 2024. Sources: Wikipedia; Car Design News. PARTIAL: his Lamborghini cars (in the Lamborghini file) will join at the cross-make consolidation.
Studio Motors POV
The Silhouette is a true rarity play — a 54-off footnote that turned out to be a pivotal link in Lamborghini’s V8 story. We treat it as a specialist acquisition: provenance and survivor status matter more than the numbers on the spec sheet.
Lineage
Where it sits in the bloodline
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About Silhouette
Worth Knowing About the Silhouette
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- It was the first Lamborghini ever with a Targa (removable) roof.
- Only 54 were built — roughly 31 are known to survive — one of the rarest production Lamborghinis.
- It's a Targa-roofed evolution of the Urraco that in turn became the Jalpa.
5 Fast Facts
- Built 1976–1979; just 54 made (42 LHD + 12 RHD).
- 3.0L transverse V8, 265 hp; 0–60 ~6.5s, 162 mph.
- Bertone/Gandini design, based on the Urraco P300.
- Lamborghini's first Targa-top model.
- Evolved directly into the Jalpa.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
No individual owner is firmly documented in this pass; with only ~31 survivors, the Silhouette is a specialist’s collector car. (We don’t guess owners.)
Studio Buyer’s Brief
Extreme rarity is the whole story — only ~31 survive, so condition, originality and documented history matter far more than spec. Verify the Urraco-derived chassis and correct V8; parts are scarce. A known, complete, matching-numbers car is the game. Values ~$150K–400K given the rarity.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Lamborghini Silhouette
- Class
- Sports Car
- Production years
- 1976–1979
- Units built
- 54 total (42 LHD + 12 RHD)
- Variants
- Engine layout
- Mid
- Engine
- V8
- Engine family
- Lamborghini V8 (vintage)
- Displacement
- 3.0L (2,996 cc)
- Power
- 265 hp
- Torque
- 203 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 6.5 s
- Top speed
- 162 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 214 hp/tonne · 10.3 lb/hp
- Transmission
- 5-speed manual
- Drivetrain
- RWD · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 2734 lb
Questions
Silhouette FAQ
How many Lamborghini Silhouettes were made?
Only 54 Silhouettes were produced between 1976 and 1979: 42 left-hand-drive and 12 right-hand-drive examples. Approximately 31 are believed to survive today, making it one of the rarest production Lamborghinis ever built and the first Lamborghini offered with a removable Targa roof.
What engine does the Lamborghini Silhouette use?
The Silhouette uses a 3.0-litre transverse mid-mounted V8 producing 265 hp. It is an evolution of the Urraco P300’s engine in a wider, more developed chassis and went on to be further refined for the Silhouette’s successor, the Jalpa, which entered production in 1981.
How does the Silhouette fit between the Urraco and the Jalpa?
The Silhouette bridges Lamborghini’s V8 lineage: it took the Urraco P300’s 3.0-litre V8 and widened chassis, added a Targa roof and revised Gandini styling, raising power to 265 hp versus the Urraco’s 247 hp. Lamborghini then developed these improvements further into the longer-production Jalpa from 1981.
How much does a Lamborghini Silhouette cost?
Verified public-market evidence for the Silhouette runs lower than often quoted — Hagerty good-value is approximately $93,000, Classic Valuer averages around £82,000, and LamboCars public auction data shows roughly $60,500-$130,000. Exceptional or asking-only examples may sit higher.
Can you buy a Lamborghini Silhouette?
Yes, though examples surface very rarely given only approximately 31 known survivors worldwide. Sourcing a Silhouette requires specialist-network access and patience.
The Lamborghini Lineup
Explore every Lamborghini
350 GT ’64400 GT ’66Miura ’66Espada ’68Islero ’68
Jarama ’70Urraco ’72Countach ’74Silhouette ’76
Murcielago ’01Gallardo ’03Reventon ’08
Aventador ’11Veneno ’13Huracan ’14Centenario ’16Huracan Performante ’17Urus ’18Aventador SVJ ’18Sian ’19
Huracan STO ’21Countach LPI 800-4 ’21Revuelto ’23Temerario ’25
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