Guide: Gen 2 Junior Lambo in the Pipeline? a Historical & Technical Appraisal of the Lamborghini Bravo
Background
Lamborghini developed the Urraco as a practical Italian rival for the Porsche 911, hence its 2+2 seating configuration.
At the time, Porsche were selling comfortably in excess of 10,000 911s every year. By contrast, Lamborghini management targeted the seemingly conservative annual target of 1000 Urracos.
It was hoped such a figure would provide the Italian firm with greater financial stability on its way to becoming an industrial powerhouse.
Unfortunately, production delays meant deliveries did not begin until two years after the Urraco made its motor show debut in late 1970. By this time, the global economy had turned and a worldwide financial crisis was beginning to take hold. In Italy, trade unionised staff could no longer be laid off.
During 1972, Ferruccio Lamborghini was forced to sell his tractor company. Having made a major investment in factory space and tooling for the Urraco, he also sold 51% of Automobili Lamborghini to Swiss industrialist, Georges-Henri Rossetti.
Things got even worse when the Oil Crisis hit in late 1973. Triggered by tension in the Middle East, oil prices rose exponentially and sales of gas guzzlers took a massive hit.
In 1974, Ferruccio Lamborghini sold the remaining 49% of his auto maker to Rossetti’s friend, Rene Leimer.
Despite this turmoil, development of the Urraco had continued.
So far, the model had proven a commercial flop, scarcely reaching 20% of its sales target. Nevertheless, there was clearly the potential for a great little car.
Faced with mild criticism of its single overhead camshaft 2.5-litre V8 engine, a new three-litre motor with dual overhead camshafts was ready by late 1974. The resultant Urraco P300 was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in November.
Unexpectedly, another Urraco-based car with the new P300 engine was displayed on the Bertone stand.
The fully operational Studio 114 Bravo was conceived as a two-seat stable mate to the Urraco. Built on a short wheelbase Urraco floorpan, it was designed by Bertone’s head stylist, Marcello Gandini, and came loaded with innovative design cues.
Bodywork
Flush tinted glass meant the exceptionally slim cockpit pillars were almost concealed from view.
The base of the windscreen was positioned ahead of the front axle and its steep rake angle was an almost exact match for the short front bonnet.
A supplementary rear quarter window was mounted well back on each sail panel and folded neatly into the body to create an engine cooling intake.
Rectangular vents littered the front and rear lids; both nose and tail were cut off with flat, near vertical surfaces. A black swage line wrapped around the entire car.
Gandini used angled rear wheelarches (which had become something of a trademark) and left the car free of traditional bumpers.
Overall, the Bravo’s body was 140mm wider, 110mm lower and 475mm shorter than the Urraco upon which it was based.
Interior
The cockpit was home to a simple flat top dash that spanned the entire width of the cabin.
The dash top and knee roll were upholstered in alcantara suede to match the seats, side sills, transmission tunnel and rear bulkhead.
The dash fascia was brushed aluminium and housed two Stewart Warner gauges (a speedometer and tachometer) plus a selection of warning lights. A stereo was suspended underneath the middle of the dash with a bank of rocker switches above.
Chassis
Bertone cut 175mm from the wheelbase of the Urraco’s steel floorpan as the Bravo was conceived as a strict two-seater. Otherwise, the two models used practically identical running gear.
Suspension was fully independent with MacPherson struts, coil springs and telescopic shocks. Anti-roll bars were installed at both ends.
Each axle ran a separate hydraulic brake system with 278mm ventilated Girling discs.
Significantly, the Bravo marked the world debut of Pirelli’s new low profile P7 tyre. P7s were fitted to brand new Campagnolo Teledial wheels that would become a Lamborghini staple over the next decade.
Engine / Gearbox
For the P300 motors, Paolo Stanzani’s all-alloy 90° V8 had been stroked from 53mm to 64.5mm. Bore went unchanged at 86mm for an overall displacement of 2997cc (an increase of 534cc over the P250).
Compression was dropped from 10.5 to 10.0:1 and four new Weber 40 DCNF twin-choke downdraught carburettors were installed.
Power was up 40bhp to 260bhp at an otherwise unchanged 7500rpm. The torque rating also rose considerably; 195lb-ft at 3500rpm compared to 166lb-ft at 5750rpm for the P250.
Ignition was via two Marelli coils and a single Marelli distributor.
Lamborghini’s five-speed manual gearbox was beefed up to cope with the increased power and torque. Transmission was via a single dry-plate clutch and Lamborghini differential.
Weight / Performance
Bertone quoted a weight of 1085kg, which compared favourably to the standard car’s 1300kg.
Top speed would most likely have been in the region of 160mph with a 0-62mph time of comfortably under six seconds.
Production
Two Bravos were reputedly built: chassis 46 01 (originally gold and later white) and 46 02 (which was painted green and destroyed after being crash tested in 1976).
Although Lamborghini did not have the funds to put the Bravo into production, they did commission Bertone to produce the simpler Silhouette which was a short-lived Urraco based two-seater with a removable targa roof.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Lamborghini - https://www.lamborghini.com
