1987 Chrysler Lamborghini Portofino (Coggiola)

1987 introduced a new Lamborghini at the Frankfurt show after the company’s takeover by Chrysler. The Portofino was a four door, four seater with vertically opening doors in true Lamborhini fashion. The car was developed at Chrysler Pacifica in Carlsbad, California but was built on a lengthened Jalpa chassis by Coggiola of Turin, Italy. It was quite drivable and was tested by many popular car magazines at the time.

The styling never did make it into production as a Lamborghini which is a shame. Enough praise was showered on the design that it was eventually modified to became the successfull Chrysler Intrepid/Concord series. The unique doors, the best part of the whole design, wouldn’t make it into production, though, no doubt due to the lack of B-pillars which serve to strengthen the passenger cage reducing intrusion in side impacts.

The beautiful exterior color would also later turn up as Char-Gold in the available optional colors on the Intrepid/Concord. The inovative rear wing wouldn’t be found on these cars, though it did find its way onto the Stealth.

The interior of the Portofino was finished in a beautiful three shades of textured blue leather with yellow piping and accents on the steering wheel and shift knob. A central console divided the passenger compartment adding stiffness to the structure and providing a comfortable wrap-around feeling in the rear seats. The beautiful dash and console layout would influence that of the Diablo being designed about this time.

The hood badge was unique to this single car and consisted of a Lamborghini bull stamped into a brushed metal pentastar.

Sadly the Portofino was destroyed in a transporter rollover in early 1991 but Chrysler, realizing the importance of the car’s design in its company’s history, saw to it that the car was restored. Only one Portofino was built and it is still in the hands of Chrysler. As of 1999 it is on permanent display at the Daimler/Chrysler World Headquarters and Tech Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

В 1987 году престижнейшим брэндом Lamborghini завладела Chrysler, которая отметила годовщину этого приобретения великолепным концепткаром Portofino. Названный в честь курорта на итальянской Ривьере, автомобиль был сделан на растянутой на 23 дюйма платформе Jalpa и оснащался расположенной в базе V-образной «восьмеркой», дефорсированной до 225 л.с. Дизайн кузова с четырьмя дверцами гильотинного типа, двумя багажниками и с превосходной аэродинамикой (Сх=0,25), а также интерьер четырехместного салона разрабатывался в США, а построило машину туринское ателье Coggiolа. Для серийного производства Portofino не предназначался, однако массовые полноразмерные седаны Chrysler Cоrp. в 1993 году получили похожие силуэт и оформление передка.