Jarama Registry

Particular Jarama

#10522

As I’ve already started my introduction with, here are more details about that first Lambo experience. My father was hesitating in between an Urraco P300 or an Espada in late 1976. With the help of Mr. Hollebecq (Belgian Lambo importer by that time), he looked at the 2 selected cars, but was finally more interested in Jarama model, V12 powered instead of Urraco’s V8 and shorter than Espada.

Due to the production delay for a new one, he was in fact expecting a car quickly. They went to Achilli Motors – Milano under factory’s recommendation where a recent Jarama might be available. #10522 was sitting at workshop for service maintenance. Produced by late 1974, it was first registered in Italy on February 2^nd, 1975. My father came into a deal and Mr. Hollebecq made all accommodations in order to have it delivered to Belgium, but #10522 did the trip back to Belgium by road.

Dad drove it with an import license plate and registered “AJD153” on 5th December 1977. Using it as an everyday car, he dropped me at school every morning, it was terrific. Our family business was in the Automotive Parts Distribution - ADB, and among the employees one was very skilful to maintain it weekly. Unfortunately, Dad met with 4 problems :

• The first one happened in Bruxelles downtown traffic : the power assisted steering failed and instead of turning the car went straight without hitting any of the others cars... scaring him to death !
• Secondly, it happened while he was driving on highway when the camshaft chain failed for unknown reason, leaving him beside the highway with a blow up engine…no luck again !
• Thirdly, he noticed a small crack on the inner section of one the Campagnolo wheel just before it could be more dramatic as you will notice with some pictures (others wheels) in the technical section.
• The last one was the necessity to replace full exhaust line in order to comply with Belgium technical Control, he replaced the original one by Abarth exhausts.

These problems were not what Dad was expecting from such a recent GT : no reliability !

Of course, all was fixed as it needed to be by the skilful employee (he became later University Professor teaching mechanic). I’m not going to bore you with all my memories, many times I was enjoying Jarama roaring and terrific passenger’s emotions until Dad sold the car in beginning of 1979 “before” another mechanical problem should happen eventually… He wasn’t anymore confident in Lamborghini’s reliability.

As I already told you in my introduction, I missed to own it in 1989. Through our family business, I met a customer of us and I’ve noticed in his workshop a Jarama. Asking about it, our customer answered me he might sell it. Looking at the Title, what was my surprise, it was still on my father’s name, no doubt, it was the “One” I knew 12 years ago.

Leaving a deposit straight away, we make the deal immediately. For no reason when I came back to pick it up, Jarama had disappeared… the owner was sorry and explained me a car trader came the following day… since his decision was took to sell it, he just want to get rid of it and refund my deposit.

Disappointed ? You can imagine my feeling, I was mad, that guy wasn’t a man of his words.

By November 1996, I’ve got the chance to put the hand back on #10522. A car trader in Antwerpen did swap it with an Aston Martin and just collected it when I came to his place. Quick deal this time !

I drove it back to my parents’ place where all ours cars were stored. This first long ride was enough to notice it needed a complete service. That first service was done by a very good mechanic (who has since opened a nice workshop in south Bruxelles www.officina-meccanica.be).

I was myself a young father and I took often my son for a ride, sharing with my enjoyed kid these delighting “runs”. My parents’ place is near Chimay, where stands an old track (in the earlier days was European well known track from 1960 to 1973), it was my “playground” to explore its performances and limits. I never met any troubles with #10522…leaving to my father ‘s feeling I was more lucky than he was with the same Lambo ! Second service was done by another very good mechanic, who became later one of my subcontractors for my Racing Team : www.dkr-engineering.lu.

I can tell compared to a similar modern GT as Ferrari 456GT (a 1997 model that I’ve owned last year  for everyday use), Jarama leaves you with the awesome feeling you’ll always discover it as the first time. Modern GT Sport cars have lost this “exhilarating spirit”, much heavier even if they give you higher and better performances. But the smell, the thrill and the roaring of Jarama are so sensational and completely indescribable that you don’t need to speed around 300 km/h to feel something close to “Heaven”...

As I’ve said, Porsche Club track meetings were taking more and more of my spare time, leading me to sell all my cars in order to raise funds and being a Racing Team owner, another priceless dream came true.

Since 2002, I was tracing #10522 again. Looking at all Jarama for sale all over Europe, and despite the fact I was focusing only my ex Jarama, I’ve to admit in 2004 I was hesitating to buy #10684.

As far as I know, here are its number of owners :

• Italy, 1st owner : from 2nd February 1975 to January 1977.
• Belgium, my father 2nd owner : from January 1977 (export license plate) to 4th December 1977, then Belgian registration from 5th December 1977. Keeping it until February 1979.
• Hollebecq Lambo importer bought it back from Dad, he stored it for a couple of months.
• 3rd owner Mr. Delvaux bought it from Hollebecq. Never been registered and kept it until fall 1989. That’s the time I missed it.
• So, a car dealer bought it and sold it in 1990 to another Belgian guy – 4th owner who didn’t register it either.
• 5th owner an Aston Martin collector in Gent bought it in mid 1995.
• In late 1996, the Aston Martin collector traded it for an Aston with a car trader in Antwerp, Thierry Heirman.
• November 1996, I bought it and kept it until the end of 1999. I was its 6th owner, #10522 was still on my father’s name on license registration after 22 years.
• Thierry Heirman bought it back and stored it until 2001 when he sold it to unknown guy – 7th owner. Current owner missed to buy it by that time.
• Netherlands in 2002, it reappeared at Harry van Bakel ’s place.
• May 2002, current and 8th owner bought it from Harry.

None of the guys I’ve met or spoken to never help me to discover who owned #10522. I knew it was in Dutch hands, but where ?

It is nice to see that people respects each others privacy, because I’ve learned recently who owns my ex Jarama. That clever man has just been unfolded after my “Jarama website announcement” email to whole Lambo community. He confirmed me that most of the guys I was speaking to knew he was the owner for a while… frustrating, isn’t.

He bought #10522 from Harry van Bakel (I will speak about him later) and did a lot to the car in order to have it in very good shape. He runs it often in Lambo events, and as I previously was, is delighting his “Toy”. Here is his owner ‘s comment :

“I can say that the car has brought a lot of joy to me, especially meeting new friends within the Lamborghini community. But above all the sound of the magnificent V12 coming to life, and flooring it on the highway in 3rd gear. The sheer drama of it all. Also that the car still has an immense presence on the road, even compared to modern sports cars. What was Gandini thinking 38 years ago ?

Of course the car has given me some troubles during the years, but the nice thing is I’ve always come home after a trip. Be it to Italy, Great Britain, The Ardennes or West Vlaanderen. Over the course of five years it has had work done to it in various fields which has made it quite a reliable and good car. Of course the odd Lamborghini : “The wipers don’t work” or  “the headlight covers won’t pop down” –electro-hysterics still play a role so often”.