Grey Lamborghini Islero, three-quarter front view

Lamborghini Islero

1968–1969 · 3.9L NA V12, 325–350 hp · 5-speed manual · front-engine RWD
5.0 / 10
Involvement 7.2 / 10

Why 5.0: The 3.9-litre quad-cam V12 and five-speed of the Miura, wrapped by Carrozzeria Marazzi in a shape so understated that people who know Lamborghinis still walk past it. About 225 were built in two years, and Ferruccio Lamborghini drove one himself.

Lamborghini front-V12 GTIsleroEspada
Miles actually driven4.0
Bought to drive, not to flip6.0
Track-day sightingscontext · not scored1.0
Handling · front V12 GT balance, no assistance, tall gearing6.8
Sound8.5
Power-to-weight · sweet spot232 hp/t
325 hp · 1,400 kg

Layout

FRONT-ENGINE · RWD3.9 NAV125-speedmanualMiura V12, dry sump, body by Marazzi52 %48 %approx. static weight distribution

Natural habitat

AUTOBAHN8.0at homeNORDSCHLEIFE4.0ALPS6.5

Ride comfort

5.51 · F4010 · S-Classpassive suspension, GT tune on wishbones

Sound

The Miura's 4.0 quad-cam V12 on six Webers, revving to 7,500 — one of the great induction noises regardless of what the body looks like. Held just off the top by a gentleman's-express exhaust that keeps the volume polite.

12-cylinder · naturally aspirated · 7,500 rpm redline · rated 8.5 / 10 for engine sound

DougScoreNot yet revieweddougdemuro.com

Market value

Median asking price, good condition · €17k (1968) → €313k (2026), trending up · illustrative data

€17k€313k196820152026€313k

Child seats · ISOFIX

Anywhere in the carNot available

Built before ISOFIX existed, so there are no anchor points at all. A child seat here is a seatbelt installation, and the belt geometry of the period was not designed with one in mind.

Derived from production years and seating layout, not a per-car source. ISOFIX was standardised as ISO 13216 in 1997, required on new EU model types from 2011 and on all new EU cars from 2014.

The long version

The Islero replaced the 400 GT 2+2 in 1968 and shared its showroom with the Miura, which is the entire problem: one car reinvented the supercar and the other was a quiet steel coupé built by a small carrozzeria staffed by ex-Touring craftsmen. Ferruccio himself preferred it, and used one as his personal transport — he wanted a fast, discreet, comfortable car rather than a spectacle, and the Islero is precisely that with 325 hp and pop-up headlights. The S that followed in 1969 raised output to 350 hp, flared the arches and fixed most of the trim complaints. Around 225 cars in total means values track the V12 classic market rather than the Lamborghini hype cycle, and it means every one that comes up for sale is a known car. Owners hold them for decades, but nobody covers big distances in a two-year-only Italian coupé with a parts supply measured in specialists rather than catalogues.

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