Rare Lamborghini Silhouette Is The Baby Countach That Failed In America
Designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone, the Silhouette was originally a design exercise and was based on the Silhouette’s direct predecessor, the Urraco.
So why did it sell so poorly? Well, while the Porsche 911 Targa ended up being a successful model in America, the built-for-America Silhouette’s V8 failed to pass California emissions standards. Remember, this was during the 1970s oil crisis, also known as the “Malaise Era” within the US automotive industry.
There’s also the fact that during this period, the Italian car brand had some financial difficulties and internal company strife. Italy itself was experiencing political upheaval during the same period. These, of course, brought about production issues.
