At the GIMS 1967, Lamborghini presented the Marzal.
The Marzal concept is the result of the ambition and vision of three men: Ferruccio Lamborghini, Nuccio Bertone and Marcello Gandini. The first, in his eternal battle with Enzo Ferrari, wanted to impress the world and sketched out the idea of a 4-seater Lamborghini. The second, in his desire to solidify the relationship with Lamborghini, financed the Marzal with his own money. Finally, the third, a designer of genius, let his imagination run wild and set out on new styling directions. Based on a stretched Miura chassis, the Marzal is powered by a mid-mounted 2-litre in-line six-cylinder engine. Does this sound familiar? Yes, it’s based on a Miura V12 engine cut in half longitudinally. The Marzal’s engine develops 177 PS.
From a technical point of view, even a small-scale production run of the Marzal required a number of challenges to be met. Starting with the safety standards around the large curved glass surfaces (4.5 m2), their supply at an industrial scale and the mechanism of the large gullwing doors. The Marzal was never intended to go on production. However, Lamborghini’s wish to have a 4-seater coupé in its range was fulfilled the following year, 1968, by Marcello Gandini. Based on some of the solutions retained for the Marzal, he developed the Espada, a 2+2 coupé powered by a 4-litre V12 with 325 PS.
Some of the styling gimmicks introduced by Gandini on the Marzal would later be found on other Lamborghinis as well as on other models of brands with which the Italian designer would collaborate.
After a few years spent in the Bertone Museum, the Marzal is now living happily in one of the most beautiful private collections in the world. The happy owner does not hesitate to engage it at various cars events throughout the world.
