Lamborghini Islero S by Marazzi, 1969
Lamborghini Islero
Lamborghini Islero•
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Chassis No.: 6531
Engine No.: 50179
Location: Monterey, California
$401,500 USD | Sold
- One of only 100 produced
- A desirable, higher horsepower “S” variant
- The ultimate development of the original Lamborghini model
- Powered by its original engine
340 bhp, 3,929 cc DOHC V-12 engine with six Weber twin-choke carburetors, five-speed manual transmission, four-wheel independent suspension with unequal-length A-arms, coil springs, and anti-roll bars, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 100.4 in.
This beautiful Islero, chassis number 6531, is documented by Lamborghini Islero Information Exchange historian Louis Herrin as having been sold new by Garages Foitek, the official Swiss Lamborghini distributor in Zurich. Originally intended to be finished in Verde P over Bordeaux, it was changed to meet the original customer order of Red over a light-colored interior. It was the 179th of the total 225 Isleros built and the 54th example built to the high-performance S specification. It was completed and released to Foitek on July 25, 1969, and sold later that year to another Swiss retail Lamborghini agent, Garage W. Ruf AG.
The car remained in Switzerland until 1989, when prominent collector Craig Davis found it for sale and traded his Rolls-Royce for it. Showing only 25,000 original kilometers when purchased, the Lamborghini was enjoyed by Mr. Davis at his Swiss home for a decade and then imported to the U.S. and brought to his home in Atherton, California. It was sold to Paul Forbes, of Newport Beach, not long after its arrival in the States, next passing to Ray Grimm, of Rancho Santa Fe.
For Mr. Grimm, the car underwent a comprehensive cosmetic restoration, at a reported cost of $100,000, by California Lamborghini specialist Gary Bobileff. Following a brief intervening owner in Arizona and another short-term owner in Mr. Bobileff’s company, it was acquired by a collector in Japan, who enjoyed it until recently and continued the work at Bobileff Motorcars. This included a complete rebuild of the matching-numbers engine, gearbox, and rear axle assembly, as well as the brakes and suspension, all completed in 2010, with invoices totaling nearly $45,000 and accompanying the car.
The car has covered 20,000 kilometers since the cosmetic restoration and only 108 more since its mechanical rebuild, and it remains in beautiful overall condition. It prominently carries the original Marazzi production sequence tag of 25179 in the engine compartment, confirming—in addition to the chassis plate, chassis stamping, and VIN tag on the dashboard—the car’s origin and full identity. It is also offered with an original sales brochure, an owner’s manual, and the aforementioned records for the Bobileff mechanical refurbishment.
This is a superb example of the ultimate development of Ferruccio Lamborghini’s original sports car.
https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/mo15/lots/r142-1969-lamborghini-islero-s-by-marazzi/
Mileage
20,000 km
Cost
1,474,509 AED
