‘87 Portofino Concept
In 1987 Chrysler owned Lamborghini and together they created the Portofino. They decided that the best place to debut their new creation was at the Frankfurt Auto Show. It was an amazing vehicle for its time, being built upon a lengthened Lamborghini Jalpa framework.
The design was radical for Lamborghini. The four-door, four-seater car had doors that opened vertically. There were no B-pillars which are commonly used to strengthen the passenger area in case of side impacts. The car never made it into Lamborghini production but Chrysler did use the design for its Intrepid and Concord series. The Char-Gold color made it into Chrysler production, but the doors were not used. The rear wing found its way onto the Dodge/Chrysler Stealth.
An aluminum eight-cylinder engine was transversely mounted and placed mid-ship. With the 4 twin-throat Weber 40 DCNF carburetors, the vehicle produced 225 horsepower. Power was sent to the rear wheels through a Lamborghini five-speed manual gearbox. The chassis was steel unibody and Girling ventilated disc brakes were placed on all four corners.
In 1991 a transporter carrying the Portofino concept rolled over and the vehicle was destroyed. Chrysler had the vehicle restored and remains the only example of the vehicle. It is on display in the Daimler/Chrysler World Headquarters and Tech Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan.