Complete with the chrome bumpers and trim, with the overall look of a factory car besides a pleasing respray, this 1974 Lamborghini Espada’s 3.9L V-12 engine was rebuilt in May 2020. It breathes through a dual exhaust system, is fed by six 2-barrel Weber carburetors and is backed by a 5-speed manual transmission. Additionally, in May 2020, the 5-lug Campagnolo alloy wheels were shod with new Pirelli tires. Equipped with power steering and Girling ventilated disc brakes, the white interior features Jaeger instruments nestled into the dash, an AM/FM/Cass stereo system, power windows, bucket seats, a center console, a clock and a 3-spoke steering wheel. Complete with receipts and an owner’s manual, the Espada is one of the most unique examples of the model. When Ferruccio Lamborghini set out to build a car, part of his vision was to produce a car he, and people like him, would want. This would be a car that exuded status and importance, good taste and power, and a car that drove as beautifully as it looked. It was also envisioned to be a powerful car that could be driven fast, but had nothing to prove to anyone but its owner. To that end, it would also be robust and durable. It would be hand-built, excruciatingly expensive, exceedingly exclusive, designed by the best and lavish occupants with fine leathers, rare wools and exceptionally fashioned metals. The company’s first production car would be the 350 GT, a three-seater grand touring sports car with a V-12 engine set on a sportingly sprung but comfortable chassis. Despite pricing around $12,000 in 1964 when it became available, the 350 GT knocked it out of the park with some 150 sold by the time production segued into the very similar 400 GT for 1966. This car would entertain some 250 buyers by the time production ceased in 1968, when the company would introduce both the Islero and Espada, two four-seat ultra- luxe performance coupes serving unique demands with some overlaps. While the Islero maintained similar outward proportions to the 400 GT, the Espada looked considerably larger. The idea was, in fact, to provide customers with a more useful car, a vehicle that could carry more luggage and passengers in comfort while not sacrificing exclusivity, exceptionalism or performance. Espada may have knocked it out of the park even more than the 350 GT, 400 GT and Islero combined, as it remained in production for 10 years and found over 1,000 buyers, marking it as one of Lamborghini’s most successful models. At the time, there was nothing like it on the market. While it might have competed in concept and price with the likes of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and Bentley T1 coupes of the late 1960s, neither of those cars looked or moved like an Espada. It truly was the ultimate in large-scale, high-performance, ultra-luxe transportation, and it was the darling of various captains of industry, celebrities and playboys alike.
