‘Espada’ is the Spanish word for ‘sword’, and the Lamborghini that bears this name could have indeed provoked some deep cuts to its adversaries.
Produced for 10 years, starting 1968, in just a little over 1,200 examples, the Espada was designed by Bertone’s Marcello Gandini, who looked at the Lamborghini Marzal and Jaguar Pirana for inspiration. Moreover, it had seating for four and was meant to be a daily driver.
However, this example hasn’t been used on a daily basis, despite being with its owner from 1976, when it left the factory floor, until earlier this year. It was originally shipped to Colorado, where it shared a hangar with its owner’s private planes. Also, it was maintained over the years by his aero-mechanics, using nothing but original Lamborghini parts.
It has covered 26,000 miles (41,843 km), all of them allegedly in ideal weather, and it’s said to be in proper condition, both mechanically and aesthetically. It will be one of the stars of the SilverstoneAuctions event that takes place this Saturday (September 29), at the Dallas Burston Polo Club, near Coventry, UK.
The auction house estimates that the Italian GT will fetch between £90,000 and £110,000 ($117,679/€100,140-$143,830/€122,394), plus a buyer’s premium of 15 percent, tax included, and is offering it with the original handbook, tool kit, jack, spare wheel with original Michelin tire, parts manual and leather-bound flasks, among others.
A final note: its production year appears to be 1974 in the USA papers, but this Espada was actually made two years later. The practice is described as “common” by the auction house, “to overcome the idiosyncrasies of the American Federal and State-specific registration requirements”.