Lot 455: 1972 Lamborghini Espada Series II Coupé

A mere five years after introducing its first car and three years after launching the sensational Miura, Lamborghini again up-staged Ferrari by announcing a full four-seater at the 1968 Geneva Motor Show. Named after a matador’s sword, the Espada was styled similarly to the stillborn, rear-engined, six-cylinder Marzal but carried its 4-litre, four-cam V12 up front. The latter – first seen in the 400GT and also used by the contemporary Islero - produced 325bhp, an output sufficient to propel the distinctive Bertone-styled coupé to 150mph (242km/h). Islero running gear was employed but wedded to a platform-type, semi-monocoque chassis rather than the former’s tubular frame. Introduced in January 1970, the Series II cars came with an extra 25bhp, 155mph (250km/h) top speed and an improved dashboard layout. Testing a prototype Espada in 1968, Autocar found Lamborghini’s new family-sized supercar to be ‘perfectly practical as a full four seater for long journeys’ while possessing the ‘seven-league-boots’ of the 400GT. Clearly highly impressed by the Espada, the esteemed British motoring magazine concluded, ‘when styling is added to the well-known Lamborghini engineering, the offering is almost irresistible’ - and who would disagree? This Espada Series II is a rare right-hand drive model supplied new in the UK. The car’s odometer displays a total of 40,700 miles, while accompanying expired MoTs dating back to 1980 (when the recorded mileage stood at 27,538) confirm 13,000-or-so miles covered since then. Accompanying invoices include one for an engine top-end overhaul, carried out in 1993 at a cost of circa £6,000, together with numerous bills for parts. Finished in green with beige leather interior, the car is offered with MoT/road fund licence to June 2007 and Swansea V5 registration document.