1973 - 1977 Lamborghini Espada Series III
Posted by David Kinney
The Lamborghini Espada was in production for ten years, from 1968 to 1978. A total of 1,217 were built: 186 Series I (built in 1968, 1969, and 1970), 575 Series II (built in 1971, and 1972), and 456 Series III (built from 1973 to 1977). As with many small-production cars, a series of running changes is evident in Espadas, and it would not be unusual to see differences from car to car.
Series III Espadas have serial numbers starting with a 9. Visual cues that differentiate SIII Espadas from their older siblings include a different rear bumper and taillights, and a unique dashboard that wraps around the driver’s cockpit.
At the time of the Espada’s production, it was the most successful Lamborghini built in terms of absolute sales volume. The Espada had an exterior design as unique as the Miura, being low, flat-topped and wide, like a stealth bomber with its rear stabilizers removed. At a cost new of $21,000 in 1968, the Espada was $1,750 more than the Miura. Even more surprising, the steel-bodied Espada weighed in at 3,307 pounds, just 457 pounds more than the two-seat supercar.
According to exotic car dealer Ed Waterman, owner of Motorcar Gallery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Espada is “one of the few real four-passenger exotics, with room for four full-sized adults. They are true Grand Touring cars, and a well-turned-out example can be a pleasure to drive at highway speeds or on city roads.” Espadas came equipped with a standard 5-speed manual transmission, with a performance-sapping automatic transmission optional.
The Espada has a high attrition rate as, similar to many 2+2 Ferraris, the market value simply doesn’t support a $25,000 engine rebuild. Furthermore, these can be fussy cars, with many little bits that seem to expensively break.
Nonetheless, the Espada stands alone as a 35-year-old V12 exotic that can transport four adults in comfort, and its styling is assured to turn heads.
(From the April 2003 issue of Sports Car Market magazine.)