We all have different dream finds, some of us dream of finding an early Corvette while others fantasize of finding a rare French oddball. There is one genre of finds that I think all car nuts can appreciate though and that’s the Italian Sports car. You don’t have to be a fan of the genre to appreciate how rare and unusual it is to find a high strung Italian stallion in an old barn, shed, or garage. Italian cars that were built for brisk driving tend to quickly find their way into climate controlled and dust free collections, which make this 1971 Lamborghini Espada a surprising car to find parked in this Texas garage. It has just recently been pulled from the garage and is now being offered by Gullwing Motor Cars.
This Lambo has called the same owner’s garage home for the past 40 years and has been residing in Texas ever since it left Italy. It isn’t in your typical barn find condition, but is instead ready to be driven. Clearly the owner appreciated this machine and kept it serviced, which is a good thing when it comes to Italian sport cars. While we all dream of finding a high dollar Italian, if not for the experience than for the resale value, but if your hunting for a car like this to drive and enjoy, this is the kind of car to find. Any Italian car that has been parked for an extended period of time or is more than 30 years old will need repairs and maintenance, which can get costly. When it comes to finding an Italian like this one, you want to find one that has been maintained and in good condition to begin with!
The seller doesn’t provide much information about the car, but they do claim it is mechanically sound and it looks to be in great shape overall. Not everyone will appreciate the looks of the Espada, but I’ve always been fascinated by the wedge shape and nicely appointed interior. What really grabs my attention though is what’s under the hood. Unlike Ferrari, Lamborghini didn’t build race cars. But they did focused on building super cars and what one is complete without a V12? That’s right, this 2+2 GT has a 4.0 liter V12 up front. Being a second series car means the engine has slightly higher compression and is good for over 375 horsepower. That’s not bad for a car that can carry you and three of your closest friends or family members in leather wrapped comfort.
Speaking of leather, this interior has plenty of it. From what can be seen, it appears the interior is complete and in usable condition, although some of the leather could use some conditioning. The wood grain dash inserts, steering wheel, and shift knob all look to be in great shape and don’t appear to be sun faded or cracked. While fit and finish isn’t quite on par with a Ferrari, it is surprisingly nice for a mid-70’s limited production car.
There were 575 Series II built, making it the most common of the Espada generations. While that certainly hurts value and collectability compared to earlier cars, these are still in demand. When new the Espada was quite popular and even managed to outsell the Countach at times. In the ’80s Countach production was expanded and it was able to take back its place as their most popular model in the lineup, but the Espada gave it a surprising run for its money.
The seller is asking a mere $150k for this survivor, which is definitely on the high side of the price curve. Of course when will you ever find another one that is this original? It isn’t every day that you come across a find like this. So do you think this Espada will end up in a climate controlled showroom or will its next owner use it to do what it was built for?
Makes me think of a Matchbox Superfast!
Sorry to correct you Rick :-), Matchbox never did the Espada. German manufacturer SIKU did one from 1971 – 1974 in it´s “V-Serie” line up.
It looks like an AMC Marlin
Nice SIKU model. Matchbox did a 1-75 version of the Lamborghini Marzal, upon which the Espada was based.
Very Beautiful, but if it breaks down , parts and repairs better have lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of money. I remember seeing beautiful cars like this when I was a little Boy in Monaco, in the early/mid 1970’s. Its a good thing this car is in a warm climate.
Agreed, very expensive to repair. Example: water pump-$3k, ignition cap $1500,ignition rotor $900. Just for the parts. Oh, labor cost? Hahaha….don’t even ask!
You lost me at Gullwing Motor Cars
Yes, they are not known for their selling of top notch cars!
I am fine with the cars, BUT ME TOO can do without these E-coast & W-coast peddlers.
Ridiculous M.O.: always posting photos from (mind you, NOT of ) the previous owners.
Is he really that lazy or that dumb ?
Eh, pity it’s at Gullwing. Though if it was at Beverly Hills Auto Club I’d be disappointed for completely different reasons… :P
Amen Brother
Nice rare car! A little out of my price range though!
Based on the SCM Guide this Espada is overpriced at $149,500. The Guide has these at $51,500 to $92,500 for an excellent but not perfect car.
The high asking is no different from lots of listings on Ebay, CL, and other car selling sites where the asking price is outrageous and the car doesn’t sell. It happens all the time, whether it’s Gullwing or the guy down the block.
The best defense against this kind of thing: don’t buy the car.
I have always liked these….very low, fabulous body shape, amazing huge V12 engine with 6 twin barrel Weber carbs that feed horizontally into the ports closest to the centerline of the engine, which helps get that low hood, and a 4-seater. The bad: a valve adjustment is a lot of work.
The Espada is a terrific design but they never sold in big numbers. It’s hard for anyone older than about 6 to squirm into a back seat, so that part of the Espada was probably not used much. And any 4-seat car from an Italian supercar maker is going to bring way less than the sporting models, maybe about 10% or 20%.
Espada, less than $100K.
Miura, pretty much always over $1 million these days.
Agreed. A stone-cold classic shape but not the Miura and the asking is way over the top.
So, on the information we have here to own a beautiful sports car like this and be able to maintain it, it should be stressed that you need to own an oil well :)
It depends on how you look at it. This Espada has about 95% of any early Lamborghini’s design and mechanical appeal, but the cost is less than 10% of the cost of a million dollar Miura (SCM Guide valuation). It’s also a small fraction of the cost of, say, a ’71 Hemi ‘Cuda or lots of other collector cars. So it’s actually what some people might think of a serious bargain.
Yes, parts and labor for this Espada are expensive, but so are the prices to fix or restore a Miura or ’71 Hemi Cuda, so that’s a wash.
atvthat price I’d buy an Indy and with the change a Merak
great to see this in such nice condition. i hope it goes to a good home. great find
yawn, another car flipper. So much for barn finds bought/sold or found by true car enthusiasts…. It’s only about the money anymore..
It would be a fun project to bring something like this Espada to its pristine glory. It really would have to be a millionaire’s project
$150k is way out of line. I’ve been following these for some time now, and although a well maintained one will be worth more than one that was sitting, it would still be worth nowhere near $150k. Two years ago one guy had two in his driveway for sale for $25k each.
There was one for sale in oz a couple of years ago for AUD$35k. Had a 351 Ford engine in place of the V12.
Oh but it’s totally reasonable that a $25-$40k used car should now be selling for $149k. There’s no car bubble here…..no everything is perfectly normal! :)
Aslo, the red homemade convertible a few years ago was for sale for $25k, then bought and immediately relisted for sale for $125k, claiming the car to be “one of one”; if anyone remembers that one…
An Espada in similar condition has just been sold in Artcurial Auctions in Paris for euro 183,000.00…..
Far out. There goes that dream even further into the distance.
Don, i like the photo of the prepro Marzal!! Beautiful model!!
Anyone have any more pictures of the “one off” convertable? I would like to see more pictures of it. Thank You.
Hoby
To be in possession of a sports porn model like that you can’t be short of a few quid . I would just need a full day cleaning to get the interior pristine
In all honesty you better be engaged to some pretty high class money, the Espada would just need to break wind and that would be £10 gone.