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Bruno Avril Survivor: 1970 Lamborghini Espada

It still amazes me to see details about how a certain car was squirreled away in a warehouse, seemingly left as part of an informal collection of vehicles despite being a sought-after vehicle that hates to sit. The idea of just having an entire warehouse to store your cars in is a concept I can certainly get on board with, but I hope I still make time to drive cars like a Lamborghini Espada the way they were meant to be driven. This Espada has just over 32,000 original miles and wears an awesome shade of paint known as Bruno Avril. Find it here on eBay where bidding is just over $37K with the reserve unmet.

Man, what a face. I had the good fortune to experience a variety of four-seat GT cars in person not too long ago and it’s incredible how big these high-speed GTs are in real life. Sure, a Suburban it ain’t, but it still dwarfs a car like the Miata. While the backseat wasn’t roomy, you could certainly survive back there if you were below a certain height. The size of the hood becomes very evident when sitting in the driver’s seat, as you realize there’s quite a bit of car ahead of you to pilot and keep in a straight line. The paint is what makes me love this Espada, and even though there’s a famous pink one for sale right now, I’d still choose this stunning shade of what looks like the waters from the Gulf of Mexico.

The seller notes that this is not a perfect car, with plenty of signs of use that include “….many chips and scratches.” Despite this, the Espada is said to run and drive well and the interior is absolutely stunning. Despite being in a warehouse, it was evidently looked after enough that it didn’t fall into disrepair. The mileage is reportedly pegged at 32,138, which isn’t surprising for an exotic car from this period. But even low mileage cars can some with trashed interiors, so seeing a cockpit that looks to be in mint condition suggests proper storage and no prolonged exposure to the elements at any point in its history (assuming this is original leather, of course, which the seller does confirm.)

Some mechanical work is detailed in the listing which perhaps is a big part of why the Espada runs well. The seller notes the carburetors have been rebuilt and fluids recently changed. I doubt that’s all it would need if it had been sitting completely unused, so even with its many years in a warehouse, it seems likely the Espada got some mechanical attention in that time. The 12-cylinder, four-seater GT class is one that has all but disappeared from our roadways, so if you want to experience what life was like as a high-flying movie star or executive with money to burn and a family to haul, buying one of these might give you a glimpse into a unique period of sports car manufacturing that likely won’t repeat itself any time soon.

Comments

  1. Avatar bobhess Member

    Beautiful car. Had a customer car we got to drive to test the new paint. First thing is the sound of the exhaust that gives you goose bumps. Second is the engine sound as you cruise through the gear past 100 mph. Notice that the 10,000 rpm Tachometer. has no red line on it. Third, step back and just look at it. Agree the blue is a great color for these cars. Our customer car was silver and just as impressive.

    Like 13
    • Avatar bobhess Member

      Add an “s” to gear. It had 5 of them.

      Like 5
    • Avatar Sam61

      Glad the “paint” test went well and didn’t blow off. Very cool

      Like 3
    • Avatar 67Firebird_Cvt Member

      Drove to test the paint!
      Sounds logical. :)

      Like 2
  2. Avatar Bakyrdhero Member

    Beautiful Car that I haven’t paid much attention to in the past. Any experts have an idea of its true value?

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Rw

    Seen a metallic brown one , driving about a year ago in Prospect Ky,sound was very good.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jasper

      That one shows up at the Captains Quarters Cars & Coffee every now and then. Guy’s had it a while. Got it when they were still bargains.

      Like 2
      • Avatar FireAxeGXP

        There’s a C&C at Captain’s Quarters?? I live not far from there. Do you know when it happens?

        Like 0
      • Avatar Jasper

        First or second Saturday of the month. Just had one yesterday. I hit it every so often. Only have one “fun” car so don’t want bore the masses with some same old thing every time.

        Like 0
  4. Avatar bill tebbutt

    Poetry on wheels. I’ve missed the opportunity to sneak up on one of these on the cheap in the past. Sigh…..

    bt

    Like 4
  5. Avatar DRV

    My heart be still. This one is gorgeous. I’ve ridden in a friend’s 20 years ago and remember it like yesterday. He revamped the vent/ air conditioning and a few motor internals to have a daily driver. I think it looks big, but isn’t.

    Like 2
  6. Avatar t-bone bob

    Located in: Camarillo, California

    Like 1
  7. Avatar Dennis6605

    Write. up says 32 K miles. Odometer says 51 K.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Howie

      Dennis6605, that is because the odometer reads in kilometers, so in miles for USA that is correct.

      Like 6
  8. Avatar Arakind78

    Kilometers. 51,722 KM is approximately 29,000 miles

    Like 2
  9. Avatar Camaro Joe

    Dennis, the speedometer is kilometers/hour. 51,000 KM = 32,000 miles. That’s a clue that it wasn’t originally a car built for the US. I have no idea what that means to emissions testing or any of that kind of thing, but it’s worth thinking about before bidding on it.

    Like 2
    • Avatar Dennis6605

      @Camaro Joe, I know each state is different but wouldn’t 1970 be exempt from emissions testing?

      Like 1
      • Avatar Mitchell

        Emissions testing arrived in 73 or 74 as i know. Without any
        warranty. Compare the hp decrease of a corvette in the same decade:
        the last with plenty of power was the ’73 7 litre with 270 hp.
        270 hp. From the view of a earlier C 2 with ZL 1 or L 88
        engine is 270 not much but 270 is always much more then
        the later 75 models with poor 150 hp out of a 5.7

        Like 0
  10. Avatar kennethtiven

    odometer is in kilometers perhaps.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Joe Elliott

    I can’t claim to be a Lamborghini (or Bertone) expert or a linguist, but am I the only skeptical of a paint color called “bruno avril?” To my knowledge, “bruno” is Italian for dark or swarthy, and “avril” has no meaning in Italian (but is French for “April”). To me, Bruno Avril sounds less like a paint color and more like the protagonist of a detective novel.

    Like 5
  12. Avatar Camaro Joe

    Dennis, my offhand guess is it’s early enough that it’s probably legal most everywhere. But another red flag is it’s in California but it has Texas plates on it in the pictures. It’s probably a “Gray market” car, and I don’t know much about them.

    I wouldn’t bid on it without knowing for 100% sure that it could be registered in the state you live in and any state that it could possibly end up in. I’m 2500 miles from California and haven been there in this century, so I’ll let somebody who knows more than me tell us what’s really legal.

    Like 1
  13. Avatar Mitchell

    It needs more love. Interior is dirty. Some door seals missing.
    Glove box and main doors not good fitted. Rear bumper
    is bent. Minor and big paint defects around car.

    Anyway, it looks nice. Lamborghini uses #L12356 and
    similar as colour designation.
    Bruno was maybe the sellers neighbour ….And Bruno is
    also a family name in Italy.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Howie

    Ended $70k even, reserve not met.

    Like 2
  15. Avatar t-bone bob

    Ended: Jul 13, 2022 , 8:21PM
    Current bid:US $70,000.00 [ 43 bids ]
    reserve not met

    Like 0
  16. Avatar t-bone bob

    Car was relisted

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/234634595227?ViewItem=&item=234634595227&vxp=mtr

    But ended early

    Ended: Jul 26, 2022 , 12:45PM
    Starting bid:US $100.00 [ 0 bids ]

    Like 0

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