FEATURE – 1970 Lamborghini Espada

Words: Mike Ryan

Photos: courtesy of Oldtimer Australia

Even when it was new back in 1968, Lamborghini’s Espada was overshadowed by its flashier stablemates, particularly the Miura, which is regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful cars to this day.

The Espada is hardly an ugly sister, though. Long, low and sleek, it was not only attractive in its own right, but also truer to Ferruccio Lamborghini’s original vision than any Lamborghini-badged car before or since.

Three Parents, One Creator

It’s well-documented that tractor manufacturer Ferruccio Lamborghini only turned to producing cars after his suggestions for improving the Ferrari 250 GT he owned were rebuffed by Enzo Ferrari.

A talented engineer in his own right, Lamborghini had an equally talented team of engineers around him, as well as an expansive factory and access to some of the best automotive stylists in the world, so he had the tools and contacts to beat Ferrari at their own game.

From the outset, GT cars were Lamborghini’s focus, even though some of the vehicles to roll out of the factory at Sant’Agata Bolognese blurred the definition of a Grand Tourer to differing degrees.

Lamborghini’s first car, the 350 GTV from 1963, stayed mostly true, as did the 400 GT that followed, especially in 2+2 form. The Miura was a whole new ballgame, though.

Arguably the first ever supercar, the Miura did wonders for Lamborghini’s image, but as good as the Miura was, it still wasn’t quite true to Ferruccio’s vision of a fast, capable and comfortable car for four people – or a family - to enjoy on the roads of continental Europe.

To bring that vision into sharper focus, Lamborghini commissioned Bertone, who had styled the Miura, to design a full four-seater. The result was the ‘Marzal’ showcar that debuted at the 1967 Geneva Motor Show.

While the Marzal fulfilled the four-seat brief, its striking styling, including large gullwing doors, expansive glass areas and an abundance of hexagonal design motifs, was too extreme for Ferruccio’s tastes.

At around the same time the Marzal was being used as the course car for the 1967 Monaco F1 Grand Prix, Bertone had started on a new commission from English newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, to design and build a grand tourer, which would be used as a promotion for the paper's weekend supplement.

Using a Jaguar E-Type chassis and running gear as a base, Bertone’s Marcello Gandini (who had also styled the Miura and Marzal) reskinned the Jaguar in sleek fastback bodywork. Dubbed the ‘Pirana’ when it debuted at the 1967 London Motor Show, the car was an obvious precursor to what was to come with the Espada, even though that wasn’t the objective at the time.

The third phase in the Espada’s development came at the start of 1968 when a prototype was developed in-house at Lamborghini. This was never presented to the public, and it’s probably just as well, as the car was a mish-mash of different styling elements from the Mazal and Pirana. Gandini, meanwhile, was working on a more unified, aesthetically pleasing and practical design. The result was the final production version of the Espada, which made its debut at the 1968 Geneva Motor Show.

Room for Four

The production Espada did away with some of the impracticalities of the showcars, like the Marzal’s gullwing doors, and the cramped space of the Pirana. Externally, the Espada was closer to the Pirana, while the interior was more like the Marzal. On paper, it sounds like a compromise, but it wasn’t - the demands of style and space were wedded together exceptionally well.

Distinctive styling elements included the quad headlights and deep blackout grille. On the bonnet, there were NACA ducts on top that funnelled air to the in-cabin ventilation system, while cut-outs on the sides extracted engine heat.

Despite a wheelbase shorter than a first-generation Mustang and overall length similar to a ‘60s-era Falcon, the Espada looked larger and sleeker than it actually was thanks to the low roof height and expanded width compared to most other cars of the period. The Espada also managed to provide comfortable accommodation for four and provide it in style.

Unlike Lamborghini’s 400 GT 2+2, the Espada was a true four-seater, with abundant room for two passengers in the rear. Bucket seats were used front and back, separated by a deep central tunnel that ran the driveshaft and in-car ventilation system, while also serving to stiffen the semi-monocoque body.

The heavy, impractical gullwing doors of the Marzal were replaced with doors of the conventional type, but a touch from the Marzal that did make its way into the Espada was the glass panel in the tail, added with the goal of improving rear vision.

The blizzard of hexagons that featured on the Marzal were toned down for the production car and appeared mainly on the instrument panel.

Unlike the Marzal showcar that used a rear-mounted six-cylinder engine (essentially a Lamborghini V12 sliced lengthways), the Espada used the 3.9-litre V12 from the Miura (and newly-released Islero), but mounted it at the front. Some minor changes meant outputs of 325hp at 6500rpm in its initial form, with this engine matched to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

Espada suspension was independent all round, again borrowing from the Miura, but with softer springing for a more relaxed ride befitting the car’s GT status. The Miura’s centre-lock wheels were also used, with four-wheel disc brakes standard.

The same basic specification would apply to the Espada across its ten-year lifespan, albeit with some changes and upgrades along the way, leading to Series 1, Series 2 and Series 3 designations to define the differences – or 400 GT, 400 GTE and 400 GTS if you want to get official . Some things were constant, though, like the exterior styling, V12 and a manual transmission. An automatic was offered during Series 3 production, but rarely ordered as the Chrysler Torqueflite unit was never an ideal match for the high-revving V12.

Across those three series and a decade of production, 1,217 Espadas were built, which is a meagre total when seen in isolation, but it was a success in Lamborghini terms and a total that wouldn’t be eclipsed until the 1980s with the Countach.

The Golden One

The car featured is a 1970-model Espada Series 2 that’s currently available through Oldtimer Australia in Queensland.  

Defining Series 2 mechanical updates included an increase in power from 325bhp to 350bhp at 7500rpm (essentially the same engine now as the Miura), slightly firmer suspension and ventilated disc brakes all round with a brake booster upgrade. Aesthetic, comfort and detail changes included a restyled dash and instrument display, a lid for the glovebox and improved rear seat ventilation, while power steering was an option.

Towards the end of Series 2 production, which ran from late 1969 to late 1972, the centre-lock Miura rims were replaced with more conventional five-lug alloys and the rear light units changed.

This car is finished in the same ‘oro metallic’ (metallic gold) as the production Espada that stunned the crowds when it debuted at Geneva in 1968, complemented with a Senape (mustard) interior.

This car is also a rare factory RHD unit, as most Espadas were built LHD and used on the continent.

Sold new in the UK in July, 1970, the car didn’t spend too long in that rust-prone environment, coming to Australia sometime in the mid-1970s.

Since arriving here, it has bounced between New South Wales and Queensland, and been in the hands of multiple owners.

It’s believed the car was resprayed sometime in the 1980s, but a 30-year tenure with one owner saw it used sparingly, suffering the usual issues that come with sitting idle. Before selling the car on, that owner had the engine, gearbox and brakes rebuilt in 2006/2007.

In the hands of its next owner, new fuel lines were fitted and the clutch and brake master cylinders, rear brake booster and starter motor were all overhauled.

More recent work focussed on the suspension, including new bump stops and bushes, reconditioning of the shocks and plating and powder coating the springs.

A full engine service, including hose replacement, gasket replacement, re-tensioning of the cylinder heads and detailing has also been undertaken. New mufflers were fitted and various minor electrical issues and instrument gremlins sorted. The wheels have been repainted and fresh rubber fitted all round.

Finally, the air conditioning has been re-commissioned – an essential for the Australian market!

With less than 650 miles (<1,000km) travelled since the most recent work was completed (odometer at 57,585 miles at time of writing), this Espada is now ready for the next owner to enjoy without having to look down the barrel of major repair bills.

Espada to Enjoy

Few cars from 1970 look as good now as they did when new, but the Espada is one of them. Some may disagree, but in the opinion of this writer, the Espada stands alone as a stunning example of Bertone styling. More importantly, it fulfilled its intended role as a GT and still stands tall today as one of the grandest of grand tourers from the 1960s and ‘70s.

With COVID-19 restrictions easing, there’s no better time to start planning one of those just-because-you-can long drives, and there’s arguably no better car to do it in than this one. Mark from Oldtimer agrees, and having covered a few miles in the car himself, said that were state borders re-opened tomorrow, he’d happily drive it from Brisbane to Sydney, confident it would complete the journey without missing a beat.

Mile after mile in a classic Lamborghini? What better way to come out of COVID lockdown!

FOR SALE

Currently in stock with Oldtimer Australia, this RHD Espada has benefitted from significant refurbishment work in recent years. Most of this has focussed on the running gear, brakes and suspension, so the new owner need spend nothing to get it on the road.

The paint is good and the interior, whilst showing some patina, is original and free of damage.

For interstate buyers, freight is available.

A rare example of a rare car, this Espada has recently been reduced in price to $219,950.

For more details, contact Mark Jansen at Oldtimer Australia on 0417 828 569, or go to: https://www.oldtimeraustralia.com/