Lamborghinis from the ’70s are the tourettes of exotic cars- twitchy, edgy, and with the constant threat that they will undertake some radical dynamic that will end up with you in a ditch wondering what the hell just happened. On top of that, the Bizzarrini-designed 3,929-cc V12 is one of the most temperamental engines to try and maintain, requiring a phalanx of mechanics to keep the sextet of 40DCOEs all in key. But this one, for sale in Astoria NY, has eliminated that second problem with a heart transplant.

Espadas were Lamborghini’s grand touring 4-seaters, seeing out the sixties, and trying to make sense of the cocaine-infused ’70s. This metallic green example is going for a song- at least the seller is hoping somebody will want it to the tune of $17,500.
Now, Espadas have the dubious honor of being the highest production Lambos of their day, and over a 9-year period, over 1,217 cars were made. This one has a couple of aspects about it that are a bit sketchy. First off is that motor- which looks like it’s out of a C4 Corvette. Now, it takes up about half the space the Lambo twelve did, and it lowers the maintenance costs by three quarters. You could also drop in just about any Chevy small block as the sweat equity for the conversion has already been done. But that means you lose the crazy baritone of the V12 engine, as well as any credibility with other Espada owners. But so what? You’re not interested in impressing those guys, you just want to cruise around in that amazing Gandini-penned flattop body, your own body splayed out almost horizontal to fit under the impossibly low roofline. And that dream is only $17,500 away.

Now, an Espada, with its original motor, is about a $28K car, so you might want to consider the other major issue with this recently dragged into the sunlight machine- and that is is crappy interior. The series 2 Espada had a messy but artistic dash, and the thin seats offered little in the way of support. This car has both of those issues, as well as 30 years worth of unrepaired wear and tear. That’s going to set you back a pretty penny to bring into any kind of condition that is no longer cringe-worthy. And that’s completely discounting everything else that potentially could be wrong with this car.


So there you go- Corvette heart beating in an Armani suit. While $17,500 seems like a scary starting point for an Espada, this is an intriguing car. Anybody want to take him up on the offer?
Thanks to Syrax for the tip!