The Lamborghini Espada, built for exactly ten years, starting in 1968, was never intended to be a sharp-driving supercar, being more suited to carrying people and some of their bags in comfort and at great speed, if necessary.
For me that had something to do with the way it looked, and in particular the design of the rear, which appeared to have been enlarged for extra boot capacity – it is a more practical sports car, then.
It doesn’t really get that much attention, as a model, though, so we’re thankful that EVO’s Harry Metcalfe has taken his very own Espada through France (and the famous Route Napoléon) back into the UK, thus concluding “the final leg of his Italian Lamborghini adventure.”
The front-mounted V12, which is the same four-liter unit found in the Miura, but fitted with smaller carburetors, and making 350hp seems lazy to rev at low rpms, peaking over 7,000rpm – this is due to a slight lack of torque Metcalfe mentions at one point.
Still, as always, it’s the noise it makes that transforms the experience of driving a very wide and very low car with no power steering, tall tires and no modern upgrades whatsoever on a twisty section French mountain road into a thoroughly enjoyable (and quite challenging) experience.
By Andrei Nedelea
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