In keeping with Lamborghini’s long tradition for its car model names themed around the fighting bull that so proudly adorns the marque’s famous badge, the Espada is a nod towards the sword—or espada in Spanish—used by the bullfighter. The four-seat grand touring coupé was launched under the watchful eye of Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1968; the Espada was sold alongside the Islero as a replacement for the 400 GT 2+2. The production of both cars in Sant'Agata Bolognese overlapped with that of Lamborghini’s iconic Miura.

The Espada Series III was launched in 1972, with each revision of the model signifying interior redesigns and slight mechanical improvements. The third and final iteration of the Espada featured an aluminium-trimmed instrument panel, which itself was lightly revised. The front grille now comprised a square mesh design, rather than hexagonal, and revised taillights were sourced from Alfa Romeo. The Series III deployed the same V-12 engine as the Espada Series II, rated by the Lamborghini factory for 345 horsepower, while power steering and air conditioning were standard features by this point.

The example offered here is noted to have been delivered new to Hollebecq, Belgium on 21 October 1976, where it wore the Belgian registration “BNT810”. The Espada was built with Luci del Bosco (roughly translated as “light of the woods”) paint over a Senape leather interior. In period, the Lamborghini featured in the Belgian magazine Calandres, then in the ownership of editor Patrice de Bruyn, and by this time refinished in silver.

The Lamborghini is believed to have been taken to Switzerland when it was sold at auction in 2009, at which point it was noted to still be finished in silver while being the subject of restoration work in the previous year. In Swiss ownership, the car is said to have been maintained by the same workshop, who duly began to restore the car again. The Espada’s owner passed away during the restoration process, however, and so its most recent keeper completed some mechanical work with attention paid to the engine and gearbox, further to general interior finishing.

This iconic four-seat grand tourer now awaits a new owner for its next chapter.