Here's a secret that may shock many car nuts: Barn finds are getting more common. Sure, the days where old ladies would sell their Hemi Cudas for whatever you had in your pocket are likely over (or never existed), but finding rare gems like this 1973 Lamborghini Espada are happening with increasing frequency.
This 1973 Lamborghini Espada is a polarizing car. Its enormous, rakish rear and long, Lagonda-like front end is reminiscent more of a limousine than a sports car, but underneath the long front hood lay the V12 engine from a Miura, with a side carburetor setup. The engine in this car is the same basic design that Lamborghini used in one iteration or another, all the way until the Murcielago LP-670 SV, so in essence, owning this car would be a step into the very genesis of the manufacturer's history with the supercar.
As this car is a barn find and has been in storage for quite a few years, it would obviously need an overhaul before attempting to start, but with a rust-free example like this car, I can't imagine that much more work would need to be done. By the seller's account, it's an engine-and-transmission numbers matching car, which could very well become a high-dollar collectible in a few short years time. With 71,000 miles on the odometer, it has also been driven much more than a "normal" Lamborghini, which, to me, is a good thing, because that means the major maintenance would have been taken care of on time.
At the time of writing, the bidding is around $40,000. For a rust-free vintage V12 Lamborghini, this is theft. If I had the space for it, I'd take it apart, rebuild it, and then have people ask me what kind of Fiero I built this obvious kit car on. It's a car that begs to be in anyone's collection, and since it's a 2+2, it will baby, with a few grand in overnight parts from Italia.
Tavarish is the founder of APiDA Online and writes about buying and selling cool cars on the internet. He owns the world's cheapest Mercedes S-Class, a graffiti-bombed Lexus, and he's the only Jalopnik author that has never driven a Miata. He also has a real name that he didn't feel was journalist-y enough so he used a pen name and this was the best he could do.
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