The name of the car refers back to the sword (Espada means sword in Spanish) which is used through the toreador to get rid of the bull. The car was manufactured in three series during its ten years of production. The series were called S1 (1968-1970), S2 (1970-1972) and S3 (1972-1978) plus they had improvements concerning the engine power and also the interior and exterior design. For instance, the S2 series had a new dashboard, a new steering wheel, vented brakes and a plus of 25 horsepower.
At the start the Espada was equipped with a 4.0 liter V12 engine, had an independent suspension and four wheel disc brakes. This car was "the fastest four seats car on the planet" that could range from zero to 60 mph in just 6.5 seconds. At that time cars had manual transmission, but Lamborghini Espada introduced the very first time the automatic transmission. This new transmission had the capacity to absorb the torque of the V12 engine. Moreover, this car had a cheaper chassis, but a significantly stronger platform made of pressed-steel that was given by Marchesi of Modena.
