This Lamborghini Espada Rat Rod Is Being Sold for $250,000
This gnarly looking rat rod started life as an innocent Lamborghini Espada CHD Edition, but as you can clearly see from the images on this page, it’s come very far from its humble beginnings.
Built by Danton Art Kustoms in France in 2018, this car is their celebration of fifty years of the Italian coupe since its inception in 1968. It maintains its original body and chassis, although there has obviously been a lot of chopping going on here, and still holds on to the original 3.9-litre V12 from the base car. While it produced 325hp back in the day, with Weber carburettors slapped on, this is producing a bit more, however the figures aren’t known.
These are about the only parts that have stayed stock, however, with the body undergoing some serious modifications to incorporate modern Lamborghini design cues. The intakes on the side for example are from a Lamborghini Reventon, and the custom angular interior made by Danton houses a push-button start from a Huracan.
The satin grey paint is adorned with the Italian stripes, and its red 18 and 19-inch wheels front and back respectively are made up of hexagonal patterns – another modern Lambo design if you’re wondering. They’re wrapped in fat Michelin racing rubber.
But its width really catches the eye over anything else. It sits at a substantial 8.2 feet wide, meaning it certainly isn’t going to drive like the original car, and with the engine set free to the open air and acting as the ultimate show piece, no one is going to miss it. I suppose that’s why this Danton Art Kustoms’ 1968 Espada Rat Rod is being sold for between $200,000 to $250,000 at Mecum’s Kissimmee event.
Here’s what Mecum had to say about it:
HIGHLIGHTS
It’s been said that Ferruccio Lamborghini wanted the Espada built as a sort of Italian answer to the Rolls-Royce Corniche: a proper four-seat coupe with a spacious interior, comfortable seats, ample luggage accommodations, a powerful engine, smooth ride, distinctive styling and high build quality. Of course, Ferruccio also wanted this new, proper coupe to achieve speeds of 150 MPH, but that was just Ferruccio being Ferruccio. Introduced in 1968, the Espada enjoyed a 10-year production run, the final car rolling out of Sant’Agata in 1978 with some 1,200 built. The styling was controversial, a sort of love it-hate it design, something Lamborghini was already familiar with. He said long ago that they were not in the business of building cars for everyone, just a select few. The same can be said for Danton Art Kustoms in France, who reimagined what an Espada could look and act like by working with CHD Editions and Carrosserie Hervé to build an Espada that would be unlike any other Lamborghini ever seen. Built to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Lamborghini Espada in 2018, it is the first ever Fabio Lamborghini-inspired Rat Rod and was custom built using an original Espada body and chassis. Powered by the 3.9L Lamborghini V-12, the body and interior have been extensively modified for a much more rebellious look and flair. Drawings led to digital models of the concept, and the idea was to maintain the original Espada lines but incorporate modern Lamborghini design cues, like the side scoops from the Reventon. Rivets were exposed and support trusses were used as styling elements, a satin gray paint applied to the body. Custom G67 RUMI wheels by Govad Forged Wheels in Toronto, Canada, were shod with modern Michelin tires, giving the car an appearance much more in tune with a Hot Rod rather than a supercar. It measures 8.2-feet wide, potentially lending it a tremendous ride and handling characteristic over the original. The custom seats and interior components were custom fabricated by Danton; even a custom name badge replaces the original with a sticker incorporating a Matador’s sword. This is certainly a one-of-a-kind Espada reworked as mobile art: controversial, much like the original.
