To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Espada and Islero, Lamborghini recently took the two iconic models for a grand tour across central Italy with 20 other classics. The tour, organized by Lamborghini's restoration division Polo Storico, started on September 7 in Perugia and covered nearly 500 miles crossing through Umbria, Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, cruising through picturesque mountain hills and historic town centers.

Of the 20 cars that took part in the tour, a 1973 Espada Series 3 was recognized by Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali for being the car owned the longest by a single owner. It was first purchased as a used car in 1977 by two English owners who used it as a family car and was recently restored and registered for the tour to coincide with the owners' golden wedding anniversary.

A rare Espada Series 2, one of only 12 produced with a VIP fit-out, was also awarded for being driven from farthest away, having travelled for 3728 miles from Oslo. A 1968 Islero S was also recognized as the car that was the most "faithful" to Sant'Agata Bolognese. Owned by an English collector, it is one of few Islero S models equipped with right-hand drive and one of only 70 Islero S models ever produced. A 1976 Espada Series 3 finished in Blu Notte and a 1968 Islero from the Lamborghini Museum also participated in the 500-mile tour.

The Espada was a radical departure for Lamborghini as the first car produced by the Italian automaker to feature four seats and an automatic transmission. Power was provided by a front-mounted, naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V12 with an output ranging from 325 to 350 hp and a top speed of 152 mph.

While 1,226 Espadas rolled off the production line between 1968 and 1978, the Islero is much rarer with a production run of just 225 cars produced between 1968 and 1969. An evolution of the 400GT before it, the Islero packed the same V12 as the Espada also producing 325-350 hp depending on the model. The fastest model, the Islero S, had a higher top speed of 161 mph.