The Lamborghini Espada. An iconic four-seat grand tourer built between 1968 and 1978 designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone. It's pure bread Italian pedigree. During its lifetime the Espada underwent some styling changes inside and out but nothing too drastic. A total of 1,217 were built and all remain highly sought after collectibles today. So why on earth would someone do this horrific hood job to one of them? Well, it matters what's under the hood.

Up for sale on eBay for $49,500 is this 1970 Espada that, unfortunately, has clearly been cosmetically altered. Just look at that hood. Now look away. It's that bad. Why was this done?

We did a bit of digging and, according to the duPont Registry, its original 3.9-liter V12 was swapped out in favor of a Chevy V8 as well as a B&M shifter. Think of it as a hot-rod Lamborghini. So the mystery of that massive hood bulge has been answered.

Our remaining and main question now is this: why ditch the original V12 in the first place? Was the Espada involved in an accident and the engine was seriously damaged? Did the engine simply stop working as it should? Did a previous owner have a serious grudge against Italy? Look, anything is possible. But let us also be clear that there's absolutely nothing wrong with a Chevy V8, which in this case appears to be a big block. It's just that it really doesn't belong in a Lamborghini.

This particular Espada is VIN # 21880 and is likely a Series II model. Aside from the hood and the huge 'Lamborghini' name stamped above the taillights, it looks to be in fairly decent condition. Not having that Lamborghini V12 will be a deal breaker for some, but for anyone seriously interested in owning an Espada, well, this is a fairly inexpensive way to do just that. After all, an original Espada can run into the six figures.