1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 Coupe

The world was introduced to the Lamborghini Miura chassis at the 1965 Turin Motor Show. Requests to provide a body the car came from many Italian coachbuilders, but Lamborghini chose Bertone. The prototype P400 Miura appeared less than a year later at the 1966 Geneva show. It is painted in an orange-red color with a black interior. The rear window was made of Plexiglas and was void of the louvers found on the production cars.

Unconventionally, the engine was placed behind the cockpit and on-top of the gearbox, and shared the same oil sump. The front and rear sections of the car wear constructed from aluminum while the mid-section was sheet metal.

Three more prototypes soon followed and by 1967 the Miura was ready for retail sale. They carried a relatively high price tag at $20,000. Still, 745 examples were ordered. In 1968, Lamborghini introduced the P400S Miura. The 'S' model brought cosmetic improvements to both the interior and exterior. The engine was tuned by reshaping the combustion chambers, fitting four Weber 40IDL-3L carburetors and higher lift cams, resulting in an increase in horsepower. Power rose from 350 to 370. Between 1968 and 1971, a total of 140 examples of the P400S Miura models were produced.

The final version of the Miura was the SV. Additional exterior modifications were made, such as slightly flared rear bodywork to house the wider Pirelli Cinturato tires. Different camshaft timing, bigger valves and a reworked carburetor resulted in an additional 15 horsepower. The interior was much improved, with leather and grab handles.

This 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV is chassis number 4882. It was completed on November 29th of 1971 and was production number 627. When it left the factory it had been painted Fly Yellow with a black leather interior. It was delivered to Carpinelli in Rome who sold it to a gentleman in Switzerland.

The second owner, a California based individual, took possession of the car in 1978. Ownership later changed to Miles Espensen. While in Espensen's care, the car was stripped to bare metal and painted in black. Shortly after the re-painting, it was sold to Paul Forbes. Forbes had the silver wheels and black rocker panels finished with the correct Miura SV gold accent color.

A Japan-based collector purchased the car in 1992. By this point in history, the car had traveled a mere 36,000 kilometers. The car remained in Japan until 2007 when it was purchased by its current owner. It currently has 38,533 km on its odometer.

In 2007 it was brought to the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, CA where it was estimated to sell for $690,000 - $825,000. Bidding went slightly higher than the estimates, settling at $869,000 including buyer's premium. The lot was sold.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2010