Many of us recognize this unique shape instantly, however few will ever have a chance to own one…since there were only a few hundred ever made…but we can still look and appreciate it, right? We wouldn’t normally mention a car like this but it was too nice and too much an important piece of automotive history to pass up. This one is coming up for bids here at Amelia Island through Gooding-Christie’s this year and, while none of us at BarnFinds can afford it, we certainly do appreciate it! Let’s look closer, shall we? Big thanks to reader Araknid78 for the tip!
In the early 1960s, Ferruccio Lamborghini was already an established name in farm equipment in Italy, having started soon after the war and helped rebuild Italian industry in the process. The story goes that he owned a few Ferrari but was disappointed with the clutches and allegedly exchanged strong words about it with Enzo himself, prompting Ferruccio to start his own car company. Automobili Lamborghini opened its doors in 1963 and so began the Lamborghini road cars, starting with the 1964 350 GT.
A few short years later, Lamborghini’s revolutionary transverse-mid-engine chassis design debuted at the Turin show and caught the eye of coachbuilder Nuccio Bertone, who promised to create “…the perfect shoe for this wonderful foot.” By 1966, the first Miura (a breed of Spanish fighting bull) left the factory and revolutionized what a sports car could be.
Powered by a 3.9 liter (239 cubic inches) displacement, quad-carbureted V-12, the early P400 cars put down 350 horsepower through a 5-speed gearbox, the case and block being cast together as one piece.
Ventilated disc brakes at all four corners helped slow the speeding bull and it rode on fully independent suspension with coils and shocks.
We’re told that the absolutely pristine, stunning unit we see is a 1969 P400S, which means it is the second generation, which then means that it has some serious upgrades to correct and improve upon the P400.
We are told that its early life is a mystery but it made its way to Japan and was up for sale there in 1973. It came to the United States in the early 1980s, landing in California and then relocating to Ohio in 2002. Over the course of 3 years, it was completely nut-and-bolt concours restored, including the correct Arancio Miura paint color and by 2006 it was already winning more awards than some Hollywood actors ever do!
We can’t show you all of the detailed pictures here, but every one we’ve seen is impressive. They went so far as to put the stickers on the wheels!
We’re also told that this machine puts out 370 horsepower and only weighs 2800 pounds. According to the listing, all of the body and running gear are correct and numbers-matching, which is a huge plus on top of an already amazing car!
All in all, it’s an absolutely gorgeous piece of machinery. Many automotive historians and journalists consider the Miura to be the first-ever Supercar.
Personally, if I won the lottery, a car like this would be on my purchase list. I don’t know whether it would be kept safe in a museum or driven as-intended, but it would be loved and appreciated. How about you? Let me know in the comments!
What’s not to love,Italian engineering at its best. The almost perfect auto
My favorite car of all – just don’t have the funds to afford it …
2800 LBS with 370 HP shouls runs 12’s in Quartermile, top end depends on rear gears…..great ride
These are strictly billionaire’s toys nowadays. Owning one is your calling card into the Amelia and Pebble Beach vapor.
It used to be that only crazy gearheads owned these because they were such outrageous objects. They’ve all sold out to the guys who will never touch it with a wrench, but were told to buy one because they only go up.
I am a fan, but it is interesting that Lamborghini has never won a race that mattered, but these things get priced as if they did. It’s how the BS works at the top end.
As one rather famous man once said “they make good tractors!”.
These have always been expensive and awesome so I highly doubt that just crazy gearheads were the only people who used to own them.
Jesse, yeah, I should have said crazy gearheads with a lot of cash. They were never cheap, but they were not anywhere close to $2 million bucks, either.
But they were a different breed than the buyers of these today. They were buying worn out, clapped out, run-hard examples, and they tried to keep them on the road just for the thrill of it.
It was probably a sport among rich SCCA guys to see if you could keep it running.
And Jay Leno has TWO! An orange 1967 P400 and a yellow 1969 S model that was once owned by Dean Martin.
Maybe the best looking car, ever. However, the E-type is a tough argument.