Lamborghini Miura P400, Itália
Fotografia
The mighty Lamborghini
Miura has been beguiling admirers for over 50 years and remains just as
striking today as when it debuted at the 1966 Geneva Salon. In his quest to
compete with Maranello’s road cars, Ferruccio Lamborghini needed a distinctive
design replete with power and beauty. When his team approached him with plans
for a transversely positioned mid-rear engine architecture, he quickly approved
development.
The Miura achieved such breathtaking heights
through the genius of several noted luminary designers and engineers, with
Gianpaolo Dallara’s chassis powered by a V-12 engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini,
and clothed with coachwork penned by the great Marcelo Gandini of Bertone.
Early prototypes were honed through extensive testing by development driver Bob
Wallace, eventually allowing performance to match the car’s aesthetic
brilliance. With such an all-star cast of creators, it’s no wonder the Miura
was a smashing success, as it convincingly challenged Ferrari’s supremacy in
the premium Italian market while forwarding the concept of the mid/rear-engine
production sports car.
Benefitting
from a series of restoration measures over the last 30 years, and retaining its
original factory-equipped matching-numbers V-12 engine, this sensational Miura
is one of the finest P400 examples to be offered in many years. According to
the combined records of factory archives, the Lamborghini Registry, and Joe
Sackey’s Lamborghini
Bible, chassis no. 3171 was fitted with engine no. 1415, becoming
the 80th example completed. As the first 124 examples of the P400 utilized a
thinner-gauge chassis frame than later cars, this early Miura is legitimately
one of the rare lightweight examples that are often preferred by knowledgeable
collectors.
Originally finished in white paint over a
black interior, this Lamborghini was completed in mid-October 1967 and
distributed to Voitures Paris Monceau, a marque concessionaire in France. While
the Miura’s midlife history is currently unknown, the car is believed to have
remained in continental Europe until the 1980s, when it relocated to the United
Kingdom.
By 1989 the Lamborghini was purchased by John
Britton of Birmingham while in a state of mid-restoration, and he spent most of
his ownership sympathetically refurbishing the car. According to his own
written account and a file of invoices, Britton installed a precisely
fabricated bonnet (including work by Land Rover Works), while Alscot Garage
stripped the body and primed the exterior for a deep coat of paint in
Lamborghini orange applied by RS Panels. The interior was also reupholstered in
French Blue leather by the respected Suffolk and Turley, making for a
distinctive color combination straight out of the Swinging Sixties. The brash
appearance was completed with gold sills and gold-finished Campagnolo alloy
wheels.
Nicol Transmissions rebuilt the engine and
gearbox, including new valves, forged pistons, and Lamborghini liners. The
heads were machined, and the crankshaft was crack tested. The Weber
carburetors, brakes, and clutch were rebuilt, while a correct ANSA exhaust
system was fitted. Miura specialist Colin Clarke was ultimately commissioned to
dial in the engine using original Lamborghini diagnostic equipment. Mr. Britton
then transferred the registration of his Ferrari 400 to the Miura, which
continues to wear the serendipitous “400 NO” British tags to this day.
After enjoying 15 years of preservative care,
the Miura was sold by Mr. Britton in 2004 to fellow countryman Mark Baxtrem of
Cleveland. As confirmed by numerous invoices on file, Mr. Baxtrem continued to
invest in the Lamborghini’s restoration, retaining Mr. Clarke to conduct a
four-year refurbishment that was completed in September 2008. During this
complete mechanical freshening, the opportunity was taken to tastefully upgrade
the Miura to some of the specifications of the more highly developed P400S
model, including a split sump for superior engine preservation and ventilated
disc brakes for improved stopping power.
Mr. Baxtrem retained possession through at
least late 2009 before selling the Miura to a Spanish collector, and in 2012
the Lamborghini was presented at the Auto Barcelona concours d’elegance, where
Lili Bertone (Nuccio Bertone’s widow) was in attendance and was photographed
with the car.
In 2017, the exquisite Miura was sold to the
current owner, a respected collector based in France, and he quickly submitted
the car to Auto Storica in Barcelona for attention to a few minor issues and a
concours-level detailing. He has continued the Lamborghini’s fine record of care,
conducting a series of appraisals in 2017 and in turn addressing any noted
items or perceived deficiencies in presentation. On the back of these efforts,
the Miura was again presented at Auto Barcelona in 2017.
Still scintillating in its bright orange finish
and complementary French Blue interior, this early Miura is ideal for further
display at finer concours d’elegance, marque celebrations, and Italian car
shows. Or the fantastic Lamborghini may be enjoyed on the open road, where the
finely tuned V-12 will surely intoxicate the driver with its ferocious
performance and distinctive exhaust note.
Fonte: https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/PS00/Private-Sales/lots/r0041-1967-Lamborghini-Miura-P400-by-Bertone/807349?_cldee=am9hb2FsYmVydG9mZXJuYW5kZXNAdW9sLmNvbS5icg%3d%3d&recipientid=contact-7c728a50ab8fe9118229000c2971a03a-15dc3538503f4283b776729a9126dec5&esid=b5eb751a-e4bd-e911-822e-000c2971a03a
