It is always a shame when a classic high performance super car meets an unfortunate end; like the Bugatti EB110 that died in a Russian street race. Well today we have some more sad news for exclusive exotic super car enthusiasts, this time it was a Lamborghini Miura that went out in a blaze of glory.
According to the 47 year old German owner, he was driving home when he began to hear a cacophony of strange noises coming from the transversely mounted V12 behind his head. The car then caught on fire and even the help of benevolent motorists couldn’t put out the conflagration coming from underneath the Lamborghini’s engine cover.
The big question that remains is: is it possible to spare the sacrilege and repair this rare piece of Italian automobilia that was a slap in the face to Enzo Ferrari directly from Ferruccio himself?
This may be an opportunity to own one the most exclusive Lamborghini Miura’s ever made. The only roadster built with a true factory connection is up for sale, again.
This car has a bit of interesting history. It was not actually commissioned or built by Lamborghini, but instead by the Miura’s design house Bertone. Small details from the regular Miura were changed including the roof-mounted switch were relocated, the rear engine cover was removed, and a new slope for the windshield. There was never a roof built for the car nor were windows ever installed.
Officially called Lamborghini Bertone Miura Roadster, it was first presented at the 1968 Brussels Motor Show to keep interest going in the Miura. It was a great success to the point at which there was real interest for production, but it’s rumored that Bertone told Lamborghini that the structural rigidity was too compromised without the roof for any real production possibilities.
In 1969, the concept roadster eventually wound up in the hands of International Lead Zinc Research Organization (ILZRO) of New York. The car was repainted and rebuilt using as many zinc based parts as possible. This was mostly used in engine parts and minor trim bits. One of the more peculiar rumors was that lead was used to insulate the floor and doors.
The car then spent about another ten years on the show circuit before bouncing abound through various museums and private collectors. Adam Gordon, a New York property developer, is the current owner and has returned the car to its original Brussels Motor Show condition, including blue and white paint scheme. It was shown at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where it took second place in its class.
No word yet on the car’s current price, but it is rumored that the restoration cost $330,000 alone.
With all the events taking place in Monterey, California every August, the Russo and Steele event is a must go. It is much smaller than the Scottsdale auction but it is certaintly Monterey styled for the VIPs. Nonetheless, there were over 150 cars running over the auction block for a combined total of over $10 million in sales.
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Lamborghini’s Miura is considered the most beautiful and arguably most desirable post-war sports car built for the road. A mere 762 Miura’s were produced between 1967 and 1973.
The ultimate specification P400SV now commands prices of up to $800,000. In 1968 Lamborghini’s factory produced a single Miura Roadster, designed by
Bertone for the 1968 Brussels car show. The prototype car was later exhibited at car shows throughout the world, before being sold to the Boston Museum of (...
> More Inspired by the Ford GT40, the Miura astonished showgoers at the 1965 Turin Motor Show where only the chassis was shown, with multiple orders being placed despite the lack of an actual body. Later, Marcello Gandini from
Bertone, who would later go on to design almost all of
Lamborghini’s cars, was chosen to design the body. Both body and chassis were launched five months later at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show. It was a sensation, with its flamboyant bodywork and unusual engine and clam-shell (..
> More It seems like Frank Sinatra had a very good taste in everything: music, film, cars... wise man... He had a Miura... Frank Sinatra Biography
Sinatra is an American icon. His official career was singing: he began as a rail-thin crooner during World War II, and matured into the most respected pop singer of his generation. He also took up acting, winning an Academy Award for his performance in From Here To Eternity (1953, with Burt Lancaster). Along the way Sinatra developed a reputation as a (...)
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The final evolution of the Miura was presented in 1971 as the SV, with the ’V’ for veloce. The ventilated discs that appeared on the later S-models were again standard, and the chassis was further improved.
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