1968 | Lamborghini Miura P 400

• One of only a few original right-hand drive factory examples
• One of the few Miura’s used in motor racing
• Sporty colour scheme in yellow with dark blue leather interior
• Engine and gearbox „matching numbers“
• History fully known with only five owners, recently part of a collection for 30 years
• Older restoration as well as conversion to SV specification
• An interesting Miura at an attractive price !

This Lamborghini Miura P400 was delivered to its first owner, Sir Malcolm Guthrie in the United Kingdom on 29 July 1968 via the London Lamborghini Concessionaire in Alie Street. The owner came from a banking family and had started racing in 1968 at the age of just 26 in Formula 3 on a Brabham owned by Frank Williams. Shortly after buying the Miura, Guthrie acquired a Ford GT40, which he also used as a racing car. The Miura has a rare factory right-hand drive (RHD), which was only produced in small numbers. Both the original delivery invoice from the Lamborghini factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese to the dealer in London and the delivery invoice from Lamborghini London to the first owner are available. According to the Lamborghini factory delivery documents, the original colour scheme was white with red leather interior. Based on the Lamborghini London dealer's delivery invoice, this Miura P400 had a "Special Engine", presumably with a power upgrade. In addition, wider wheels were fitted. An article about the first owner, Sir Malcolm Guthrie, and his Miura appeared in the British newspaper Motoring News on 18 September 1969. The second owner to take over the Miura was the British amateur racing driver Marc Rigg. He raced the car in various club events in the 1970s. The exterior paintwork was now black. In addition, some modifications were made to improve performance. These included lightweight fairings, a competition-grade clutch, ventilated disc brakes with larger calipers, an oil cooler, open carburettors and a straight-through exhaust. These motorsport activities did not leave no trace on the vehicle, which suffered accident damages and fire damage during the period. In the mid-1980s, the Miura was sold to the third owner, Martin Cliffe. He is the founder and owner of Omicron Enineering Ltd, a classic car restoration company in the UK. Under his direction, an extensive restoration and conversion of the car to Miura SV specifications took place between 1986 and 1988 – with the involvement and assistance of the Lamborghini concessionaire in London. In the course of this, the Miura was given a light green paintwork with a dark blue interior. In this form, the Miura was presented in 1988 in the British magazine "Supercar Classics" in a comparison test with a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona. In October 1989, the Miura changed hands in an auction at the London Motor Show to its fourth owner, David R. Holland, also in the United Kingdom. Receipts of the purchase and later sale are available. The fifth and last owner, a private museum in Switzerland, then acquired the Miura in the summer of 1993. The founder of the museum collection had himself been active in motor sport in the 1950s. He had the Miura partially restored again in the 1990s, during which the car was given its current yellow paintwork. This Miura P400 has a fully known and eventful history with only five owners, "matching numbers" for engine and gearbox and the very rare right-hand drive from the factory. Unlike most Miura's, this example has a rare racing history. The later conversion to SV specifications is another special feature of this car. Due to its inclusion in the museum collection, the car has only been driven occasionally in the last 30 years. Therefore, more extensive service work is probably required. This circumstance makes it possible to acquire the car at an attractive price. This in turn leaves room for further investment and optimisation entirely according to individual needs and personal taste.

The Lamborghini Miura was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966. It was an immediate sensation, particularly due to its design and drive concept developed from the still young automobile manufacturer (Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.), which had only been founded in 1963 by the tractor manufacturer Ferrucio Lamboghini. The Miura's drive concept was considered a real revolution: it was the first series production sports car with a rear-mid engine. A principle that until then had only been used by race cars. The rear mid-engine concept was subsequently adopted in many high-performance sports cars, e.g. Ferrari 365 GTB/4 (512 BBi) and Dino 246 GT, BMW M1 and many more. Gianpaolo Dallara (Lamborghini's chief engineer) and Paolo Stanzani, along with test driver Bob Wallace, were responsible for the car's engineering. The spectacular styling came from Bertone designer Marcello Gandini, who was just 27 years old in 1965. Such a flat silhouette (only 105 cm high) had never been seen before. An engine cover made of black louvers and the folding headlights set in black "ribs" are further striking details. The Miura is particularly impressive with the front and engine hoods flipped open, each encompassing the entire front and rear sections of the body, including the fenders. The power plant was a 4 litre V12 mid-engine with a 60-degree cylinder angle and double overhead camshaft that produced about 350 hp in the first P400 model. The mid-engine is installed transversely to the direction of driving for space reasons and better weight distribution, and fits directly behind the passenger cabin. Drive power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a fully synchronized five-speed transmission located directly on the engine. All wheels are individually suspended on double triangular control arms and have stabilizers on both axles. Disc brakes are fitted all around, which are hydraulically actuated but have no power assistance. Already in 1968 the Miura was further developed and was now called P400 S. From then on, the engine produced 370 hp. Technical improvements were internally ventilated brake discs and a revised rear axle. In 1971 there was a further modification to the P400 SV, whose engine now had 385 hp. There were also separate lubrication systems for the engine and transmission, and visually a slightly wider body in the rear with wider wheels. Today, people often talk about so-called "supercars" – in retrospect, the Miura was the first automobile in this category. As a superlative at the time, it offered enormous power, a new drive concept and a progressive design. Moreover, it was the fastest production sports car in the world on its debut. This is way more significant because the Lamborghini brand had been founded only a few years earlier and, until the Miura's premiere, had only one production model on the market, the Lamborghini 350/400 GT.