VIN: The Italian Job / Norberto Ferretti Lamborghini Miura P400 chassis 3586

Nov 2

Nov 2 VIN: The Italian Job / Norberto Ferretti Lamborghini Miura P400 chassis 3586

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History of chassis 3586

Chassis 3586 was dispatched from the factory on 2nd July 1968. Painted Arancio Miura with a Nero interior and Bianco leather seats, its destination was Zani Marini, the Lamborghini distributor for Rome.

Marini sold 3586 to his boss, Norberto Ferretti, who owned the dealership.

In 1968, Norberto Ferretti and his brother, Alessandro, established Ferretti Nautica as Italian agents for Chris Craft. In 1971, the company built its first motor sailer (a ten metre wooden boat with sail and engine). 1982 saw Ferretti Nautica launch its first motor yacht.

Today the Ferretti Group owns a portfolio of prestigious brands to include Riva in addition to six separate ship yards.

Precisely how long Norberto Ferretti kept the Miura is unclear. However, in 2005 he repurchased the still very low mileage car and retained it until 2013.

In 2014, chassis 3586 was sold to British Lamborghini specialist, Iain Tyrrell, at which point the odometer showed 19,000km.

Painstaking research by Tyrrell and a number of Lamborghini experts led to a bold announcement: chassis 3586 was thought to be the long lost Miura driven in the opening scenes of The Italian Job.

In June 1968, Paramount Pictures had approached Lamborghini for two Miuras, one to serve as a wreck for an accident scene and the other to perform driving duties.

Fortuitously, Lamborghini were in possession of an Arancio example that had been crashed and returned to the factory. The presence of an already heavily damaged Miura meant a new bodyshell would not need to be sacrificed.

A matching Arancio example was then selected from the production line: 3586.

Following completion, chassis 3586 was road-tested on 18th June 1968.

Filming for the opening scenes of The Italian Job took place in the Gran San Bernardo pass in late June.

The Miura used for filming had its odometer disconnected and was delivered to the set by Lamborghini employee, Enzo Moruzzi, who worked in the sales department. As the car needed to be returned in as-new condition, Moruzzi recalled that the white seats were exchanged for a set of black seats used for testing. Because of the tight time frame, the car’s white headrests and matching bulkhead trim panel were retained.

Moruzzi drove the Miura as a stunt double for Italian actor, Rossano Brazzi, who played Roger Beckerman in the movie. Brazzi drove only for the scenes where his face was seen.

Afterwards, the Miura was returned to the factory and prepared for delivery.

So why might chassis 3586 be The Italian Job Miura?

Firstly, it was the only Miura produced in the correct timeframe with white seats and head rests.

Secondly, all the interior perforations and imperfections visible on the movie car match those of chassis 3586, which has upholstery that remains in an original and unrestored state.

Question marks about the current colour have been raised, but Lamborghini’s Arancio Miura and Rosso Miura shades are known to have appeared red in certain lights and orange in others. For evidence, look at the August 1967 edition of Car and Driver magazine where chassis 0979 looks red on the front cover and orange in other shots. The same can be said of footage and stills from both Miuras used in The Italian Job.

It seems unlikely that more definitive proof will never be discovered. However, the evidence seems to suggest that chassis 3586 is the long lost Miura from The Italian Job.