VIN: the Heinz Steber Lamborghini Miura P400 S to SV/R Conversion chassis 3781
History of chassis 3781
Chassis 3781 was the car displayed by Lamborghini at the Turin Motor Show in October 1968 to mark the salon debut of the new Miura S. It was the 283rd Miura constructed and one of 338 Miuras ultimately completed to S specification.
Lamborghini built chassis 3781 in Verdi Miura with a Gobi / Beige interior. Having starred at Turin for twelve days, it returned to Sant’Agata and on November 30th 1968 was dispatched to the LamborAuto dealership in Milan.
Over the next five-and-a-half years, the green Miura went through the hands of eight Italian owners and moved all over the country.
In mid 1974, the car was sold to Heinz Steber of Munich.
Steber had seen German Lamborghini distributor Hubert Hahne’s black Miura SV/J (chassis 4860) and wanted something similar for himself.
Soon after taking delivery of 3781, Steber approached Lamborghini to see if they would build a Jota or SV/J-inspired car for him, only to be turned down.
Undeterred, Steber began to acquire many of the parts needed to build his ultimate Miura to include Porsche 917-spec. Girling brakes, adjustable Koni dampers and massive three-piece centre-lock BBS alloy wheels shod with the latest Pirelli P7 tyres. When Steber returned to Sant’Agata armed with car and parts in February 1975, Lamborghini changed their mind.
Over the next eight months, chassis 3781 was transformed into arguably the most extreme Miura road car ever officially built: the SV/R.
Lamborghini installed a dry-sumped 400bhp engine with uprated camshafts, carburettor and exhaust.
The front body section was modified to SV/J trim, but now came with discrete wheelarch flares and a bigger wraparound chin spoiler.
Along the trailing edge of the cockpit was an adjustable roof-mounted spoiler similar to the type used on Walter Wolf’s white Countach LP400 a few months earlier.
The rear fenders were dramatically flared and much of the rear bodywork was left open to maximise cooling. Inside, the cockpit was pared down for weight-saving purposes.
Unfortunately, Heinz Steber was not able to enjoy his red Miura for long. He quickly ran into issues with the German TuV who considered chassis 3781 too radical for the street.
Steber initially used the Miura in Germany on temporary Italian licence plates, but with the expiry date approaching, he sold chassis 3781 to Japanese collector Hiromitsu Ito in 1976.
Ito retained the SV/R, which acquired legendary status in Japan, until late 2015.
In 2018, chassis 3781 underwent a Lamborghini Polo Storico restoration, during which it was fitted with a roll cage and new seats with four-point harnesses.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Lamborghini - https://www.lamborghini.com
