One to Buy: 49,000km 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV
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Having been the first manufacturer to shoehorn a V12 motor into a mid-engined production car (the Miura), it was inevitable that Lamborghini would need to refine their pioneering machine as time went by.
The initial update arrived nine months after production began in January 1968 when Lamborghini switched from a 0.9mm guage to a thicker 1mm gauge chassis. A more powerful Miura S then followed in December 1968 when improvements to the suspension, tyres and cockpit were made. Vented disc brakes arrived during April 1970.
Lamborghini saved some of its most significant updates for the Miura SV unveiled during March 1971. In addition to an even more powerful engine (now with 385bhp, up from 370bhp on the S and 350bhp on the original Miura), the SV featured a further stiffened chassis, uprated rear suspension, wider rear wheels, the latest Pirelli tyres and some distinctive cosmetic tweaks.
Unfortunately, at the same time as Lamborghini unveiled the Miura SV (Geneva in March ‘71), Bertone presented what would become Lamborghini’s successor: the dramatic wedge profile Countach. It meant, combined with poor trading conditions, demand for the SV was subdued.
In total, just 147 cars were built to SV specification (plus a further three to SV/J trim), a superb example of which is currently on offer at the Schaltkulisse showroom in Munich.
Configured in its original colour scheme of Rosso Corsa with Bleu upholstery, chassis 4840 was delivered on June 26th 1971 to the Righetti dealership in Vicenza. It departed for Germany a year later and more recently has been restored back to standard trim in Italy having been modified to incorporate several SV/J-style features during the 1970s.
Today, this outstanding Miura, which has covered a little under 50,000km, is being offered with an enormous history file to include Lamborghini Polo Storico certification which confirms its matching numbers status.
