One to Buy: Mad Max'd ex-Rudi Klein 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400
When the Lamborghini Miura debuted in more-or-less production-ready trim at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966, it became the first car conceived for road use with a twelve cylinder mid-mounted engine.
At the time, the only other option for a large displacement mid-engined machine was the Ford GT40 which, by contrast, was an impractical thinly veiled racing car with nothing like the refinement a Miura could offer.
As a consequence of its thoroughbred engineering and exotic appearance which obviously make it a thing of great value, a Lamborghini Miura would be just about the last car you would ever expect to see in a junk yard.
At Rudi Klein’s Porsche Foreign Auto Wrecking in Los Angeles there were three.
Of these, the most extraordinary looking example is chassis 3195, the 52nd Miura built and thus one of the early examples that used a 0.9mm gauge chassis. Configured in Giallo Miura with Bleu Fintapelle upholstery, chassis 3195 was dispatched from the factory on November 3rd 1967 with its destination Roberto Carpanelli’s Lamborghini dealership in Rome.
Not much is known of the car’s subsequent history until May 1979, by which time the Miura was titled to a resident of Baldwin Hills in Los Angeles. Foreign Auto Wrecking purchased the engine-less car in June 1980, where it has resided ever since.
The Rudi Klein Junkyard Collection will be going under the hammer with RM Sotheby’s in Los Angeles on October 26th.
Reprinted below is RM Sotheby’s description:
Estimate: $350,000 - $450,000
Chassis No.: 3195
Documents: US Title
The 53rd Lamborghini Miura constructed
Desirable “thin chassis” example
Originally finished in Giallo Miura over Bleu Fintapelle trim
Sold new in Italy via Carpanelli of Rome
Retained by Rudi Klein since June 1980
The Lamborghini Miura stands as an icon of automotive artistry and engineering. Conceived by a clandestine group of visionary engineers toiling after hours at the firm’s Sant’Agata Bolognese-based factory, the Miura emerged as a revolutionary force in sports car design. Wrapped in coachwork conceived by Marcello Gandini, then a mere 22-year-old prodigy at Carrozzeria Bertone, the Miura’s design was nothing short of spectacular.
Drawing on Lamborghini's penchant for bullfighting themes, the Miura's name pays homage to the legendary Spanish ranch renowned for breeding the fiercest fighting bulls. The car’s doors, sculpted to evoke the image of bullhorns when fully opened, and its sensuous curves, accentuated by headlights reminiscent of feminine eyelashes, create a striking juxtaposition of aggression and elegance. This interplay of raw power and refined beauty bestowed upon the Miura an unparalleled, magnetic presence.
Technologically, the Miura was a marvel of its era, featuring a lightweight aluminum body, four-wheel independent suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes that set new benchmarks in performance and handling.
Its most distinctive innovation, however, was its engine layout. Drawing inspiration from the compact design of the Austin Mini, the Miura utilized a transverse mid-mounted V-12 engine—a bold departure from the traditional front-mounted configurations of the time. This groundbreaking approach enabled a more streamlined and agile chassis. The engine itself, a formidable all-aluminum, quad-cam 3.9-liter V-12 fed by six Weber carburetors, delivered a thrilling 350 horsepower.
In Lamborghini's evolution of its production process, the first 120 or so Miura chassis were constructed from thinner 0.9-millimeter steel, in contrast to the 1-millimeter steel used in later models. These early Miuras, known as “thin chassis” examples, are highly prized for their purity of design and lighter construction.
Presented for sale for the first time in over four decades, chassis 3195 is the 53rd Lamborghini Miura built and a prized "thin chassis" model. Per Lamborghini factory records, chassis 3195 left Sant’Agata Bolognese cloaked in the eye-catching livery of Giallo Miura over Bleu Fintapelle trim.
Destined for sale via Roberto Carpanelli’s Rome distributorship, little is known about 3195’s life following its initial sale.
The car’s history picks up again in May 1979, when it was titled under the care of a gentleman residing in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. By May 1980, chassis 3195 encountered an unspecified issue, rendering it non-operational. It was subsequently acquired by Porsche Foreign Auto Wrecking in June 1980, where it has remained cloistered for the past 44 years.
Awakened from its four-decade slumber, chassis 3195 now offers a rare and exhilarating prospect for the discerning collector. As the car is not accompanied by an engine or gearbox, its next owner will have the opportunity to restore the car to its as-delivered P400 configuration; alternatively, the prospect of fitting a powertrain built to one of the Miura's later, more highly developed specifications is quite tempting.
Along the same lines, a return to its factory-specified Giallo over Bleu would make for a wonderful, Swinging Sixties livery, yet the car’s present condition makes it a virtually blank canvas for any range of spectacular color choices.
While certainly necessitating a courageous collector prepared for a comprehensive restoration, chassis 3195 offers a rare and rewarding opportunity to craft a bespoke thin-chassis Miura, allowing one to tailor it to individual tastes…as if ordering it new in 1967.
