1968 Lamborghini Miura P400
In the supercar market, the Miura is the greatest and most influential model. Many call it the first true supercar. In a sense, this mentality comes from the cars radical specification in relation to common engineering of the time.
Unlike almost anything on the road, the Miura was endowed with a quad-cam V12, that sat transverse and behind the drivers. Immediately, everything from Ferrari to Aston Martin looked outdated by comparison upon release.
In Detail
| submitted by | Richard Owen |
| price $ | $21 000 USD |
| engine | Transverse V12 |
| valvetrain | DOHC |
| displacement | 3929 cc / 239.8 in³ |
| bore | 82.0 mm / 3.23 in |
| stroke | 62.0 mm / 2.44 in |
| compression | 9.5:1 |
| power | 261.0 kw / 350.0 bhp @ 7000 rpm |
| specific output | 89.08 bhp per litre |
| bhp/weight | bhp per tonne |
| torque | 406.7 nm / 300.0 ft lbs @ 5500 rpm |
| redline | 7700 |
| body / frame | Sheet-Steel Frame / Aluminum Panels |
| driven wheels | Mid-Engine / RWD |
| front tires | HS-205-15 |
| rear tires | HS-205-15 |
| front brakes | Girling Discs |
| f brake size | x 305 mm / x 12.0 in |
| rear brakes | Girling Discs |
| r brake size | x 279 mm / x 11.0 in |
| front wheels | F 38.1 x 17.8 cm / 15.0 x 7.0 in |
| rear wheels | R 38.1 x 17.8 cm / 15.0 x 7.0 in |
| steering | Rack & Pinion |
| curb weight | 1180 kg / 2601 lbs |
| wheelbase | 2504 mm / 98.6 in |
| front track | 1412 mm / 55.6 in |
| rear track | 1412 mm / 55.6 in |
| length | 4390 mm / 172.8 in |
| width | 1780 mm / 70.1 in |
| height | 1100 mm / 43.3 in |
| transmission | 5-Speed Manual |
| gear ratios | 2.520:1, 1.735:1, 1.225:1, 1.00:1, 0.815:1, :1 |
| final drive | 4.09:1 |
| top speed | ~262.3 kph / 163.0 mph |
| 0 – 60 mph | ~6.3 seconds |
| 0 – 100 mph | ~14.3 seconds |
| 0 – 1/4 mile | ~14.5 seconds |
Auction Sales History
1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 Coachwork by Bertone Chassis no. 3057 – sold for $1,039,500 Highly-original and preserved example of the iconic Miura. Two-owner car; single owner since 1978. Upgraded to SV dry-sump lubrication system in 1995. Approximately 35,000 miles from new. Only the 37th Miura produced. Auction Source: 2015 Quail Lodge Auction by Bonhams
1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 S 4827 – sold for €1,019,200 One of the final examples of the Miura P400 S produced. The latest evolution of the Miura P400 S; fitted with numerous updates, including desirable ventilated disc brakes and a reinforced chassis. Only 30,000 kilometres from new. Fully matching numbers. Recently refurbished and ready for the road. Auction Source: Villa Erba 2015 by RM Sothebys
1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 3087 – sold for €425,600 Finished in the original Rosso Miura and Senape colour combination. Recently rebuilt engine and transmission. One of only 474 P400s produced. Auction Source: 2013 Villa d’Erba Auction by RM
1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Conversion 3066 – sold for $660,000. Chassis number 3066 is a very special Lamborghini Miura indeed. It was released to the selling dealer on July 19, 1967 and sold to its first owner, thought to be Robert Miles Runyan, a noted California architect. It was delivered in #41 Lime Green with black leather interior, the original factory colors it sports today. The exhaustive, meticulous transformation to SV configuration began with the current owner, believed to be the third owner for this particular car. Auction Source: Monterey 2012 by RM Auctions
1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 Berlinetta 3063 – sold for $216,000. Listings quoted in Joe Sackey’s ‘The Lamborghini Miura Bible’ note that 3063 left the works on July 7th, 1967 and was supplied through Lambocar of Milan – Geroni Gerini’s famed garage, which supplied a good number of the early Miura’s built. It is recorded as having been sold by them to a Mr Ferrari, which given the rivalry between these Italian manufacturers can probably safely be considered not to be Enzo or a family member!
It isn’t recorded as to when the car arrived in America, but the current owners feel that in view of its seemingly low mileage, and general originality, the car must have had an uncomplicated life. By the mid-1990s, the Miura is known to have been with Wally Fisk in North Oaks, MN, it later passed to R. Altieri of Connecticut from who they purchased the car. In recent times the Miura has had an engine tune up, and to date its kilometer reads as just under 38,000. Auction Source: 2010 Greenwich Collectors’ Motorcars and Automobilia Auction by Bonhams
1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 3069 – sold for $374,000. This superb Miura was delivered new to the Zürich-based Lamborghini dealer Foitek in July 1967. It was exported to sunny, dry California in 1969 and remained there until it was sent to Florida in 2005 for a complete nut and bolt rotisserie restoration. The restoration was conducted by the marque experts at Ultimate Motor Works in Orlando, Florida and was just recently completed this February. Known for their award-winning restorations, Ultimate Motor Works has enjoyed class wins at Pebble Beach, Amelia Island and Villa d’Este, as well as many other prestigious concours events throughout the world.
In the process, the car was stripped to bare metal and every part of the car received individual attention from Ultimate’s restoration experts, craftsmen and even Lamborghini’s retired Chief Test Driver and factory historian, Valentino Balboni. Mr. Balboni is well known to Lamborghini enthusiasts, as he served the company for four decades, test driving every model produced and contributing to the development of the company’s supercars. In the community of Lamborghini enthusiasts, he is a revered expert and, in recent years, has traveled the world, making appearances and also serving as a technical advisor to restorers and enthusiasts. He personally inspected this car several times throughout its restoration and, on the first visit, remarked to its owner, “this must be one of the first 20 cars we ever made.” Certain bracing points on the chassis were changed very early in the Miura’s development, which confirmed for him that this was a very early car.
From the paint and body to the interior, suspension, wiring and brakes, nothing was overlooked in this restoration. Although the car had been painted red earlier in its history, it was returned to its factory correct yellow. There was no need to touch the blue interior, because it was in such original and excellent condition. Following completion of the car, Balboni inspected the car once more, confirming that every little detail – down to the hoses and bolts – was factory correct.
The vendor has informed us that the engine was formerly in chassis 4494 and, as such, is in fact a desirable P400S unit – a common upgrade in its day. The “S” variant of the Miura was introduced in 1968 with the “S” representing “spinto,” or “tuned” in English. The upgrade was more than a suffix, however, as this latest variant benefited from additional horsepower and was capable of propelling the car to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds – a remarkable achievement in the late 1960s. Please note this car also comes with a rare and factory correct set of tools.
Anyone who has driven a Miura can attest that, on a quiet, twisty back road, very few cars provide as much driving excitement, thanks to the glorious engine roaring inches behind your head and the race car-like handling. Miuras have began attracting mainstream collectors who increasingly recognize its contributions to sports car history. This superb example is no exception. Perhaps its most fitting description was printed in Road & Track, whose editors described the Miura as “one of those beautiful experiences every enthusiast owes himself.” Auction Source: 2010 RM Automobiles of Amelia Island Auction
1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 3096 – sold for $412,500. The P400 presented here, represents the Miura in its purest initial form as penned by Gandini, a rare early car with wooden steering wheel and gear knob. Production number 51, fitted with engine number 1274, it was signed off on 26 August 1967 and sold new by dealer Mitchell Brittain originally painted verde (green), with black interior.
In contrast to some Miuras which have lived rather too intensely, this example is amongst a handful owned more than three decades by one enthusiast. In fact it was in the stewardship of one owner from 1973 to 2007, a full 34 years, the cherished property of a commercial airline pilot living in Florida. In May of 1994 it was featured on the cover of Road & Track.
In 2005 the Lamborghini underwent a complete restoration by Ultimate Motorworks. This documented $200,000 restoration addressed every element of the car, bumper to bumper, but in a sympathetic manner, preserving as many of the original components as possible. The restoration included changing the exterior color to red and refinishing the interior in light brown. Also, the Miura was fitted with SV upgrades, including the highly desirable split sump option. Following its restoration it was sold in 2007 to a Texan enthusiast and appropriately enough was featured in a cover article in Texas Driver Magazine. Auction Source: 2008 Monterey Preview
