1967 Lamborghini Miura – Classified of the Week

It may surprise you to know that we’ve never actually featured the Lamborghini Miura in these hallowed pages before. Diablo? Yes. Countach? Absolutely. We’ve even talked about the lesser known Jarama, but never the Miura. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that all changes today with this stunning 1967 model available via our classifieds, and seeing as Christmas is a prime excuse for a little frivolity then perhaps now is the time to scratch that particular itch. If you have the means of course. These are seven figure cars nowadays.

An extra pair of socks for the old man, perhaps the posher perfume for the missus instead of the usual eau de toilette – the festive period sees a lot of us throw caution to the wind and flash the cash, so to speak. And yes, this particular delightful dalliance may be at the sharper end of most people’s budgets but boy is it justified.

The Lamborghini Miura is dream garage material for most discerning petrolheads. Yes, it may try to kill you by taking off whenever you dare to push above 120mph and it has an inclination to catch fire if you so much as look at it funny but by God is it pretty. Arguably one of the best looking cars ever built the Miura is widely regarded as the first supercar and has gone on to define a genre.

It has its foibles but then don’t we all? You have to remember that this car debuted back in 1966 when car designers still had a whole lot of carte blanche when it came to penning sports cars. In an age before safety legislation and pesky marketing focus groups individual design was still gloriously celebrated and that was exactly the case with the team of young car designers at the helm of Lamborghini’s second ever car.

Following on from the 350 GT (the 400GT was essentially the same car, just with a bigger engine) the Miura was spearheaded by a bunch of engineers in their 20s and 30s who, against the wishes of Ferrucio Lamborghini himself, decided to create a racing car for the street. It’s a wonderful example of what can be achieved without any hard and fast rules in place and the fact that the car is as revered as it is today, almost 60 years later, speaks volumes as to that ethos.

Working out of hours, the team, which included Gian Paolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani, and Bob Wallace, figured out that the best way to shoehorn Lambo’s legendary 3.9-litre V12 into Marcello Gandini’s now iconic body (and no doubt taking inspiration from Sir Alec Issigonis’ Mini) was to go transverse and mid-mounted, inadvertently setting the trend for future super cars.

Now if that hasn’t whetted your whistle for a Miura then just take a look at the photos from the ad and we’re sure you won’t need any more convincing. This particular magazine-featured 1967 Lamborghini Miura is chassis number 3009 and was an early production model – number 23 to be precise. Resplendent in Rosso Miura over Nero Fintapelle the car presents beautifully.

Its stunning condition is due, in part, to a comprehensive restoration that was carried out by GTO and Carrosserie Le Coq in Paris, including reinforcement of the chassis. As part of the process the car also received some welcome upgrades, including better Miura S brakes, wider SV rear wheels and tyres, SV suspension and more modern electrics. On top of these improvements a factory replacement engine was installed, complete with split sump, although the original block remains with the car. The car has been annually serviced since its arrival in the UK in 2013 by super car specialists, Barkaways.

Make no mistake, this Lamborghini Miura is an exceptional car, not just because it’s a Lamborghini Miura but because of its cherished existence. If we had a spare one-and-a-quarter million then this would certainly be in our collection. Flawed? Perhaps. Groundbreaking and achingly beautiful? Abso-bloody-lutely!