1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S by Bertone HD

1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S by Bertone Sold for $1,265,000 Including Commission RM Auction, Monterey, CA. 2014 Chassis no. 3982 Engine no. 2898 370 bhp, 3,929 cc DOHC transverse mid-mounted alloy V-12 engine with four Weber 40 IDL-3C carburetors, five-speed manual transaxle, independent front and rear suspension with A-arms, coil springs, tubular shock absorbers, and anti-roll bars, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 98.4 in. A desirable early P400 S in wonderful colors Restored by marque specialists Numerous upgrades for modern driving The Lamborghini Miura, named after Don Eduardo Miura Fernández, the legendary breeder of fierce Spanish fighting bulls, was the very embodiment of the “supercar” moniker. Prior to the arrival of the Miura in 1967, many sports cars certainly offered high levels of performance and handling. The Miura, however, was the first to be built around the criteria that defined our modern concept of the supercar: tremendous speed and jaw-dropping design coupled with technical innovation, resulting in a wallet-wilting price tag to which only the wealthiest could aspire. By 1967, the latest version of the Lamborghini V-12 engine, which by now had been enlarged to four liters, was used for the entirely new and radical Miura. This Miura was first shown to a stunned public in March 1966 at the Geneva Salon, and its sinuous body was penned by Bertone designer Marcello Gandini, who was at the young age of 22 at the time. The Miura development team also included two brilliant engineers who would gain fame in their own rights, Gian Paulo Dallara and Paolo Stanzini. Under the guidance of New Zealander Bob Wallace, the Miura’s chassis was carefully tuned to deliver the handling levels needed to contain and exploit the prodigious amounts of available power. With a double-wishbone suspension at each corner, in the best racing tradition, the Miura’s technical specifications were very advanced for a road going car. The mid-mounted engine was fitted transversely to allow for a more compact overall layout. The Miura’s original design sketches also called for a glass engine cover and a three-seat layout, with the driver in the middle and one passenger on either side. Although this latter feature never made it to the production Miura, it did reemerge on future supercars, most notably on the McLaren F1 of the 1990s. While the glass engine cover was never used, the rear window louvers that did appear on production models were an industry first. As the engine was no longer front-mounted, but rather posteriore, the first generation of Miuras were accordingly named P400. This turned out to be a sensational, trendsetting decision. Almost immediately, the young Lamborghini marque leapfrogged to the head of the class, well ahead of both Ferrari and Maserati, with this innovative mid-engine configuration. The Miura’s technical specifications remain impressive even today, as it has a lightweight frame, fully independent suspension,