We all have our wish lists – written or otherwise – of what we’d most like to receive as gifts this holiday season. World peace and the end of global poverty sound nice and everything, don’t get us wrong, but our aspirations are a bit more realistic. All we want, you see, is a Lamborghini.
Not a new one, mind you. We’re not that unreasonable. We’d settle instead for this used car. It’s a Miura made way back in 1971 – specifically a Super Veloce version, bearing those unmistakable letters: SV.
The Miura, as we all know, was the prototypical supercar in its day – one of the first to employ a mid-engine layout on a road car. Its 4.0-liter V12 was mounted transversely in the wide and low chassis to keep the wheelbase short and the handling nimble.
The original packed 345 horsepower, followed by the S version that increased output by another 20 hp. The SV added more power still, rated at 385 horses – a prodigious amount of power in its day, even if it was barely more than half of what the new Aventador S makes today.
The example you see here was delivered new to the United States in this stunning combination of red and gold, equipped with air conditioning and the highly desirable split-sump lubrication system. It was once owned by the head of Carrozzeria Touring and the Borrani wheel company, and was purchased by its current owner from a private collection in Portugal under the brokerage of legendary Lamborghini expert Gary Bobileff.
45 years since its construction, it remains in flawless condition, and was judged the finest of all the Miuras at the Concorso Italiano in Monterey this year, celebrating the Miura’s 50th anniversary. Now it’s going up for auction next month in Arizona under the auspices of RM Sotheby’s.
Now, would it be too much to ask to see this in the living room this holiday season with a ribbon and a bow tied around it? Yes, yes it would, seeing as how Miuras of this caliber are selling for about $2 million these days. But we can still dream, can’t we?
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