Each time a Lamborghini Miura comes up for sale, serious collectors take note. Only 764 of these landmark supercars were ever made and they are highly prized. This particular Miura for sale is a California car for sale in Maine and is an S model, which had engine enhancements good for another 20 horsepower, bringing the total output to 370 horsepower. A few luxuries were added such as power windows, a bit of chrome trim and increased luggage space. In Fly yellow, this bull is certainly arresting.
1969 Lamborghini Miura S (#3874). Meticulously restored to exacting standards. Upgraded to SV specification, with numerous Bob Wallace upgrades.
Built as Production Order number 304, this early P400S was built on January 22, 1969 and delivered new in Europe. Its known ownership dates to the 1974-1975 period when it was bought by George Cocalas in Long Beach, California afterwhich it was acquired by Joseph Koenig (also of Long Beach) in 1978. Owned by the reknowned exotic car collector and enthusiast Oliver Kuttner of Charlottesville, NC starting in 1979, it was subsequently acquired by film producer/collector Randy Simon in 1988. Shown at the New York Auto Show in 1991 it was later sold by Symbolic Motors of La Jolla, CA in 1995 to Mr. Steve Colletti. The car was described at the time by Mr. Colletti as being "a real car---used but maintained" with a "great engine" and "pretty good chassis and interior".
An exhaustive 4 year restoration commenced in 1995 that left no bolt unturned and no surface unfreshened, a summary of which follows:
APPEARANCE - Chassis was wire wheeled to remove all paint, corrosion and filler. Repaired all cracks, bends or non-original holes. Underside coated with rock protectant and entire chassis painted in semigloss black. Front and rear bumpers, rear 'hexagon' panel, front rock screen & grills, and eyelashes all stripped, primed and repainted. Aluminum rocker panels repainted silver after removing dents and straightening. Entire body stripped to bare metal. Cracks and imperfections welded and sanded. Body straightened, metal finished. Bonnets and doors aligned with new gaskets installed and made to fit perfectly. Painted Miura Fly Yellow by Joe Montanto/JM Auto Works of Van Nuys, CA. Wheels (including 2-9" SV wheels) stripped, crack checked and repainted (silver). Headlight housings disassembled, cleaned, new Hella H4 headlights w/55/100 bulb used in the rebuilt headlamp housings. Two new rear brake/turn signal lenses with housings cleaned and repainted and Halogen lamp conversion performed. New backup light lens and 2 new side marker lights installed. New aluminum firewall clear anodized.
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION - Front chassis stiffeners from mid/late S added to the front. Front shock tower brace replaced with new, late model S type (no swiss cheese-type holes), powder coated for lasting durability. Fiberglass air deflector from late S added and frame rail opened up and boxed as is late S to deflect more air thru the radiator and toward the interior of the front brake rotors. Rear powerpack support brackets had been previously repaired due to cracking. Repair welds smoothed out, crack checked and powder coated. Found to be still unsatisfactory so new brackets fabricated by Beauchamp Fabrication of Santa Ana, CA. New motor mounts and engine support bushings installed. All suspension pieces (Front/Rear A-arms and uprights, sway bar links, spindles, stub axles, steering arms and steering rack) crack checked (magnaflux steel and dye-penetrant aluminum) at Hadd-Co Inspection of Torrance, CA (an FAA and aerospace Level-II/III approved company) and black cadmium plated or powder coated. Springs sent out for testing and refinished. Shocks rebuilt by KONI. Rear spindle/stub axles converted to CV-joint type. New Sway-away 4341 axles. Low drag high RPM boots. Links to tie rear suspension lower arms together fitted (work done by Bob Wallace). New suspension bushings, new inner and outer bearings and seals for rear hubs. New ball joints. New boots and tie-rod assemblies (links and clamps cadmium-plated) for rebuilt steering rack. New mounts where ball-joints press in. New bushings for sway bars. Suspension bolts, washers, and shims black cadmium plated for appearance and durability.
BRAKES - Late S vented disks fitted using Porterfield race rotors (Billet Aluminum hats and directionally vaned rotors). Rotors were cross-drilled and 12-points super-nuts/bolts (Aerospace 220,000 psi nuts and bolts) were milled down to the correct length. Rotors were black cadmium plated, hats were hard anodized black. Factory steel spacers were used between the calipers to get the correct clearance for the vented rotors. Porterfield Carbon/Kevlar brake pads used. Master cylinder rebuilt by Stainless Steel Brake Corporation. Calipers rebuilt (all new pistons) and black cadmium plated. New hard lines fabricated. New braided stainless brake lines w/ stainless steel AN bulkhead adapters and nuts.
ENGINE - Rebored to 82.5mm (.5mm overbore-3977cc), Custom JAE pistons and rings. All new valves, seats, seals, guides (everything but valve springs which tested ok). New exhaust camshafts. Crankshaft checked and reworked to add thrust back in. Timing chain gears lightened to extend life and reliability of cam chains. Sump split. All work by Bob Wallace. System-1 35 micron steel mesh fuel filter, Holley fuel pressure regulator (set at 2.8 psi per Bob Wallace). Aluminum fuel rails fabricated that eliminate the hose between float bowls on each carburetor. BB512 distributor with magnetic pickup converted to work with MSD7AL box and MSD Master Blaster II coil. Tachometer converted to 12 cylinder single-impulse VDO drive. Spun aluminum radiused velocity stacks made (stock height+diameter). 1" taller K&N air filters. All new aluminum air cleaner housings manufactured. (Restored original air boxes with K&N air filters go with the car). Water pump and oil pump overhauled. Starter checked (had been overhauled), new solenoid and seals installed. New heat shield in engine bay over the headers (wrinkle-black painted).
TRANSMISSION/CLUTCH - Split sump. Added limited slip differential. Updated bearings, bushings and synchros. All work done by Bob Wallace. New clutch disk. New clutch master cylinder. New clutch slave cylinder. Hydraulic hard line replaced with 1/4" hardline (AN4). Stainless steel AN bulkhead adapters and nuts (per Bob Wallace).
COOLING - Radiator recored to greater capacity. Replaced coolant tubes with new aluminum (6061-T seamless) tubes by an aerospace company, clear anodized. Bolts that clamp coolant tubes to chassis replaced with stainless and titanium nuts (super-nuts). All rubber water lines replaced with silicone hose, and stainless screw-type non-groove hose clamps used. Header tank for radiator at rear of car was duplicated in aluminum and hard-anodized black. New 12" SPAL radiator pull fans (lighter and more efficient). Rebuilt heater valve. New aluminum pipe from tank to engine made and hard-annodized.
EXHAUST - ANSA sport exhaust. Header flanges machined smooth. Jet-hot coat headers (inside and out) and exhaust (outside only per JetHot). New ANSA exhaust tips.
ELECTRICAL - New fuse block (stock and blade-type). Gauges checked, cleaned and bezels repainted. Halogenation kit installed for brake lamps. New bulbs for indicators (4 watt instead of no longer available 5 watt) and dash lamps (3 watt). Harness contacts cleaned and preserved with CAIG Labs treatment. Starter rebuilt. New, thicker wire run from starter switch to solenoid (12 gauge instead of 16 gauge) as per Bob Wallace. Alternator bench tested. Interior Lucas fan replaced with SPAL fan. New rear wiring harness made with heat and oil resistant (TFNN) wire and vinyl wire shielding, using stock wire colors. New bulbs for trunk and engine bay lamps. Headlight lifting motors disassembled, cadmium-plated and rebuilt. Power window motors disassembled, cadmium plated and rebuilt.
INTERIOR - New door stops. New headliner. New carpets. Seats, dash, center console, door panels, overhead console recovered in dark grey. Steering wheel recovered. New rear view mirror. Shift gate (aluminum) milled smooth, refinished and clear anodized. New shift boot. Shift knob refinished. Dash panel lamps replaced with new bulbs. New pedal pads. All hardware replated.
SAFETY - Original fuel tank duplicated by Fuel Safe as a Pro-line fuel cell in aluminum (powder-painted), return for fuel added to fuel cell to help eliminate possible carb fires. New 3/8" AN6 convoluted teflon fuel line run each way. Aluminum fuel rails replacing hose between float bowls on each carburetor. Eye bolts for shoulder harnesses and submarine strap added while chassis was restored/upgraded (shoulder harness bolts attach into rear frame at upper tub). Carbs vented (as per Bob Wallace) to help eliminate carb fires. Pedal assembly rebuilt. Re-bush pedal assembly, replace bushings with DU self-lubricating bushings. New thrust bushings for pedal assembly. Schroth Safety harnesses and original factory correct standard seat belts. Halogenation kit for brake lamps.
The restored and now thoroughly useable Miura S was enjoyed by Mr. Colletti until 2008 making many trips from Southern California to Monterey, appearing at various events during August there including Concourso Italiano. He then decided to sell the car and consigned the vehicle to reknowned Italian sportscar authority, Mr. Tom Shaughnessy of San Clemente, CA.
Purchased by its current owner in 2008, the Miura was brought to Francorchamps of America in Costa Mesa, CA where specialist Rod Drew went thru the car thoroughly, servicing it before it was shipped to a prominent collection on the East Coast where it now resides. The Miura comes complete with factory tools & bag, jack kit & bag, thorough records of the restoration, service records, and parts and service manuals and extensive Miura articles and memorabilia. It is ready to be shown, or driven and rallyed anywhere.
Current values for a Miura S are hovering around the $450,000 to $700,000 mark. While this car wears an older restoration, the level of detail the seller provides is impressive and reveals that little was left undone in bringing this car back to its glory. Every time I lay eyes on a Miura, I can't fathom the breadth of Marcello Gandini's imagination to come up with this automotive work of art. It's simply stunning.
