The trajectory of the automobile was forever changed by Lamborghini’s introduction of the Miura. However, this was not the intent at the time. Ferruccio Lamborghini allowed his engineers to develop it merely as an exercise. But when the Miura debuted, initially as a naked chassis, and then four months later at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966 with spectacular Marcello Gandini-designed Bertone bodywork, the car created so much impact that it could not simply circulate a few motor shows and pass into a museum. Thus, Lamborghini put it in production, effectively creating a genre of car that still exists today at the top of the automotive desirability hierarchy: the supercar.

Nearly everything about the Miura is super: its styling, its packaging, its technical specifications, and its performance. It is powered by a transversely mounted quad-cam V-12, paired with a five-speed transaxle that sits in a monocoque chassis, from which double-wishbone suspension and disc brakes hang at all four corners. With specifications like these, the Miura instantly transformed Lamborghini Automobili, then just three years old, into the makers of the world’s most coveted car.

Although the car was not designed with production in mind, barely a year later, Lamborghini was building a few Miuras per month. Early owners served as de facto development drivers, and the model was developed continuously over its production. One of the most substantial early changes was a switch to thicker gauge steel for the chassis, which improved the car’s structural integrity. This P400, chassis 3739, incorporates this change. It was completed on October 30, 1968, and delivered to Grand Garage des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, where it was registered for the first time the following day.

Copies of the original Lamborghini build sheets on file show that the car was originally finished in Bleu with Senape (Mustard) interior and confirm that it retains its matching-numbers engine today. The build sheets also include the notes by the factory test driver from his pre-delivery road test on the autostrada, as well as lavori speciali (special work) card that describes deviations from standard specification – including wider wheels, a quieter exhaust system, and non-standard horn and lighting.

This car remained in Switzerland for decades, and had at least two owners prior to a Geneva owner, who purchased the car in 2005 and commissioned Lamborghini to restore it under the watchful eye of Valentino Balboni. The car comes with correspondence about the restoration between that owner and various parties at Lamborghini, including CEO Stephan Winkelmann and Balboni. The letters and emails outline the scope and progress of this work, which is corroborated by invoices on Lamborghini letterhead and an album containing hundreds of photos of the restoration, many of which depict Mr. Balboni himself with 3739 throughout the process. The restoration reportedly required 4,000 hours of work and encompassed all cosmetic and mechanical aspects of the car, including bodywork, paint, interior, engine, transaxle, driveline, suspension, and brakes. The work was completed in May 2008, a few months before Balboni officially retired from Lamborghini in October 2008. In a letter he wrote that same month, Balboni confirms that 3739 was restored in its entirety by the Centro Restauro (Restoration Center) section of Lamborghini’s Customer Service Department, describes the scope of the work, and thanks the car’s owner as well.

Upon its completion, the car was displayed at the Lamborghini factory’s Centro Eccellenza in Sant’Agata Bolognese before returning to Switzerland, where it was enjoyed by its owner for several years before being sold to a Belgian owner in 2013. In 2017, chassis 3739 was acquired by an owner in the UK, who then imported it to the US, where it has remained since.

Today, 3739 remains a striking example of this landmark model, finished in its rare, original color scheme. Since the completion of the restoration, 3739 has been carefully used and remains in excellent order, making this an ideal example for its new owner to share with the adoring public, as one of the rare cars whose appeal transcends nearly every generation of car enthusiast.