Immortalized as the world’s first production supercar, Lamborghini’s Miura was first shown in bare chassis form at the 1965 Torino Motor Show. Fully clothed, its amazingly curvaceous, 41-inch tall body sent shockwaves worldwide at its formal debut in March 1966 at the Geneva Salon, drawing orders from the wealthiest and most influential personalities of the era. Named after an infamous fighting bull, the Miura’s capabilities remain impressive today, by way of a lightweight chassis, fully independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and a transverse, mid-mounted DOHC V-12 engine with four triple-choke Weber carburetors. The Miura was conceived as a blindingly fast and glamorous road car, and backed up its provocative looks with shattering performance including reported top speeds near 170 mph.

Swift evolution, courtesy of Gian Paolo Dallara, with relentless testing by Bob Wallace, brought the enhanced Miura P400 S, with the “S” denoting “spinto,” or tuned specification. First shown at the 1968 Torino show, the P400 S’s comprehensive improvements addressed handling, build quality, and interior comfort. The mighty Lamborghini V-12 engine was fortified with reworked cylinder heads and revised Weber carburetors, yielding a useful 20 hp bump to a 370 bhp factory-advertised rating. Rear-suspension updates and newly available, state-of-the-art 70-series Pirelli Cinturato radial tires enhanced handling, while new ventilated disc-brake rotors reduced fade under hard use. Visually identified by its “S” tail-panel script, the P400 S received further selective upgrades during its production run, spanning November 1968 until the advent of the P400 SV in March 1971, with just 338 examples of the P400 S built.

The car offered here, chassis 4042, is documented in factory records as retaining its original engine, numbered 30361 and body 654. This late-production Lamborghini Miura P400 S was factory-equipped with air-conditioning and finished in Oro Metallizzato (Gold Metallic) paint over Nero (Black) leather upholstery. It carries a fascinating history, having been dispatched on November 21, 1970 to Spain and directly sold by Automobili Lamborghini to first owner Hernández Rodriguez of Madrid.

Some confusion has existed regarding the initial history of chassis no. 4042, which had been originally assigned to a P400 with production no. 362. It is widely understood by Lamborghini marque authorities that the original P400 was damaged and, as was done on occasion, Lamborghini subsequently built a new P400 S using Bertone production no. 554 (body 654) and the identity of 4042.

Later repainted red, this Miura P400 S was the road test subject of Spanish magazine Motor Clàsico in March 1987. By late 2007, this Miura P400 S was seen and photographed around Madrid and registered as M788012 under Pedro Gojovarra. Reportedly little used, the Miura was acquired by Angel Muñoz of Madrid. According to correspondence with Glen Kohut of the International Lamborghini Registry, the Miura was repainted multiple times under Muñoz, who also had the engine rebuilt and the engine bay refurbished. The Miura was purchased from the Muñoz family in 2011 by a private German collector, and in early 2014, it was acquired by Neil Peart, who had been seeking a proper Miura for his growing collection.

The Lamborghini was airfreighted to California in 2015, and as information was gathered for the upcoming Miura Register, Mr. Peart advised that the Lamborghini was being methodically sorted with the intent of making it a solid performing example. Accordingly, Mr. Peart’s mechanic and friend Ken Lovejoy reviewed, serviced, and sorted the Miura’s various systems, and the body was professionally refinished – in silver, naturally, by the renowned Images Autobody in Campbell, California. In addition to correspondence on file, this Miura P400 S, chassis 4042, is offered with prior Spanish registration documents and the purchase, shipping, importation, service, and maintenance paperwork dating from Mr. Peart’s ownership. Lamborghini’s iconic Miura is considered by some to be the most beautiful automotive design of all time, and Neil Peart’s dramatic silver and black P400 S is sure to provide an abundance of driving enjoyment for its next keeper, as originally intended.

*Please note that this vehicle is titled 1969 and as P400S4042.