A rare 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV has been discovered in northern Italy after spending more than four decades in a private garage. Its owner bought the supercar in 1975 for $11,000 and has hardly driven it since.
The found example is one of the last seven Miura SVs assembled and one of only two painted in the rare Bruno Metallizzato color. The car has been preserved in completely original condition - the paint, interior and even the tires have remained untouched by time.
The family bricked up the entrance to a semi-derelict palazzo in the centre of town where the car was hidden, to ensure it wasn’t stolen, and vetted potential buyers. We wanted the car to stay in Italy, given its history, and to retain those evocative period number plates, so I met up with an old school friend who had always dreamt of a special Miura, told him the story, and asked if he wanted to write the next chapter (or write a large cheque). He didn’t hesitate.
According to the current owner, the car will remain in Italy and will not be restored. The decision is dictated by the desire to preserve the historical value of the car.
The car was bought new by the late owner from the Lamborghini dealer in Padua, and the original purchase invoice and leather wallet from the supplying dealer are still in the glovebox. It has remained in his ownership for 45 years wearing the same black and white Italian number plates it proudly wears to this day. It is only one of two SVs produced in Bruno Metallizzato and the only European delivered car, it has a real sense of period, combined with patinated Havana leather upholstery, cigarette burns in the driver’s seat and hair gel on the headlining, all testament to a life well lived.
This Miura SV is not just a collector's item, but a part of Italian automotive culture of the 1970s, Simon Kidston noted.