This bright red Lamborghini Miura SV from 1971 with chassis #4840 didn’t set the highest price ever for a Lamborghini sold at auction, or even the highest bid on a Miura per se, but it did set a new record for a ‘Miura SV’ when it sold for € 2,423,750 (US$ 2,933,211) at the RM-Sotheby’s auction on February 13, 2021.
There is one specific 1971 Miura SV chassis #4878 that sold for even more money at auction, back in September 2020, at an auction by Gooding and Company, this ‘Speciale’ sold for GBP 3,207,000 (US$ 4,163,219) while its maximum estimate was ‘only’ $2,600,000. But this Oro Metallizzato Miura came with factory-fitted dry-sump lubrication and limited-slip differential, making it probably one of the most sought-after SV among the 150 Spinto Veloce built between 1971 and 1973.
If we take a look at auction results for Lamborghinis over the last years, the Miura is the most expensive one without a doubt, with only one exception … a cream/white Veneno Roadster that sold for an unbelievable € 7,633,447 (US$ 8,320,858) in 2019, and if we discard the ‘Speciale’ with chassis #4878 the red Lamborghini Miura SV #4840 in this article is the most expensive one sold at auction to date, and the latter comes with a very interesting history ..
The Miura SV #4840 went to a customer in Germany in May 1972, finished in a stunning Rosso Corsa over a dark blue interior … but the owner had noticed the stunning Lamborghini Jota created by Bob Wallace, so he wanted his Miura to be converted into an SVJ.
The factory did actual SVJ conversions in Sant’Agata, this was done on special request only, and to date only four official ‘factory Miura SVJ’ exist: chassis #4934 was a factory conversion from 1971, #5090 was built right from the start as an SVJ, #4860 was another official conversion done in 1973, while #4990 was the fourth factory-official Miura SVJ conversion in 1972.
Note a regular Miura SV came with an MSRP of $13,000 back in 1971 (this inflates to about $86,000 in 2021), it was one of the most expensive cars available at the time, rumor has it the custom-built SVJ conversion from the factory added $8,125 ($53,175 in 2021 money) to the base price.
This 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV #4840 apparently didn’t receive the SVJ styling conversion at the factory in Sant’Agata, but it still got fitted with a pair of fixed headlights under perspex plastic covers, the grilles in the front hood were removed and open air vents fitted, the fuel filler cap was cut into this hood too, and naturally those typical ‘canards’ were fitted on either side of the front hood.
Note that this Miura still had the two windshield wipers, some of the other SVJ conversions turned to a single wiper setup, side vents were cut into both the front and rear hoods of the Miura. At the rear two more vents were cut between the taillights, and the exhaust was moved up into the rear diffuser.
This Miura changed hands in 1977, but it was sold again to a third owner in 1978, with just over 30,000 km on the counter, this Lamborghini sold in 1997 after which she would undergo a complete frame-up restoration starting from bare metal, the engine, and gearbox were rebuilt by Instinsky of Stuttgart, during which they also converted the car to accept unleaded fuel.
The SVJ conversion was retained, as was the special exhaust treatment, but the car was repainted in non-factory original, dark green metallic over a very nice, tan leather interior combined with black details … the full restoration would take 4 years until 2001.
When this specific Miura SVJ was shown at the 2012 Techno Classica show in Germany, she had once again changed ownership, and this rare Lamborghini was now part of the Dr. Oetker collection …only to be sold again in 2015 to the owner that would eventually offer her up for auction in February 2021.
But not before Miura SV #4840 would once again go through a complete restoration, this time back to her original 1972 specifications, the expensive SVJ conversion was removed from this Lamborghini, the body remade into the original SV style, repainted in the correct Rosso Corsa shade with silver side sills and silver SV wheels.
On the inside the tan and black theme made way for a full rework into blue, from stunning blue carpets to the seats, door panels, dashboard, and that typical ‘arched’ Miura central console … everything got covered in stunning blue leather … this last restoration was completed in 2016, but it seems the owner didn’t drive her much over the next few years as there aren’t even 500 km on the odometer at the time of the auction.
RM-Sotheby’s listed the 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV #4840, engine #30628 at their February 13 auction in Paris as Certified by Lamborghini’s own Polo Storico, complete with the traditional black certification box and documents, with an estimate between €2,100,000-2,500,000 (US$ 2,541,400-3,025,500) … the hammer came down at €2,423,750, including fees.
Another Lamborghini that sold at the same auction, that also underwent a restoration back to more factory original specifications after being heavily modified before was the Countach LP400 chassis #1120262, formerly owned by Rod Stewart, this was one of the legendary Mardikian Countach SS models with a removable roof panel.
If you’re interested in more auction results on Lamborghini cars over the years, we have compiled a list containing over 1,160 results dating back nearly 20 years now:Â LAMBOauctions.
