The 50th Anniversary of the game-changing Lamborghini Miura was celebrated back in 2016 with an amazing event in Italy that gathered many of the cars built between 1966 and 1973, Lamborghini even created a special edition of the Aventador, called the Miura Homage with a bespoke Ad Personam two-tone paint to mimic the classic Miura.
In 2021 it’s time to celebrate the anniversary of the final evolution of the Lamborghini Miura, the SV, or Spinto Veloce, edition … in other words, the fast one, initially meant to be sold next to the Miura S as a more powerful version, but in the end, the Miura S didn’t sell anymore once the SV was available, so production of the P400 S was halted.
A strange anecdote is that the new Miura SV wasn’t shown on the Lamborghini stand at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, but it took center stage on the Carrozzeria Bertone stand instead, bext to another model showcasing the future, the Countach prototype.
Today the Lamborghini Miura SV from the Seventies is the most sought-after version in the series (apart from the unique Roadster) and prices are well into the 7-digit range these days, with only 150 units built between 1971 and 1973, it is a rare V12 Lamborghini.
Do note one extra Miura SV was built from parts still available at the factory as late as 1975, on a special commission by Walter Wolf, yes, the same guy with the custom-built, 5-Liter V12 Countach models years before the LP500S was made, this very special Miura SV was finished in white and is regularly on display at the factory museum in Sant’Agata, now called MUDETEC.
The Lamborghini Miura SV is recognizable from an S version by the wider rear fenders, a new design for the taillights, and a different air intake for the front radiators … and those typical eyelashes found on earlier Miura models.
Around the headlights of the Lamborghini Miura, there were black fins added initially, these eyelashes became a trademark for the Miura model, and on the early P400 the ones above the headlight even move up into the air when the light was in use, on the P400 S the eyelashes would stay fixed on the front bonnet and only the headlight unit would tilt up.
On the Miura SV, Lamborghini decided to remove these eyelashes completely, it became a feature for the SV having a black surround around the headlight units. But there was one exception, and only one, on the red Lamborghini Miura SV that was bought by Ferruccio Lamborghini, and which is now on display at the family museum, the eyelashes remained, making it the only Miura SV ever to come straight from the factory with the typical black grille around the headlights.
The 4-Liter V12 engine for the Miura SV came with 385 hp and could reach a top speed of 290 km/h, a tremendous feat back in 1971 for a road car, but this also required modifications to the chassis, with a wider track, and 9-inch rear wheels instead of the 7-inch units seen on the S, at the rear 255-section tires would be fitted from the factory, during the production a separate lubrication system between the engine and gearbox was introduced, and a handful of Miura SVs were built with dry-sump lubrication.
I’ve always found it strange the initial Miura P400 came with black trim on the outside, for the S and the SV Lamborghini turned back to chrome, and on the SV they even added several chrome parts to the interior too, which came with leather upholstery and airconditioning as an option.
Production of the Lamborghini Miura SV was halted in 1973, as mentioned with only 150 units built, mainly because the Countach was intended to take over the reign as the V12 flagship, but it would take two more years, until 1975, until the Lamborghini Countach LP400 was available, in hindsight I think they would have been able to sell a lot more Miura SV units if they kept it in full production until 1975.
