Lamborghini Miura P400 S by Bertone, 1971
Lamborghini Miura
Lamborghini Miura•
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Chassis No.: 4863
Engine No.: 30614
Registration: UK V5C
Location: London, United Kingdom
£1,200,000 - £1,400,000 GBP | Not Sold
- An original UK-delivery, right-hand-drive example
- Delivered new to rock-and-roll legend Rod Stewart
- Fresh, painstakingly correct restoration by Lamborghini Polo Storico
- The finest Miura S available on the market
- First in Class and Most Iconic Car at 2018 Salon Privé Concours d'Elegance
A true living legend of rock and roll, Rod Stewart is among the most instantly recognizable figures in worldwide music. Among the bestselling artists of all time, he has sold over 100 million records, including as part of Faces and during a memorable, decades-long solo career in which he has spanned the influence of everything from soul to folk to soft rock to American standards. He has twice been inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Like many rock-and-rollers throughout history, Stewart is also a petrol head. He is most partial to Lamborghini, and has for decades been perhaps the company’s most well-known ‘best customer’, ordering and owning an example of virtually every new model, including all iterations of the landmark Miura early in his career.
Stewart took delivery of this Bianco over Nero P400 S, chassis no. 4863, through Lamborghini Concessionaires Ltd. of Allie Street, London; a copy of the original records, kept by Derek Hopkins of said dealership, is included in the file, as is a copy of the original delivery sheet, noting the car as a right-hand-drive example with factory air conditioning and seatbelts. Stewart’s then-girlfriend, model Dee Harrington, was photographed with two of his Miuras, including this car, bearing registration JLL 831K. Further, the car is believed to have been that tested for a cover feature in the November 1970 issue of Car magazine.
After Stewart’s ownership the car passed through owners in Wiltshire, Kent, and Cambridge. It was acquired in 1976 by Clive Hugo Nagel, then, in April 1983, by Michael Baker of Horley. The next owner of the car maintained it for two decades, between 1994 and 2014, and during his ownership was fitted with various modifications to raise it to the SV specification, while the bulkhead, engine and chassis all, fortunately, remained intact and original to the car.
Accordingly, when the current owner purchased the car, he took the opportunity to return it to its historic original form, exactly as it would have been when Rod Stewart took delivery. The work would be handled by the best possible source, the factory, at the Lamborghini Polo Storico division in Sant’Agata. The original bonnet and boot were reskinned to the original design and the wheel arches returned to the correct original configuration, modifications to the chassis undone back to the original P400 S specification, and all mechanical components carefully disassembled and painstakingly rebuilt to their original condition.
Literally every component was handled, down to the tool set and tires, at a cost of just over €400,000, and the car is accompanied by Polo Storico’s magnificently detailed records, including extensive photographs and checklists from throughout the restoration, confirming the originality of all major components and the intensive level of work resulting in perfection.
The owner reports that at the completion of the restoration, he was informed that this was the finest Miura to have yet left Polo Storico, and would form the authenticity basis for their future Miura restorations. Attesting to the restoration's exceptional quality, the Miura won its class and was voted 'Most Iconic Car' at the 2018 Salon Privé Concours d'Elegance.
The result is certainly the finest right-hand-drive P400 S on the market, and among the best-restored, most correct Miuras available – a car to make any new owner feel, well, like a rock star.
Some guys have all the luck.
https://rmsothebys.com/auctions/lf18/lots/r0010-1971-lamborghini-miura-p400-s-by-bertone/
