The automobile regarded as the world's first supercar will be on sale to collectors at Gooding & Company's Scottsdale classic cars auction on January 21-22.
The Lamborghini Miura P400 is unquestionably one of the major head-turners on today's worldwide classic car markets - and this was also the case before the first model had even been fully built.
At the time, the car's chassis was unlike anything anyone had seen before, with the transmission and V12 engine positioned just ahead of the rear wheels and sharing the same oil.
Every coachbuilder in Italy clamoured for the opportunity to clothe the Miura's innovative chassis. Bertone eventually won the contract.
The resulting bodywork remains a marvel of mechanical construction: a single piece cast in light alloy, uniting the cylinder blocks, sump and transaxle.
 The Lamborghini Miura P400 |
Better still, its artful construction required high-precision machining and mounting meaning that each and every Miura was built manually, like a prototype.
The Miura P400 caused a sensation when it was released at the Geneva Motor Show in 1966, and promptly became the must-own supercar among those who could afford it.
This 1971 model is rolling into Scottsdale with an $850,000-950,000 estimate and a matching-numbers engine rebuilt by Bob Wallace, boasting "phenomenal design and performance capabilities" in the words of Gooding & Co.
What's more, the Miura is often undervalued on the collectors' markets, and will certainly be eyed up by top-level collectors on the lookout for a relative bargain.
- Learn how you can get pleasure and profit from investing in classic cars
- Read all the latest Classic Cars news
Join our readers in more than 200 countries around the world - sign up for your free weekly Collectibles Newsletter today
