Among the hundreds of competition cars at Race Retro, there were a few that didn’t need numbers or sponsors’ logos adorning the bodywork to make their presence felt. The shape alone, if it’s absolutely perfect from any angle, can do the job in an instant. And so it was with a bright orange Lamborghini that actually stopped visitors in their tracks. ‘Jaw-dropping’ is a somewhat clichéd description of admiration and surprise, but I honestly saw that facial expression on at least three casual wanderers. Therefore, the term Tangerine Dream shouldn’t only apply to the German electronic group that was, ironically, gaining musical recognition during the years Miuras were being built.
This particular vehicle, offered by Cheshire Classic Cars, has had a particularly interesting history. It emerged from Sant’Agata in late October 1969 as a Miura S and was then shipped, almost immediately, to Japan. Around the same time, Lamborghini’s chief development engineer, Bob Wallace, was experimenting with various ultra high performance modifications. The New Zealander saw that, despite Ferruccio Lamborghini’s reluctance to go racing, Miuras had tremendous competitive possibilities. And so, the brutally fast result of his foresight was referred to as ‘Jota’, after the appendix ‘J’ class of racing. Sadly written off by a dealer in 1972, the ultimate Miura spawned five Jota spec’d copies, built by the Works and based on SVs, though some insiders believe eight or more might have been produced.
Dramatic cut-out vents to improve cooling, riveted panels and wider wheels were among the steroidal upgrades and it appears the fifth Japanese owner, too, wanted similar standards of excellence for his Lamborghini. He spent over £365,000 on the transformation which was not just skin deep, for the ground-up restoration includes the engine bay housing an enhanced SV version of the iconic, transversely mounted, V12.
Psychedelic colours were, of course, all the rage in the late 1960s and Miuras filled the entire spectrum. My favourite descriptor, observed when scanning the chassis records to confirm this one, comes from the world of bio-chemistry. ‘Chlorophyll Green’ was the official shade used for at least a pair of them (numbers 3841 and 3886), so what fun it would be to select your own unique colour, straight from the laboratory. “I’d like my Miura to be copper sulphate, please, and my wife wants hers in sodium permanganate.”
Recently returned to Europe, chassis 4280 was selected by MD Iain Tyrrell to bring to Stoneleigh, but he was actually spoilt for choice. In January he had five Miuras on the Cheshire Classic Cars premises, a couple being restored and three for sale. This one though, reflecting its quality by a price tag of £850k, was clearly the most dramatic and definitely made the impact he intended.
Article by John Godley.
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