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Super-rare Lamborghini Miura SV Jota promises to break records

The prototypical mid-engined exotic, the Lamborghini Miura is fast becoming a collectors' favorite. While they were trading hands at around a quarter of a million dollars less than a decade ago, prices have been skyrocketing, with the last few examples to go up for auction trading at over a million. But this particular example is expected to fetch well over $2 million when it crosses the block later this month. That's because this is no ordinary Miura – it's an SV Jota, one of only five or so originally made by the factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese. A pet project of the company's Kiwi test driver Bob Wallace, the Jota project was meant to explore what would happen if Lamborghini went racing. Old man Ferruccio wasn't interested though, and the original Jota prototype was destroyed. Word soon got out, however, of the Jota's modifications, and a handful of customers sent their Miuras back to the factory to be upgraded to Jota specification. With so few Miuras built to Jota specification, it's rare to see one trade hands. The last one we saw actually sell at auction went for $1.15 million in October 2010, but this particular example is estimated to rake in between $2 million and $2.6 million at RM's upcoming auction in Arizona on January 15-16. In fact, the last time this particular one crossed the block, it failed to sell despite a high bid of $2 million. Chassis number 4892 was initially ordered new from the factory as a Miura SV in 1971 by a customer in Rome in white with a blue interior. Within the following three years, it returned to the factory for Jota upgrades, and was then sold to a customer in Japan where it resided until moving to the US in 2007, taking top honors at the William K. Vanderbilt Jr. Concours d'Elegance in Rhode Island. Despite its excellent condition, it underwent a comprehensive two-year restoration, and its authenticity has been certified by numerous experts, including by the late Bob Wallace himself. If it sells this time around, data from Sports Car Market tells us it will smash the record for Miuras and challenge even the $2.5 million paid for a Reventon in 2009 and the $2.16 million paid for Bertone's one-of-a-kind Lamborghini Marzal concept in 2011 to take its place among the most expensive Lamborghinis ever sold. Featured Gallery 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV Jota #4892 View 31 Photos News Source: RM Auctions, Sports Car MarketImage Credit: Sean Smith/RM Lamborghini Auctions Supercars Classics rm lamborghini miura

Lamborghini Urus finally set to debut on Dec. 4

It's been more than two years since Lamborghini announced it was planning to build its second SUV, the Urus. It's been more than five years since the original concept was revealed at the Beijing Motor Show back in 2012. Finally, on Dec. 4, the Italian automaker will reveal the full production version at an event in Sant'Agata Bolognese. We've seen plenty of concepts and spy shots of the Urus by now. We know it will be powered by a twin-turbo V8 making 650 horsepower and upwards of 600 pound-feet of torque. A plug-in hybrid — a first for Lamborghini — will follow soon after. Pricing hasn't been announced, but look for a base MSRP of at least $200,000. In the teaser video, Lamborghini is making a big deal about this being the first super sport utility vehicle. If any automaker can back up that claim, it's Lamborghini. This isn't going to be some rough-and-tumble V12-powered off-roader like the LM002. This is a high-performance machine in a similar, but far more over-the-top, vein as the Porsche Cayenne and BMW X5 M. The timing of the reveal is an interesting one. The event is just days after the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show. Rather than compete for coverage, Lamborghini is taking a more modern approach to the Urus' reveal. Either way, we're looking forward to it. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Barn-find 1969 Lamborghini Miura S headed to auction for its 50th birthday

Car collectors who have caught barn find fever show no sign of healing from it anytime soon. An unrestored, barn-found 1969 Lamborghini Miura S will sell for big money when it crosses the auction block in the fall of 2019, and it might return to the road in time to celebrate its 50th birthday. Auction house RM Sotheby's explains the Miura S it will sell in London on October 24 has only covered a little bit over 10,000 miles since it rolled off the assembly line in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. German advertising executive Walter Becker purchased the car in 1971, according to CarBuzz, and sold it to racing driver Hans-Peter Weber in 1974. He drove the Miura, maintained it, and went to great lengths to keep it original until he died in 2015. It has been parked in a German barn since, so it's a freshman barn find that likely doesn't need a ton of work to once again move under its own power. We'd be more worried if it spent 25 years in a barn. The front turn signals aren't original, and the seatbelts are aftermarket units, but the rest of the car is 100% authentic. Its body has never been repainted, the seats have never been re-upholstered, and the 365-horsepower, 3.9-liter V12 engine has never been opened. It's complete, and there are no signs of obvious damage or neglect. We've seen 10-year old supercars in worse shape than this one. The Miura is one of the most sought-after 1960s Italian cars, only 338 examples of the S variant were made from 1968 to 1971, and finding an unrestored example that hasn't been completely destroyed by people, rust, or both is rare. RM Sotheby's expects the 1969 model scheduled to cross the block in London will sell for anywhere between 800,000 and one million British pounds, sums that represent $965,000 and $1.2 million, respectively. We'd get the V12 running, keep the rest original, and enjoy it, but the next owner might be tempted to give it a full restoration, especially now that Lamborghini sells a full catalog of Miura parts via its Polo Storico division. Featured Gallery 1969 Lamborghini Miura S barn find View 18 Photos Auto News Lamborghini Performance Classics