Exceptional Unrestored Example with Just Three Owners and Less than 18,000 Miles from New | Coachwork by Bertone
Estimate: $1,400,000 - $1,800,000
Chassis: 4109
Engine: 30393
*Please note that this vehicle is titled 1970.
Stunning Preservation-Class Example of Lamborghini’s Landmark Supercar
Three-Owner Car Showing Less Than 17,500 Original Miles
Original Interior with Matching-Numbers Body, Engine, and Drivetrain per Factory Build Records
One of Only 142 Miura S Models Built for 1969
PROVENANCE
Paul F. Zuppke, Minneapolis, Minnesota (acquired via Granata circa 1970)
Tim Burns, Bloomington, Minnesota (acquired from the estate of the above in 1996)
Current Owner (acquired from the estate of the above)
EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS
35th Miura Reunion at Concorso Italiano, California, 2000
Concours on the Avenue, California, 2019 (Second Place, Conservation Class)
By now, the story is the stuff of legend: successful Italian tractor manufacturer Ferruccio Lamborghini, dissatisfied with his Ferrari following a contentious meeting with Il Commendatore Enzo Ferrari, set out to manufacture “a perfect car.” Adopting the corporate emblem of a raging bull, the spurned industrialist took on Italy’s most legendary automaker, and the two men reportedly never spoke again.
It took barely three years for the upstart Lamborghini to not only match, but arguably best, Ferrari with the 1966 introduction of the world’s first supercar, the Miura. Named to honor the Spanish cattle breeder Don Eduardo Miura and his famous fighting bulls, the success of the Miura would cast Lamborghini as a manufacturer of uncompromising, visceral sports cars with heretofore unmatched performance.
By 1969, the Miura received its first upgrade as the P400 S. Only 142 examples were believed built that year, featuring an uprated 370 hp engine with performance camshafts, speed-rated Pirelli tires, an overhead interior console, improved upholstery, electrically operated windows, and optional Borletti air-conditioning. At 168 mph, the Miura S was the fastest road car ever tested by Road & Track magazine in 1970, who dubbed it “…an exercise in automotive art for a particularly rapturous kind of driving.”
The example presented here, chassis 4109, is certainly one of the finest Lamborghini Miuras in the world. Astoundingly, it still wears its beautiful original Rosso Alfa Acrilico (Alfa Red Acrylic) paint and Pelle Bleu leather interior, a one-off combination unique to this example. Of only seven Miuras originally delivered in Rosso Alfa, this one was the last built.
Noted Lamborghini Miura expert Joe Sackey inspected 4109 in January 2020, concluding in his accompanying report that “…(it) is one of the most original, well-preserved, and meticulously maintained Miura P400 S examples extant today. Amazingly preserved, the car is a complete numbersmatching (engine, bonnets, doors, louvers, ancillary parts) ‘preservation’ vehicle, never in a major collision or subject to full restoration. It maintains original interior, in excellent condition with working radio and all electronics functional. Original paint is maintained, except with touch ups on rear bonnet and rocker panels. The car retains all original glass, in excellent condition with correct etchings. The original weather stripping, rubber moldings and insulation between bonnet and frame remain in place.”
Sackey continued: “The complete tool, jack and reflector kits are included, as well as the original Carello fog light covers. Records include original Lamborghini factory build sheets, logs and ‘collaudatore’ (test driver) reports; original owner’s manual, leather pouch and parts manual; service manual; sales brochures; historical service and title records; and historical photos.”
According to Sackey’s report, 4109 was the 386th Miura built, with three documented owners and showing less than 17,500 miles. First delivered to Paul F. Zuppke of Minneapolis, who cherished it for more than a quarter century, the car changed hands in November 1996 to gentleman racer and businessman Tim Burns of Bloomington, Minnesota, who would hold the car for over two decades. Mr. Burns displayed the car in August 2000 at the 35th Miura Reunion at Concorso Italiano held at the Quail Lodge in Carmel, California. Under its current caretaker, the car won Second Place in the Conservation Class at the Concours on the Avenue held in Carmel, California, in August 2019.
Kept in top running condition, 4109 was treated to a major service in 2009 from Lamborghini specialist Tim Keseluk of Bloomington, Minnesota, which included machining of the cylinder heads, retrofitting of valve seals, and new bearings, gaskets, and timing chains. The suspension, brakes, and fuel system were also reconditioned. Another major service in 2018 reconditioned the fuel, cooling, brake, suspension, exhaust, ignition, and clutch systems. More recently, the car received five new and correct Pirelli Cinturato tires, new fuel filters, cooling-system valves, and a freshly re-cored radiator. The car was fine-tuned by specialist Massimo Cairati of Carrozzeria Cairati of Milan, while visiting the US to present the recently restored Miura SVR at the Lamborghini Polo Storico in Pebble Beach, California.
Well loved by its long-term owners, this incredibly original, low-mileage Lamborghini Miura S is a benchmark example of the world’s first supercar, and an exhilarating driving experience of the highest order.
Includes Factory Build Sheets, Owner’s Manual, and Extensive Documentation
On Offer At Gooding & Co Auction - Amelia Island - 6th March
