Der Erste in den USA
Den P400SV mit der Chassisnummer 4884 wollen wir hier gesondert zeigen, aus dem einfachen Grund, weil wir schlicht und einfach zu viele Bilder haben (©Darin Schnabel). Aber selbstverständlich kommt er hier gleich wie alle anderen, mit den Daten, die wir kennen:
629) Chassis-Nummer: 4884.
Motoren-Nummer: 30642 («sperimentale», gemäss Joe Sackey, dem das Fahrzeug einst gehörte. In seinem Buch «The Miura Bible» findet sich aber genau bei diesem Fahrzeug keine Angabe zur Motoren-Nummer)
Auslieferungsdatum: 18.06.1971
Farbe: Rosso Corsa
Interieur: Bleu
erster Besitzer: Jack Robinson (November 1971, bezahlte 23’400 Dollar (inkl. neuen Ledersitzen)
weitere Besitzer: Dr. Alan Brown (1977, Savannah; verkauft über Topeka Kansas, 12’275 Meilen); Joe Sackey (2002, bei Bobileff komplett restauriert (2006))
Auktion: RM Sotheby’s, Amelia Island 2015, verkauft für 2’310’000 Dollar, angeboten mit folgendem Text: ««Lamborghini built just 21 examples of the Miura SV specifically for the United States market. These cars were delivered through their new official U.S. distributor, Alberto Pedretti’s Modena Racing Company of New York, and they were specially equipped with a reconfigured engine, which had an air pump and other minor differences that took a little horsepower from the mighty V-12 but were necessary to enable the model to be federalized by the EPA (by the skin of its Italian teeth!). The car offered here, chassis number 4884, is the prototype that was built to be tested by the EPA, and it was the very first Miura SV sold in the United States. It is one of the first eight cars that were built with a single-sump oil system, and accordingly, it has a 200-mph speedometer, as well as the other features common to all American SVs, such as U.S.-specification headlight lenses and side-marker lights, octagonal center-bolt wheel nuts, a reinforced chassis and steel passenger compartment, and interiors with Borletti air conditioning, leather upholstery, and safety belts. Unique touches on this car include the Modena Racing Car emblem on the rear panel and a factory-installed additional ashtray in the driver’s door sill. Joe Sackey’s quintessential The Lamborghini Miura Bible—a book which is important to the history of this particular car, as will be seen—notes chassis number 4884 as being a “factory publicity SV” with “engine number 30642 (sperimentale).” Indeed, this car was photographed for the Miura SV brochure and was intended for the New York Auto Show of 1971. However, delays in development resulted in it appearing instead at the Boston Auto Show that year, where it was finished, as it is today, in Rosso Corsa, with gold sills and matching wheels, and a Bleu leather interior with velour seat inserts. The appearance of this car at the Boston show marked the first appearance of a Miura SV in the United States. Chassis number 4884 was then sold by Pedretti to Jack Robinson of Goddard, Kansas, which was described by Sackey as “a tiny hamlet west of Wichita with a population of less than 2,000 people…and the occasional tumbleweed…As the owner of the town’s only Miura SV, Robinson clearly owned the fastest car in Goddard, as the local highway patrol duly noted.” Robinson would regularly test the Miura SV’s performance on the ruler-flat Kansas terrain and reportedly drove it to Utah, where he occasionally observed speed runs on the Bonneville Salt Flats. In 1977, the car was sold on Robinson’s behalf by Astro Motors, of Topeka, to Dr. Alan Brown, of Savannah, Georgia. According to Sackey, “[After being] told that the car was the first U.S.A. SV, Brown wrote a letter to Automobili Lamborghini SpA, who responded, confirming that his U.S.A. Homologation Prototype SV was indeed the very first one sent over to obtain type-certification for a limited series of U.S.A.-spec Miura SVs.” Dr. Brown loved his Miura but was an “off-the-radar” enthusiast who was known only by a few other Miura owners; even still, his car remained completely original and perfectly preserved, down to its original Pirelli CN12 tires. Sackey eventually was able to locate him in Savannah, and the two men struck up a close friendship. However, with the good doctor’s untimely passing in 2005, his widow insisted that Sackey personally purchase chassis number 4884, which he did. Sackey proceeded to then send it to Gary Bobileff’s renowned Bobileff Motorcar Company, of San Diego, California, for a complete and thorough restoration. The car was returned to its original combination, down to the sourcing of correct Bertone seat material, by the foremost U.S. Miura specialists, and it was finished exactly as it had been when the factory completed it. It went on to be shown at the 2006 Concorso Italiano, where it garnered much acclaim and a First in Class award. Most significantly, Sackey chose it as the cover car for The Lamborghini Miura Bible upon its publication in 2008, and he also devoted an entire chapter of the work to his pursuit, acquisition, and restoration of this significant SV. In 2007, the car was featured in the 25th anniversary issue of Classic and Sportscar magazine. It had appeared earlier on the cover of the famous Lamborghini Miura by Peter Coltrin and Jean-Francois Marchet, and it has been thoroughly described and documented in its entry in the online International Lamborghini Registry. As this first American-delivery SV is still powered by its original sperimentale engine and is in every respect just as it was in 1971, it is not only historically significant but also one of the most unmolested, beautifully restored, and authentic of all examples. It is a car instantly recognizable to Lamborghini aficionados, one of whom will now have the pleasure of making it a deserving cornerstone of his or her collection.»
Besonderes: erster SV für die USA; Homologationsfahrzeug für EPA; Ausstellungsfahrzeug Boston Motor Show 1971; in Lamborghini-Broschüre abgebildet
Wir haben noch ein paar zusätzliche Bilder:
Kommt am 14. Mai 2022 bei RM Sotheby’s in Monte Carlo zur Versteigerung, noch kein Schätzpreis, angeboten mit folgendem Text: «Lamborghini built just 21 examples of the Miura SV specifically for the United States market. All these cars carried subtle differences to normal SVs in order to meet federal regulations including reflective side markers, regulation-coloured indicators, wing-less octagonal centre wheel nuts, whilst the interior featured three-point seatbelts and different warning lights. In addition, the first eight cars imported to the U.S. featured 200-mph speedometers and single-sump oil system, unlike the later 13 that received 190-mph speedometers and split-sump lubrication. Meeting EPA emissions regulations was the hardest part, and this fell to newly appointed importer Alberto Pedretti of Modena Racing Company Inc. of New York.
This Miura SV, chassis number 4884, was originally invoiced to Bob Estes, the importer whom Lamborghini were falling out with due to the irregular supply of cars; the pro-forma invoice notes that many of the U.S.-spec options, importantly including air conditioning and ‘air pump’ which would be key to meeting the EPAs requirements. In addition, the invoice confirms the Rosso Corsa over Bleu colours. By June 1971, Lamborghini had reassigned chassis 4884 to Alberto Pedretti and it was finally delivered on 18 June. Before leaving for America, Peter Coltrin found the time to shoot 4884, a photographer whose work of cars produced by manufacturers in Emilia-Romagna would prove legendary; these shots would also be used for Lamborghini publicity materials and the SV brochure.
Upon arriving on the East Coast, Alberto Pedretti took chassis 4884 up to Ann Habour, Michigan for EPA testing. Pedretti, an automotive engineer by trade, had previously been to Sant’Agata to help develop the air pump system for venting vapour to a carbon canister. After 10 days of adjustments and testing with the “sperimentale” engine, as described by Pedretti, this car finally passed and the SV had officially landed in the U.S.A.
Pedretti applied a Modena Racing Co., Inc. sticker to the rear and set about selling SVs to America with an appearance with 4884 at the 1971 Boston Auto Show for the SV’s debut. Following the show, this Miura was sold to its first owner, Jack Robinson of Goddard, Kansas, who is said to have regularly tested the Miura SV’s performance on the flat Kansas terrain and reportedly drove it to the Bonneville Salt Flats. In 1977, Astro Motors, of Topeka, sold the car on Robinson’s behalf to Dr. Alan Brown of Savannah, Georgia, with mileage being confirmed as 12,275 miles. Shortly after taking ownership, Dr. Brown wrote a letter to Automobili Lamborghini SpA, the response to which confirmed that chassis number 4884 was indeed the first U.S.A. homologation SV sent over to obtain type-certification.
Upon Dr. Brown’s untimely passing in 2005, the car was purchased by Miura enthusiast Joe Sackey with a mileage recorded of 19,548 miles. He then sent it to Miura restorer Gary Bobileff of San Diego, California, for a complete and thorough restoration to factory specification, down to the sourcing of correct Bertone seat material. Following its concours-quality restoration, chassis number 4884 won first in class at the 2006 Concorso Italiano.
Sackey chose chassis number 4884 as the cover car for The Lamborghini Miura Bible upon its publication in 2008, and devoted an entire chapter to his pursuit, acquisition, and restoration of this significant SV. In 2007, the car was featured in the 25th anniversary issue of Classic and Sports Car magazine. It also appeared earlier on the cover of the famous Lamborghini Miura by Peter Coltrin and Jean-Francois Marchet.
Under current ownership since 2015, the car was imported into Germany via the United Kingdom and has benefitted from thorough cosmetic and mechanical reconditioning in 2017 by Lambowerkstatt of Seewald-Erzgrube. Invoices on file for this work total in excess of €170,000. This included dismantling, stripping, dry-ice cleaning and repainting the body, applying body-cavity protection, sound deadening, and underbody sealant, refurbishing the wheels and wheel nuts, and mounting new tyres and suspension struts. In addition, the engine was disassembled and refurbished with new bearings, cylinder liners, valve guides, timing chains, gudgeon pins, air trumpets and piston rings. The carburettors, alternator, oil pump, and water pump were also overhauled, and the belts, seals, and air-conditioning compressor replaced. The transmission was refurbished with a new clutch, bearings and synchronisers, the differential was overhauled, and the powertrain was converted to separate sumps for the engine and transmission. Various electrical components were also replaced, as was the turn-signal glass, header tank, and loudspeakers. More recently, an RM Sotheby’s Specialist has inspected this Miura and we can confirm that many of its original body number stampings are present, and the odometer displays 21,069 miles at the time of cataloguing.
Powered by its original “sperimentale” engine and expertly restored to factory specifications, this first U.S.-delivery Miura SV is historically significant and remarkably authentic, instantly recognisable to Lamborghini aficionados.»
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