Der Umgebaute
409) Chassis-Nummer: 4256
Motoren-Nummer: 30421
Auslieferungsdatum: 08.10.1969
Auslieferung an: George Drummond (Schottland)
Original-Farbe: Rosso Corsa
Interieur: skay nero
erster Besitzer: George Drummond (Schottland, besass schon 26) #3027)
weitere Besitzer: Craig Dent (ca. 1974, aus Konkursmasse gekauft, England); Mark Denton (England); Alastair Laurie (1976, Dalbeattie, Schottland); Mel Farrar; Malcolm Bishop (ab 1995)
Auktion: Bonhams, Bond Street Sale 2022, Schätzpreis 800’000 bis 1’000’000 Pfund, angeboten mit folgendem Text: «Bertone build number ‚409‘, the Miura S we offer was delivered on 8th October 1969 in left-hand drive configuration. The car was originally finished in red with black interior and equipped with air conditioning. Hand-written notes on file and the factory records state that the Miura was purchased new by a Mr Drummond. According to the notes, this was playboy George Drummond, one-time racing team patron, who owned the Lamborghini until HMRC impounded the car for legal reasons. The Miura was retained until 1974 before being sold. The first owner recorded on DVLA scans of old logbooks is a Craig Dent of Derby, then a Mark Denton of Sheffield followed by an Alastair Laurie on 31st March 1976 (in Dalbeattie). Previous owner Mel Farrar recalls purchasing the car from Mr Laurie and driving it back from Scotland in the snow! In his ownership the engine was rebuilt, and he believed that the car was converted from left- to right-hand drive while in Scotland. The Miura was acquired by the late Malcolm Bishop in 1995, since when it has been registered in his name and that of his companies, and has been driven sparingly (see minor invoices for parts on file).
Marque specialist Iain Tyrrell inspected ‚4256‘ in November 2022 and Bonhams would like to thank him for preparing the accompanying condition report, a summary of which is as follows: This car’s body/chassis could be described as a solid but typical ‚pre-restoration‘ Miura. All visible chassis areas are sound but covered in non-factory paint and surface rust. The front floor section, ahead of the bulkhead, has been replaced with a new welded-in section at some time, either due to rust or light damage (over a small bump for example). There is an extra plate welded under the chassis rear cross-member, probably to cover dents; quite usual, as this is where Miuras are commonly jacked-up without proper care. The chassis and structure’s visible areas again show no appreciable signs of accident damage/repair. This is reinforced by the Bertone build number (always 100 more than the actual factory build number) ‚509‘ being still stamped with the correct font on all areas, including doors, front and rear clams, bulkhead and rear slats. The paintwork and chrome are aged. The boot floor has some cardboard covering up a small aluminium section that is missing. The rear light surrounds and other sundry items are missing from the body.
The front and rear suspension have been cosmetically restored, albeit not with correct finishes. There is play in virtually all the front ball-joints, and the R/H/R road spring is rubbing against the damper. It should be noted that the front hubs require immediate attention having been inadvertently exchanged left to right during the previous front suspension repainting. This is a serious but easily rectified safety issue, but currently the wheel spinners undo rather than self-tighten when the car is driven. All five wheels are the original magnesium-alloy Campagnolos. They all have paint reaction/poor paint issues. The tubeless tyres have been fitted with tubes and no protective valve sleeves.
The original matching-numbers engine is in good order, with good oil pressure and acceptable cylinder leak-down readings (list available). It is very likely that a proper service and tune-up will lower these readings still further. The carburettors are out of adjustment. The cylinder head mating surfaces are showing very slight erosion. Antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor is in the cooling system, protected down to -15°C. The dipstick pull has come adrift, and the upper exhaust heat shield has been modified. The gearbox is excellent, with good synchromesh, no undue noises and a comparatively (for a Miura) easy change action. There are a couple of small engine oil leaks. All air conditioning apparatus has been removed, probably during the car’s conversion to right-hand drive.
The door trims and headlining are almost certainly factory original. The seats and centre console have been re-trimmed in red/black leather to replace the original ’skai‘ (vinyl). The instrument bezels have been chromed, which is non-original, and various parts of the dashboard have been fabricated to non-original design to facilitate the conversion to RHD. The L/H door drop glass is scratched. The electrics had various faults at time of test, including erratic rear lights (most likely caused by a poor earth) and erratic front indicators.
I can confirm that this car started life as a LHD example. This is borne-out by the following:
Fuel tank re-profiled from LHD to accept RHD steering column
Both front and rear clamshell releases orientated for LHD
Evidence of brake and clutch master cylinders having been fitted on L/H side
Some dashboard parts fabricated from scratch to non-original design when converted
My overall conclusion is that this is a very sound restoration project. Bearing in mind the very small numbers of RHD Miuras built, it might be just as well to keep this car in its present RHD configuration. It was converted early in its life, and consequently has been like this for many years. Alternatively, it could be returned to factory-original LHD should the next owner so wish. This car is fully matching-numbers, which is another benefit. Altogether an interesting and worthwhile basis from which to work.»
Besonderes: (befand sich bisher in der Liste der «lost P400S»).
Alle, wirklich alle Miura haben wir: hier.
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