1971 Lamborghini Miura S Jota Conversion

Offeed for sale is this 1969 Lamborghini Miura S, converted to Jota Specification. It is finished in Arancio Miura over a black interior, and is powered by a Miura SVJ specification V12 engine, running power to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transaxle.

The Lamborghini Miura is the mid engine wonder from Sant’Agata that started the mid engine supercar class. It is a rare and highly sought after model, with total production numbers hovering around 745, the exact number being hopelessly lost to the whimsical Italian approach to statistics and paperwork. But this tribute vehicle is even more rare and special.

Few would disagree that the Lamborghini Miura kick-started the supercar revolution. An early pioneer of mid-engine design with wild styling from the pen of Marcello Gandini and a chassis engineered by Gian Paolo Dallara, the futuristic machine set a new benchmark in performance and road presence. Blisteringly quick and fiendish to drive even in launch specification, the arrival of the ‘S’ variant in 1968 added a further 20 horsepower to the mix, with the 1971 Miura SV increasing output to 380 horsepower. But perhaps the most exciting Miura remained a one-off: the Jota.

Conceived to meet the FIA’s Appendix J regulations, the Jota was a pared-back track-focussed machine spearheaded by development driver Bob Wallace. Heavily altered, the car shed hundreds of kilograms from the kerb weight of the standard car, as well as boosting power output well beyond the 400-horsepower barrier thanks to a raft of engine modifications. Though the Jota sadly met with an untimely end in 1972, a handful of factory Miura SVJs paid homage to the original with varying degrees of fidelity—a path also followed by the occasional dedicated enthusiast.

Chassis 4280 left Sant’Agata on 23 October 1969 finished in ‘S’ specification, wearing Rosso Corsa paintwork over a Nero leather interior, and fitted with air conditioning. The car was delivered to first owner, cherry magnate Stefano Fabbri, via Italcar before being imported to Japan and sold through Mizwa Motors. It stayed in Japan for the next three decades, passing through the hands of owners in Kobe, Chiba, and Fukuoka before the search for greater performance led to the original S-specification engine being replaced with an SV engine, stamped 30633.

Sold in 1998 yet remaining in Japan, the Miura was further improved with conversion to “Jota” specification, with extensive bodywork modifications made between 2006 and 2013; invoices on file amount to more than ¥61 million (approx. US $463,450). The color was changed to the striking Arancio Miura shade that it wears today. The car was sold at auction in 2014, spending time in Sweden before returning to the UK and entering the consigning owner’s private collection.

Most recently, the Miura received a full fluid service at Lamborghini Birmingham in November 2019 and an interim service at the same center in November 2022, the total cost of which exceeded £7,500; supporting invoices and a video condition report from Lamborghini Birmingham are on file.

A no-expense-spared homage to the greatest ever Miura, this reimagined example captures much of the magic of the original, and would make an ideal companion on tours, rallies, and events.