Lamborghini has found and restored the Miura P400 that starred in the 1969 movie “The Italian Job”. The car’s identity and location were unknown for the last 50 years.
The Italian Job is a real classic and every cinema fan is recommended to see it. If nothing else, you’ll appreciate a young Michael Caine wreaking havoc on the streets of Turin with a bunch of Minis.
For the automobile fanatics, the movie also offers a brilliant opening with actor Rossano Brazzi driving a brand new, Arancio orange, Lamborghini Miura P400 on the scenic Great St Bernard Pass in Switzerland.
The car goes into a tunnel and supposedly crashes into a staged ambush by the mafia. Next thing we see is a bulldozer dumping the crashed Lamborghini into the river gorge.
And no, Lamborghini didn’t crash one of the world’s most wanted cars. They wouldn’t do it now and they didn’t do it 50 years ago.
When Paramount Pictures approached the car maker for the vehicles they needed, Lamborghini was in possession of an already crashed Miura which was perfect for the scene. A second, identically styled, Miura P400 was delivered by stunt driver Enzo Moruzzi.
After shooting the movie, the car was returned to Lamborghini and then sold as new to a person from Rome. It fell under the radar for half a century. Finding the missing Miura has become an obsession for generations of Lamborghini fans.
It turns out the car ended up in the Kaiser Classic Car Collection, based in Lichtenstein. Fritz Kaiser contacted Lamborghini to try and solve the mystery. The company’s historical restoration specialist Polo Storico and Enzo Moruzzi were able to identify it was the same car from 50 years ago – chassis #3586.
Next, Polo Storico proceeded with restoring the car to its original factory condition – just in time for the movie’s golden jubilee.
This particular Lamborghini Miura P400 is an important piece of automotive and cinema history. Even 50 years ago, the status of this car was astronomical. The chances of the car surviving for so long, preserving its identity, are slim at best. So, this is an occasion worth celebrating!
