Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni

Continue reading First Drive (Kinda): 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni... with Valentino Balboni!

First Drive (Kinda): 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni... with Valentino Balboni! originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Lamborghini Miura No. 1 found, set for Cali restoration originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Bertone Miura Roadster

There are few cars that are a true one-of-one. If you've ever watched Barrett-Jackson auctions on television, you've seen the guy who claims his '67 Camaro is the only one in existence... with that particular combination of options. Yes, his car is unique, but we wouldn't declare it a one-off by any means. We're talking a truly unique car, like this 1968 Lamborghini Miura Roadster with coachwork by Bertone. Built for the 1968 Brussels Motor Show, the Miura Roadster features an open top with larger air intakes integrated into a rollover hoop. The rear of the car was also reshaped with a larger spoiler and unique taillights. The car was recently restored to its original condition including its beautiful metallic blue paint. We saw it in person at this year's Pebble Beach Concours, a mere week after it was fully completed, where it finished second in the Lamborghini class. The Miura Roadster is now being offered for sale, and we imagine it will go for quite a bit more than the $330,000 it cost to restore the car.

Gallery: Lamborghini Bertone Miura Roadster

One-of-one Lamborghini Miura Roadster up for sale originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click for a hi-res gallery of the Lamborghini Bertone Miura Spyder

Enthusiasts of exotic Italian automobiles everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to Adam Gordon. The New York real estate developer has just completed what is sure to have been an extremely costly restoration of the Lamborghini Bertone Miura Spyder. We say "the" Miura Spyder because it is the only one ever made. In fact its serial number doesn't even show in the company's register.

As we reported when Gordon first acquired the car a year and a half ago, the Miura Spyder was made by Nuccio Bertone and Marcello Gandini as a one-off show car in 1968, when it was unveiled at the Brussels auto salon, much to the amazement of even Ferruccio Lamborghini. The car was then brought back to Sant'Agata where Lamborghini's own people, in consultation with Bertone, deemed it impossible to put into production. The factory then refinished the only existing example in green with all manner of extra chrome bits and sold it to the International lead and Zinc Research Organization, which used it as a showcase piece and brought it to car shows in such locations as Detroit, Montreal, Anaheim, London, Tokyo, Sydney and Paris, before finally donating in 1981 it to the Boston Museum of Transportation in exchange for a $200,000 tax receipt. The car then disappeared largely into obscurity for 25 years as collectors failed - incredibly - to comprehend the value of the only factory-original Miura targa in the world.

Although the Boston museum invested what must have been considerable time and energy into refurbishing the Miura Spyder, it wasn't until Gordon got his hands on it that the car was returned to its original Bertone condition by the Bobileff Motorcar Company. The car's history has been chronicled in a new book, "The Lamborghini Miura Bible" by Joe Sackey. Follow the jump to read the full press release, and click the thumbnails below for a small gallery of images of the Miura Spyder.

Gallery: Lamborghini Bertone Miura Roadster

[Source: Veloce Publishing]

Continue reading Restoration completed on one-off Lamborghini Miura Spyder

Restoration completed on one-off Lamborghini Miura Spyder originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click above for a high resolution image

Every year in August the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance gives car enthusiasts a chance to see exceptional automobiles together at the same place at the same time. With Lamborghini as a featured marque this year, it was inevitable that some of the best of the breed will be on the 18th fairway in just a few days. The earliest known 350GT (Lamborghini's first model), the earliest known Miura, and several one-off examples will be on display. As a bonus, Valentino Balboni, Lamborghini's legendary test driver, will be serving as a class judge. More information can be found in the press release after the jump, and look for our coverage of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance as we report live from Monterey next week.

Continue reading Rare Lamborghinis to be featured at Pebble Beach

Rare Lamborghinis to be featured at Pebble Beach originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Most car enthusiasts know about the Lamborghini Miura, one of the most beautiful and desirable cars from the '60s and '70s, but few know about the one-off Miura Jota and subsequent SV/J models. The Jota was built in 1970 as an experimental car to test new ideas for the upcoming Miura SV. It featured a lightweight body with extra vents, a split sump engine (implemented on later SV models), "Megaphono" exhaust pipes, and a bevy of bespoke features. After the car was finished, it was sold to a loyal customer. Unfortunately, the Jota was involved in an accident and was completely destroyed when it burned to the ground. However, when several of Lamborghini's customers heard about the car, they asked if they could buy one of their own. Lamborghini decided not to officially build a production Jota, but they did offer conversions based on the SV model. The Lamborghini Registry lists only six "works" SV/J models, all featuring the Jota bodywork. The one seen here is chassis number 4892, and it will be auctioned off at the upcoming Russo and Steele classic car auction in Monterey. It's tough to tell what the car will go for since the SV/J models rarely ever change hands, but you can bet it won't be a paltry sum.

[Source: Russo and Steele]

Russo and Steele to auction off rare 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV/J originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: Pebble Beach Week 2007: Russo & Steele Auction preview

Pebble Beach Week 2007: Russo & Steele Auction preview originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

eBay find of the Day: Lambo Miura S originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Nov 2006 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Rumor: Production possibility for the Lamborghini Miura? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Jul 2006 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.