1967 LAMBORGHINI Miura P400 #3186

THE EX-GENERAL MOTORS 1967 MIURA P400
Chassis #3186
Engine #1442
Prod. #73
24 Oct 1967

By Joe Sackey:

The 73rd Miura built was ordered from the design studios of General motors in the summer of 1967 by none other than the GM duo of design cheif Zora Arkus-Duntov and marketing chief John Delorean. The idea was to to use a new Miura as 'design inspiration' for the design team assigned to the Corvette Stingray. On the 24th of October 1967, chassis number 3186 was completed, fitted with engine number 1442, and shipped directly to General Motors in Detroit, Michigan.

3186 sat in the studio, pushed from one corner to the other whilst providing motivation for a team of young designers. The head of the young design team was a certain Edward Taylor. Ed was affected perhaps more than the other members of his team as he had personally been present at Turin in 1965 (when the chassis was first shown) and at Monte Carlo in 1966 (when the prototype appeared at the Formula One event). Ed had taken several rolls of exclusive print images on both occasions, and in his mind, the P400 was the surely the most stunning design to be fitted with 4 wheels for road use.

Its design duties completed, 3186 was used by John Delorean on the road on a few occaisions, then came the weekend when Ed got the opportunity to take the 'company car' home himself. There was no turning back now, and as Ed recalls, "I knew I had to have it". By 1972, 3186 had been abandoned in the General Motors parking lot, sitting forlornly in the Michigan winter snow. This proved too much for Ed to take and he arranged to buy the car himself, but almost missed the opportunity as GM sold the car off as old stock to the local Chevrolet dealer. Ed contacted the dealer, a deal was struck, and at last, Ed had his Miura!

The engine was removed (with Ed's wife Gail assisting!) in the late 1970s and sent to Michigan specialist Terry Myr for a complete rebuild. This process took a few years... Then Ed set about completely restoring the chassis and bodywork himself. Nothing was spared throughout the car, and both of Ed's sons assisted in the restoration of the chassis. Work continued after Ed retired and moved to California in 1990. The quality of the bodywork is a testament to Ed's skills and the designer in Ed had a new airflow system under the front end being installed in the process to aid cooling. The car's original handsome black vinyl interior was retained and the "Miura Rosso" paintwork was duplicated. By 2000, 3186 was finished and the car was shown at the first Miura Reunion in Carmel, California to much acclaim.

3186 exists in concours condition as one of several Miuras living in Laguna Niguel, California, that can be seen at odd hours screaming along that town's Pacific Coast Highway. Ed is long retired from General Motors and '3186' exists in the family as a wonderful reminder of his tenure at GM.

	*Miura P400*		Last updated April 2, 2005
			THE EX-GENERAL MOTORS 1967 MIURA P400 Chassis #3186 Engine #1442 Prod. #73 24 Oct 1967 By Joe Sackey: The 73rd Miura built was ordered from the design studios of General motors in the summer of 1967 by none other than the GM duo of design cheif Zora Arkus-Duntov and marketing chief John Delorean. The idea was to to use a new Miura as 'design inspiration' for the design team assigned to the Corvette Stingray. On the 24th of October 1967, chassis number 3186 was completed, fitted with engine number 1442, and shipped directly to General Motors in Detroit, Michigan. 3186 sat in the studio, pushed from one corner to the other whilst providing motivation for a team of young designers. The head of the young design team was a certain Edward Taylor. Ed was affected perhaps more than the other members of his team as he had personally been present at Turin in 1965 (when the chassis was first shown) and at Monte Carlo in 1966 (when the prototype appeared at the Formula One event). Ed had taken several rolls of exclusive print images on both occasions, and in his mind, the P400 was the surely the most stunning design to be fitted with 4 wheels for road use. Its design duties completed, 3186 was used by John Delorean on the road on a few occaisions, then came the weekend when Ed got the opportunity to take the 'company car' home himself. There was no turning back now, and as Ed recalls, "I knew I had to have it". By 1972, 3186 had been abandoned in the General Motors parking lot, sitting forlornly in the Michigan winter snow. This proved too much for Ed to take and he arranged to buy the car himself, but almost missed the opportunity as GM sold the car off as old stock to the local Chevrolet dealer. Ed contacted the dealer, a deal was struck, and at last, Ed had his Miura! The engine was removed (with Ed's wife Gail assisting!) in the late 1970s and sent to Michigan specialist Terry Myr for a complete rebuild. This process took a few years... Then Ed set about completely restoring the chassis and bodywork himself. Nothing was spared throughout the car, and both of Ed's sons assisted in the restoration of the chassis. Work continued after Ed retired and moved to California in 1990. The quality of the bodywork is a testament to Ed's skills and the designer in Ed had a new airflow system under the front end being installed in the process to aid cooling. The car's original handsome black vinyl interior was retained and the "Miura Rosso" paintwork was duplicated. By 2000, 3186 was finished and the car was shown at the first Miura Reunion in Carmel, California to much acclaim. 3186 exists in concours condition as one of several Miuras living in Laguna Niguel, California, that can be seen at odd hours screaming along that town's Pacific Coast Highway. Ed is long retired from General Motors and '3186' exists in the family as a wonderful reminder of his tenure at GM.