1972 Lamborghini Miura SV #5028

1972 MIURA SV
Chassis #5028
Engine #30723
Prod. #715
5 May 1972

Production number 715 was originally allocated to Italian dealer Lamborauto. However, as part of Ferruccio Lamborghini's final share buyout in early 1972 (he had sold the first half of his shares in 1970), he received two production cars. These were nos 714 and 715. He allocated 714 (chassis number 5038) to his close freind, Spanish fighting bull breeder Don Eduardo Miura - whose name was given for the cars themselves - and kept 715 (chassis number 5028) for himself.

5028 was completed by the works in "Rosso" paint with gold wheels & sills. A split sump car, the ultimate specification of air-conditioning was also requested. Special order headlamp trim was also requested, finishing this SV with the 'eyelash' treatment seen on the earlier P400/S variants - 5028 is beleived to be the only Miura SV thus completed by the works - naturally, Ferruccio's own car had to be different! The interior was finished in "pelle Blu" (blue leather) with the quaintly period khaki-brown velour inserts. 5028 was much-photographed with Ferruccio at his winery, Bologna registered on Italian black plates, BO.608732. Ferruccio is reported to have driven it the way a Miura should be driven, and if the 'sideways' method of piloting his Countach S (as captured in 1986 by a CBS camera crew) was any indication of his way of going about a drive in the country, Miura SV 5028 occaisionally got a really good workout, scorching the Italian countryside, at the hands of its creator. What some of us would give, to be passed by Ferruccio himself in 5028 on a country road, going at full chat......! The stuff of dreams.

Left to his son Tonino upon his death in 1992, 5028 remains "retired" in the Lamborghini museum in Cento, in largely original condition (I noticed the "In Roddaggio sticker still in the windscreen), although Tonino has added a driver's door mirror.... Tonino has commented to at least one museum visitor that he considers his father's 5028 as one of his most prized and beloved possesions. If this is accurate, then the expression "Like father, like son" applies here, as there is no doubt as to what was Ferruccio's favorite car.

Find here below a rare full-length interview with Ferruccio by AUTOMOBILES CLASSIQUES (1984). Ferruccio was never one to mince words and the interview is the best record in existence on Ferruccio's viewpoint on matters Miura etc. Rather than summarise the article, why not let Ferruccio talk to us himself, by reproducing the interview exactly as recorded, here below. The interview clarifies how he felt about the cars, why Automobili Lamborghini could never go racing (it was a written company law), and just exactly when he sold his factory. All of this is important as certain historians of renown try to distort and reshape history with their poorly-researched efforts.

FERRUCCIO SPEAKS:

I don't know whether Bertone embodied the Lamborghini spirit better than the others but I know for sure that, thanks to us, he found "a shoe that fit him," as he told me on the day we introduced the Miura at the 1965 Turin Automobile Show.

-- I Still miss the Miura --

The Miura was six years in production, and it surpassed our wildest hopes. I know sports enthusiasts all over the world who would have paid a king's ransom for a racing version. But I always refused to build one. This was not to avoid doing battle with Ferrari, as people have claimed, but out of a father's concern. My son Tonino was sixteen years old when I created the Lamborghini and I knew that a competition environment would attract him irresistibly toward racing which was a circumstance I feared, so I included in the company's bylaws a prohibition against race participation.

When people ask me nowadays to describe my ideal car. I still answer with one word: Miura. The career of this extraordinary berlinetta should never have ended. Its premature demise was caused by American legislation. In 1970, when the first anti-pollution laws were passed in the United States, we realized that the poor Miura was condemned to death. At the plant we had brainstormed the problem from every possible point of view. But finally we had to admit that it was impossible to house that devilish device known as a catalytic converter and the bag of other required American gadgets in the limited space under the Miura's hood which was just large enough to hold the carburetors and their filters.

I've often been asked why I named the car Miura. To answer that question I have to go back to the birth of the company. In 1962, I visited Eduardo Miura's ranch in Seville where he raised bulls for bullfighting, and I was so impressed that by the time I got home I had already selected my future emblem. The fact also that I was born under the sign of Taurus sort of ratified my decision.

I still miss the Miura. No on has ever equalled it.

When the pendulum swung against that car, it was already too late. The 1973 oil crisis was about to shake the automobile world. At Sant Agate the golden age was over. To survive we launched the Countach and the Urraco. In 1970 I had chosen to sell fifty-one percent of my stock. I sold the rest in 1972.

Subsequently I became interested in vine growing, studied the subject and invested in a vineyard that I created from nothing on the banks of Lake Trasimeno in Umbria. My son and I produce Sangue di Miura (Blood of Miura) a wine that is our pride and joy. My friends tell me that I've grown younger. One thing is certain, I've never lost any of my enthusiasm. But times have changed.

Today I would not adventure alone. It's too difficult and too risky. Still, if I could find nine partners as determined as my son, I'd forget my age and start from nothing. And I bet the glory days of the 1960's would rally round us again very quickly. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet of my vineyard. And when I miss the sound and the fury, I take refuge in my garage and turn the key in the ignition of my Miura. Just long enough to make the needle move. When shall we meet again? Soon, and in a museum that a now being built under my son's supervision. A museum dedicated to the dream Lamborghinis. It will shortly open its doors in Bologna."

Ferruccio on his cars:
"For the rest of my life I'll feel happy whenever I look at my Miura. This car left its mark on its age, and I say that nobody has built anything better since. It was the first car of our wildest dreams, a car for absolute fanatics. We refused to make a single technical compromise in the Miura. Mounting the engine transversely in the center was a daring step in itself, one that no one had ever dared to try. As for its appearance, you can judge for yourself nineteen years later."

	*Miura P400 SV*		Last updated Oct 10, 2004
			1972 MIURA SV Chassis #5028 Engine #30723 Prod. #715 5 May 1972 Production number 715 was originally allocated to Italian dealer Lamborauto. However, as part of Ferruccio Lamborghini's final share buyout in early 1972 (he had sold the first half of his shares in 1970), he received two production cars. These were nos 714 and 715. He allocated 714 (chassis number 5038) to his close freind, Spanish fighting bull breeder Don Eduardo Miura - whose name was given for the cars themselves - and kept 715 (chassis number 5028) for himself. 5028 was completed by the works in "Rosso" paint with gold wheels & sills. A split sump car, the ultimate specification of air-conditioning was also requested. Special order headlamp trim was also requested, finishing this SV with the 'eyelash' treatment seen on the earlier P400/S variants - 5028 is beleived to be the only Miura SV thus completed by the works - naturally, Ferruccio's own car had to be different! The interior was finished in "pelle Blu" (blue leather) with the quaintly period khaki-brown velour inserts. 5028 was much-photographed with Ferruccio at his winery, Bologna registered on Italian black plates, BO.608732. Ferruccio is reported to have driven it the way a Miura should be driven, and if the 'sideways' method of piloting his Countach S (as captured in 1986 by a CBS camera crew) was any indication of his way of going about a drive in the country, Miura SV 5028 occaisionally got a really good workout, scorching the Italian countryside, at the hands of its creator. What some of us would give, to be passed by Ferruccio himself in 5028 on a country road, going at full chat......! The stuff of dreams. Left to his son Tonino upon his death in 1992, 5028 remains "retired" in the Lamborghini museum in Cento, in largely original condition (I noticed the "In Roddaggio sticker still in the windscreen), although Tonino has added a driver's door mirror.... Tonino has commented to at least one museum visitor that he considers his father's 5028 as one of his most prized and beloved possesions. If this is accurate, then the expression "Like father, like son" applies here, as there is no doubt as to what was Ferruccio's favorite car. Find here below a rare full-length interview with Ferruccio by AUTOMOBILES CLASSIQUES (1984). Ferruccio was never one to mince words and the interview is the best record in existence on Ferruccio's viewpoint on matters Miura etc. Rather than summarise the article, why not let Ferruccio talk to us himself, by reproducing the interview exactly as recorded, here below. The interview clarifies how he felt about the cars, why Automobili Lamborghini could never go racing (it was a written company law), and just exactly when he sold his factory. All of this is important as certain historians of renown try to distort and reshape history with their poorly-researched efforts. FERRUCCIO SPEAKS: I don't know whether Bertone embodied the Lamborghini spirit better than the others but I know for sure that, thanks to us, he found "a shoe that fit him," as he told me on the day we introduced the Miura at the 1965 Turin Automobile Show. -- I Still miss the Miura -- The Miura was six years in production, and it surpassed our wildest hopes. I know sports enthusiasts all over the world who would have paid a king's ransom for a racing version. But I always refused to build one. This was not to avoid doing battle with Ferrari, as people have claimed, but out of a father's concern. My son Tonino was sixteen years old when I created the Lamborghini and I knew that a competition environment would attract him irresistibly toward racing which was a circumstance I feared, so I included in the company's bylaws a prohibition against race participation. When people ask me nowadays to describe my ideal car. I still answer with one word: Miura. The career of this extraordinary berlinetta should never have ended. Its premature demise was caused by American legislation. In 1970, when the first anti-pollution laws were passed in the United States, we realized that the poor Miura was condemned to death. At the plant we had brainstormed the problem from every possible point of view. But finally we had to admit that it was impossible to house that devilish device known as a catalytic converter and the bag of other required American gadgets in the limited space under the Miura's hood which was just large enough to hold the carburetors and their filters. I've often been asked why I named the car Miura. To answer that question I have to go back to the birth of the company. In 1962, I visited Eduardo Miura's ranch in Seville where he raised bulls for bullfighting, and I was so impressed that by the time I got home I had already selected my future emblem. The fact also that I was born under the sign of Taurus sort of ratified my decision. I still miss the Miura. No on has ever equalled it. When the pendulum swung against that car, it was already too late. The 1973 oil crisis was about to shake the automobile world. At Sant Agate the golden age was over. To survive we launched the Countach and the Urraco. In 1970 I had chosen to sell fifty-one percent of my stock. I sold the rest in 1972. Subsequently I became interested in vine growing, studied the subject and invested in a vineyard that I created from nothing on the banks of Lake Trasimeno in Umbria. My son and I produce Sangue di Miura (Blood of Miura) a wine that is our pride and joy. My friends tell me that I've grown younger. One thing is certain, I've never lost any of my enthusiasm. But times have changed. Today I would not adventure alone. It's too difficult and too risky. Still, if I could find nine partners as determined as my son, I'd forget my age and start from nothing. And I bet the glory days of the 1960's would rally round us again very quickly. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet of my vineyard. And when I miss the sound and the fury, I take refuge in my garage and turn the key in the ignition of my Miura. Just long enough to make the needle move. When shall we meet again? Soon, and in a museum that a now being built under my son's supervision. A museum dedicated to the dream Lamborghinis. It will shortly open its doors in Bologna." Ferruccio on his cars: "For the rest of my life I'll feel happy whenever I look at my Miura. This car left its mark on its age, and I say that nobody has built anything better since. It was the first car of our wildest dreams, a car for absolute fanatics. We refused to make a single technical compromise in the Miura. Mounting the engine transversely in the center was a daring step in itself, one that no one had ever dared to try. As for its appearance, you can judge for yourself nineteen years later."