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A 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S by Bertone just auctioned off for almost £1.25, about $1.6 million.
The same family had owned the car since 1974, although it was kept nearly undisturbed in a barn since 2015. The Lamborghini passed through two owners before being auctioned off to its third on October 24 at a Sotheby's auction in London.
Lamborghini named the Miura after legendary Spanish fighting bull breeder Don Eduardo Miura Fernández, according to the auction house. It also claims the Lamborghini Miura is the first modern supercar because of its speed, design, and "technical innovation" of its time.
"Arguably the most significant sports car of its era, the Miura catapulted Lamborghini into the same league as Ferrari and Porsche," the auction house wrote in a prepared statement.
The auction house claims the car is in “spectacular condition.”
It has its original Giallo Fly Yellow exterior paint job…
...which contrasts the Skay Bleu interior.
There are two deviations from the original that were added by its previous owners: front indicators and four-point seat belts.
There are vintage photos that have documented the car's life including this one, taken in Nürnberg on the day its second owner acquired it in 1974….
...and this one when the same owner brought his Lamborghini and Porsche 911 to Cremona, Italy in 1975...
...and this one, parked in his driveway.
The car was auctioned with its period documents that prove its authenticity.
These documents include its original 1971 German registration, original license plates, and service books, and documents from the second owner such as letters exchanged with the Lamborghini factory.
The yellow sports car still has its original engine.
It was originally designed by Bertone’s Marcello Gandini, an Italian car designer.
The auction house claims the Miura was the first supercar.
“With its otherworldly looks and extraordinary performance, the Miura became the car of rock stars, playboys, and wealthy eccentrics alike,” RM Sotheby's said in a prepared statement.
The P400 S was first unveiled to the public in 1968. It is the second production run of the P400.
This car was completed in September 1969.
It was first owned by Walter Becker of Nürnberg, Germany until 1971.
Becker sold the Lamborghini to Hans Peter Weber of Freiburg in 1974, who then kept it in his possession until his death almost four decades later.
He also owned a couple of Porsche 911s, pictured below on the right of the Lamborghini.
"Whenever my uncle Hans-Peter arrived with his Miura, we could hear him minutes before, as the sound of the engine was traveling fast," Hands Weber's great-nephew said in a prepared statement.
Hans Weber regularly maintained the car, although it has never been fully restored.
After Weber’s passing in 2015, his brother Karl moved the car into a barn for storage.
It needs further servicing in order to be driven on the road again.
“Finding such an example that has been preserved in exceptional original condition by just two careful owners from new is next to impossible,” the auction house said.
