For Sale at Auction: 1968 Lamborghini Miura in Monterey, California

Chassis No. 3637
Engine No. 2157

Unveiled in production form at Geneva in 1966-a mere three years after Automobili Lamborghini's founding-the Miura shocked the motoring world with Marcello Gandini's fiercely futuristic coachwork for Bertone and a transverse mid-engine layout that placed its V12 directly behind the cockpit. Gone were the conventions of front-mounted powerplants; the Miura's sculpted lines and pioneering packaging seemed born of the racetrack, rewriting the rules for all future high-performance road cars.

Under Bertone's sleek panels rested a somewhat conventional sports car architecture consisting of upper and lower A-arm suspension with coil springs over telescopic shock absorbers and anti-roll bars at each corner, ventilated disc brakes, and rack-and-pinion steering that granted exceptional handling. It was the Giotto Bizzarrini-designed 3.9-liter V12's transverse, mid-engine geometry that allowed the driver to exploit the engine's 350 horsepower in standard tune on winding roads and high-speed straights alike-reaching a production-car-record top speed of 174 mph. The world's well-heeled clientele-princes, oil sheikhs, film icons-lined up to secure this exotic thoroughbred, and Enzo Ferrari himself was forced to put the rush on a mid-engine response to Lamborghini's triumph. These clients forgave the Miura's ergonomic quirks in exchange for a truly visceral driving experience, which Road & Track described as: "One of those beautiful experiences every enthusiast owes himself."

Production of the Miura P400 began in early 1966, with Lamborghini fitting the first run of approximately 125 cars with a 0.8-mm-gauge tubular steel chassis. Around mid-1968, Sant'Agata introduced the "Series II" update on the P400 model, increasing certain chassis panels in gauge to 1.0 mm, dramatically improving torsional rigidity. The car presented here, chassis 3637, is one such Series II example. This strengthened frame, coupled with subtle cockpit improvements-such as the factory's new shift linkage geometry bent slightly towards the driver, as well as a leather-wrapped steering wheel-made the Series II cars more robust and user-friendly without altering the Miura's raw character. In total, just 275 examples of the initial P400 model were built through 1970, and although the Miura would continue to be produced in increasingly more powerful iterations, none captured the unadulterated innovation and purity of the original P400.

The car's Original Configuration document from Lamborghini Polo Storico confirms that chassis 3637 was completed by the Sant'Agata factory on 19 July 1968 as a reinforced-chassis, Series II example, finished in the striking combination of Bianco (White) with a sumptuous Rosso (Red) leather interior. Its factory options are identified as follows: large wheels, Koni shock absorbers, orange front indicators, White side mirrors (not mounted), radio and cassette with electronic antenna, and seat belts. Bearing engine number 2157 and Bertone body number 333, factory records document the car's delivery to Lamborghini Concessionaires Ltd., the marque's official U.K. representative formerly known as R.A. Woolsgrove, located on Alie Street in London's East End. The Miura's first owner was His Royal Highness Prince Abdul Elah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia-son of King Saud and a passionate connoisseur of exotic sports cars-who maintained residences in both Riyadh and London, underscoring the Miura's immediate status as the ultimate automotive trophy among the global aristocracy.

A copy of an original delivery letter from Lamborghini Concessionaires Ltd. invoiced to Beirut, Lebanon, details chassis 3637's delivery and fascinating original specifications, which included a "special modified 380 BHP" engine. The Lamborghini Miura Register by Simon Kidston notes that the Miura was purchased by Prince Abdul Elah after a "10-percent diplomatic discount" for a total price when new of $12,150. His research also indicates that upon its delivery to the U.K., the car was likely displayed on the Lamborghini GB stand at the Earl's Court show in October 1968 and later featured in The Sandie Shaw Supplement television program.

According to research conducted by Lamborghini historian Olivier Nameche, chassis 3637 was registered in the U.K. with the plate "020?GH" during the Prince's ownership. By the mid-1980s, the Miura had passed to a Mr. Williams, who retained the Miura in the U.K. for several decades. Mr. Williams parted with the car in 2007, at which point it was exported to Kuwait. There, chassis 3637 became part of the respected car collection of Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the former Prime Minister of Kuwait, who cherished his Miura until his passing in September 2024. During his ownership, the Miura underwent its only major restoration. Nameche's research indicates that a full restoration was initiated in 2018, meticulously refinishing the car in its original Bianco over Rosso specification. Following completion of this exquisite restoration, chassis 3637 was imported to the United States in preparation for the sale, where it now presents in superb, fully sorted condition.

As one of only 275 P400s ever built, of which approximately 150 were completed in reinforced-chassis Series II specification, chassis 3637 offers the collector the purest expression of Lamborghini's earth-shattering supercar. It retains its original, matching-numbers V12 engine (serial number 2157) per factory records, alongside its stunning factory color scheme. From its princely original ownership and long-term stewardship in the U.K., to its return to Gulf royalty and meticulous restoration, chassis 3637 is surely one of the finest early Miuras known to survive and represents a quintessential "must-have" in any supercar collection.