Records key to restoring classic Lamborghinis
SANT’AGATA BOLOGNESE, ITALY The reason a majority of the LM002S that Lamborghini ever produced — various sources peg it at between 300 and 328 — still exist is the work of the company’s Polo Storico division.
Not only will Polo Storico meticulously restore your Countach, Espada or 350 GT — any Lambo up to the Diablo — it’s the archive for all the literature of the storied brand. Everything from original engineering drawings and little-known specs, not to mention original design sketches and specifications for outsourced parts, are kept in its official repository. In fact, using modern computer graphics, what was once old and dog-eared has been lovingly restored. Old owner’s manuals are scanned, Photoshopped, and reprinted in all their original glory.
More importantly, Polo Storico is gradually restocking long out-of-production parts for rare Lamborghinis. Everything from tiny body components to entire engine blocks are being recast.
According to heritage technical manager Francesco Stevanin, there’s no limit to Lamborghini’s quest for authenticity. He notes that in recreating Miura cylinder heads, the factory was able to re-create the original pieces’ sandcast finish, despite using modern modular manufacturing techniques.
When original engineering drawings are unavailable, the engineers can scan an existing part in 3D, remove any imperfections induced by age, and then create a replacement part from scratch.
One of Polo Storico’s less heralded functions, however, is authentication. The classic car world is full of fraud. So certification of authenticity is an important part of Polo Storico’s mission.
One of Polo Storico’s most famous enterprises was positively identifying the exact Miura P400 that starred in the original movie, The Italian Job (it appears in the film’s opening sequence as it is driven, with gusto, on Switzerland’s famed Gran San Bernardo pass). By combing through old records and contacting the driver, Enzo Moruzzi, who delivered the car to the set, Polo Storico was able to set the story straight.
“There was a Miura P400 almost ready on the production line, in the right colour, left-hand drive and with white leather interior,” Moruzzi said. “It was esthetically identical to the damaged one and …We decided to use it for the film. The only thing worrying us was the elegant white leather seats, given that the car had to get back to Sant’agata in perfect condition.
“So, I asked for them to be taken out, replacing them with a set of black leather seats that we used for testing. The giveaway was the headrests, which on the Miura are attached to the dividing glass between the driver compartment and the engine compartment — and which couldn’t be replaced in time. In the film, you can see the original white headrests.”
Thus was Polo Storico able to positively identify chassis number 3586, owned by the Kaiser Collection of Vaduz, as the most famous Miura of them all, some 50 years after it had seemingly vanished without a trace.