Lamborghini miura
The Lamborghini Miura is one of the most exceptional designs in automotive history. It has been discussed in countless magazines and books ad infinitum. We all know the Miura is the grandfather of the modern supercar. It’s mid-engine layout and Bertone styling became the archetype from which a super car can still be judged. So, is there anything left to learn about the Miura? Have we seen it all? For Jeff Meier of Los Angeles California the answer is 'no'. Jeff has found a new way to appreciate the Miura’s form, at least for the time being. They say lightning never strikes twice. You’d think that discovering a preserved and unrestored Lamborghini Miura hiding in a garage for multiple decades was a rare occurrence, but as luck would have it, for Jeff Meier, lightning did indeed strike twice. For Jeff, originality is of the highest regard; so, in 2005, when he acquired his first numbers matching barn-find Miura, meticulous care was taken to recommission it whilse preserving every original detail. Jeff’s hard work paid off when his factory
Arancione (orange) paint ’69 Miura S won its class at Pebble Beach – Jeff was content. For a car guy it doesn’t get much better than owning the car of your dreams and winning at Pebble Beach. He couldn’t ask for anything more. And then one day, in 2018, the telephone rang. ‘Are you the guy with the orange Miura? I’ve been trying to track you down. Would you be interested in finding another one that’s been hidden away for 45 years?’ The caller was a contractor, who had seen Jeff’s first Miura discovery in an online video, and who was working on a property in Benicia California that he believed contained yet another sacred Lamborghini. Intrigued by the call, Jeff pursued the lead and quickly arranged to view the car: a 1971 Lamborghini Miura S with 24,140.16km on the clock, and untouched for nearly 50 years. It seemed too good to be true. But, with any significant discovery, careful investigation is required to confirm its authenticity. Thankfully, this task was relatively straightforward, as the Miura had been owned by the same person, and remained in the same place since the mid70s. The guy who owned the car ran a
LEFT: Originally purchased in 1971 by a wealthy Iranian for his daughter living in Berkeley, California.
body shop and had purchased it from the original custodian, a 20-year-old Iranian girl living in Berkeley, California. In 1971, an order was placed at Sant’agata for a white Usa-spec Miura S by a wealthy Iranian. The car was to be delivered to his daughter in Berkeley, California, where it was to be received and immediately sold. It’s unclear exactly why the car was to be sold so quickly, perhaps a convenient means to do some laundry? Regardless, the plan went awry when the young Iranian girl, with a fresh taste for the freedoms of America, decided she rather enjoyed driving a brand-new Lamborghini. Although an advert was placed, the car was never sold. Instead, the girl employed the exotic car into daily service.
She covered an impressive 24,140.16km in less than two years, but ran into trouble on a trip to LA. A collision left the Miura too badly damaged for the journey home.
The car was recovered and transported to a body shop in Benicia near the girl’s home, but the disfigured aluminium front end would require specialist skills – skills this body shop didn’t possess. The car sat in the body shop, the dented front end remaining untouched and with little hope of being repaired. Eventually, the Iranian family agreed to sell the Miura to the body shop owner, whose intention was always to mend it. He even travelled to Italy, in 1977, visiting the Lamborghini factory and returning to US with the necessary parts. But he never got around to completing the work. So, there it remained. Although, there was damage to the front end, the ’71 Miura S was untouched, unrestored and completely original. Fast forward to 2019, and with the completion of his research, Jeff was satisfied that the white Miura was the real deal and made an offer to buy it. The owner was reluctant and
THE YOUNG IRANIAN GIRL, WITH A FRESH TASTE FOR THE FREEDOMS OF AMERICA, DECIDED SHE RATHER ENJOYED DRIVING A BRAND-NEW LAMBORGHINI.
LEFT: Stripped of its boring white paint, it now shows off the world-class repairs made to the front end.
adamant that he wanted to restore the car before selling. Jeff was concerned that an improper restoration would compromise its authenticity, and the intrinsic value in its originality. There are hundreds of restored Miuras in the world, but they can only be original once.
‘He wasn’t the type of guy who was interested in doing it right, he just wanted to make money on it. He had purchased it back in 1975 for $7500. I saw the car as another opportunity to have an amazing low-mileage Miura. One that was intact and very original, but it needed the right person to do the repairs on it.’
Jeff persuaded the owner to sell the car in its current condition and agreed on a price that both parties felt was fair. As the white Miura’s new custodian, Jeff set about the task of recommissioning it – starting with the aluminium bodywork. The accident damage was limited to the front of the car, but it had crushed the complex forms around the right headlight. There is only one place that Jeff trusted to reconstruct Marcello Gandini’s delicate lines.
‘The repairs were done by Beckman Metalworks – they’re the best in California, with a nationwide reputation. It took them over four months to fix the front end. The whole purpose of me leaving the front end bare [unpainted] was because they did such a phenomenal job, far better than Bertone would have done originally. The only questionable thing about the car was that it had been in an accident, and I wanted to get it out there – without paint – so, people could see that the repair was as good as it was.’ The Miura’s bare-metal state was something of a happy accident, and the reason for it was two-fold. First, following the impeccable reconstruction of the aluminium skin, Jeff wanted people to see the car was repaired properly – without the use of filler hidden under a shiny coat of paint. Second, Jeff simply doesn’t like the colour white on the Miura. But, as a self-proclaimed purist, he couldn’t bring himself to change it either.
‘I hate the car in white, it’s a dead colour on that car, it detracts from it – they need a colour that’s alive and bright. It's supposed to be this special shade of white, but I couldn’t make myself paint it back that colour. I’m an originality freak. So, also couldn’t change the colour, that’s not something I would do. After he’d stripped the rest of the paint down, I said to my painter, give me the car for a couple of weeks because I want to play with it. I looked at it and, especially with
LEFT: Original and unrestored factory blue vinyl and cloth interior.
the blue interior, I thought it looked amazing. Other people would see the car and say, “this thing’s incredible”. So, I decided to leave it like that for the time being.’
Jeff’s ethos of preservation over restoration applied to the interior.
While most would have had their cars reupholstered, Jeff chose to preserve the factory-blue vinyl and cloth. He feels that when a car is over restored – the authenticity is lost. Many of the restored Miura’s you’ll find today will have been higher-mileage examples, or cars rebuilt from wrecks. When major components are replaced or reconstructed, that factory authenticity is once again lost. The Lamborghini Miura was a handbuilt car, and every major component was stamped with the same number – even down to the door handles. So, a number matching Miura, one with its original door handles, truly is a rare beast.
‘With these cars, every piece of them, every trim piece, every body panel is numbered to a specific car. So, you can look at the door handles, you can look at the bumpers, they each have the car’s number stamped. So, I saw this as an opportunity to have a very authentic car, versus one that had been put together and over-restored. I’ve seen the restorations coming out and, to me, the whole core of the car is that they were these amazing, hand-built, assembled by real people cars that each have a personality. If you take that car and overdo it – to make it as perfect as possible – takes away from the spirit of the car, in my opinion.’ Mechanically, the engine, drivetrain and suspension were all treated with the same degree of care under the watchful eye of foremost Miura specialist Jeff Stephan. It’s been less than two years since its discovery, and, although still unpainted, Jeff’s Miura is fully operational. It can now be spotted prowling the streets of LA, frequenting local ‘cars and coffee’ events. As for the Miura’s future, Jeff is still undecided. But, for now, he has given us a wonderful opportunity to take a fresh look at the Lamborghini Miura and to appreciate it in its naked form.
I HATE THE CAR IN WHITE, IT’S A DEAD COLOUR ON THAT CAR, IT DETRACTS FROM IT, THEY NEED A COLOUR THAT’S ALIVE AND BRIGHT .
LEFT: No plans for paint yet, the bare metal Miura has been frequenting car events around LA.