One and Only Lamborghini Miura SVR Gets Restored
The ultimate evolution of the Miura has a legacy as a popular die-cast collectable and a Japanese manga hero.
When it comes to classic Lamborghinis, one model stands head and shoulders above the rest as the proverbial mountaintop. We’re talking, of course, about the Miura SVR. Despite being the only one of its kind, it has endeared itself to countless enthusiasts the world over, generation after generation, with a legacy most vintage cars could only dream of.
In reality, there were two cars, the original Jota SVR developed by Bob Wallace, a Lamborghini test driver, and this later car built in its style after the loss of the original in an accident. The car you see here, fresh from a restoration at the hands of Lamborghini Polo Storico, has a very interesting history.
Originally painted green and beginning its life as a standard Miura, it was displayed at the Turin Motor Show before moving from owner to owner over the next few years. In 1974, its then-current owner, a German named Heinz Straber, sent the car back to the factory to be rebuilt as an SVR, the only such conversion ever completed by Lamborghini,
The build took an astonishing 18 months, and shortly after completion, the car was sent to a new owner in Japan. There, it was used as a reference model for the Kyosho die-cast version of the car, and also served as the inspiration for the manga series “The Circuit Wolf.” In that series, the main character drives the Miura SVR to the racing victory that eluded it in real life.
It’s incredible to think that one specific car could have such an impact on car culture at large. Then again, the sole Miura SVR is an extraordinary car. Maybe it’s a good thing there’s only one — could the world handle another?
