For sale: the £1,000,000 Lamborghini Miura that lived in a shed

The Miura is widely acknowledged not just as a breathtaking work of automotive art in its own right but the first true mid-engined supercar. This one has been in this “garage” since 2014 when the owner, who had enjoyed it for the previous 40 years, passed away.

The real significance here is not as a “barn-find “ – its existence has always been known – but the car’s condition. This 1969 Miura S has only ever had two owners, has never been restored and, apart from a seat belt upgrade, is totally original. As the RM Sotheby’s auctioneer will probably say when the car comes under the hammer, “show me another one like this…”

It’s one reason the Marcello Gandini-designed masterpiece comes with an estimate of £800,000-1,000,000, despite needing to be recommissioned for road use after its time among the piles of timber and old wiring. Set to be one of the highlights of the RM Sotheby’s London sale at Olympia on 24^th October, it is being offered with no reserve. So you never know…

The Miura S’s first owner in Germany was advertising agency owner and playboy Walter Becker. He kept it until ’74 when enthusiast and amateur 911 racer Hans Peter Weber of Freiburg bought it. By all accounts he cherished it as a true “special occasion” car, even insisting his female passengers wore yellow tops and blue jeans to match its colour scheme…

Then as now, the Miura S has Giallo Fly paintwork over a Sky Blue interior – all original, as is this car’s engine. That is a 3.9-litre V12, mounted transversely behind the seats and, in this S version, boasting 370bhp thanks to higher lift cams. Other changes for the S included

updated brakes, a revised instrument layout and power windows. As an S it still has the signature headlight eyelashes which the later SV missed out on. In period, the S was a favourite of rock stars and Hollywood legends.

For RM Sotheby’s, this Miura is “one of the most remarkable examples offered in recent memory.

“With many examples driven hard by their fortunate owners when new, finding one in unrestored and highly original condition is exceedingly difficult. Finding such an example that has been preserved in exceptional original condition by just two careful owners from new is next to impossible.”

The Lamborghini is one of 84 collector cars being offered by RM Sotheby’s at Olympia. Here are four more mid-engined gems also up for grabs – all cars that may not have existed without the Lamborghini Miura…

1974 Maserati Bora 4.7, £120-140,000

Maserati’s response to the Miura was the Giugiaro-designed mid-engined V8 Bora. The car in the sale, finished in Rosso Fuoco over Bianco leather, is one of just 42 right-hand-drive 4.7s and comes with receipts totalling £140,000 following a two-year restoration by McGrath Maserati.

1984 Ferrari 512 BBi, £200-220,000

Ferrari’s switch from front-engined supercar (the Daytona) to mid-engined came in the curvaceous Pininfarina shape of the BB. This example is the 33^rd of 37 UK supplied right-hand driver Boxers, and looks good in grey with a two-tone grey and red interior. It still has its original engine, as well as its original toolkit and service book which confirms its mileage of 34,000.

1999 Lamborghini Diablo VT, £150-170,000

After the Miura came the Countach, and after that came the Diablo in Lamborghini’s V12 supercar timeline. This red with beige leather example currently resides in a collection in Kuwait and has covered only 9,300km.

2016 Noble M600 CarbonSport, £170-220,000

The CarbonSport is the ultimate version of this great British supercar giantkiller, featuring exposed carbon bodywork that could be coloured on request – this one is maroon. Not only is it rare but tipping the scales at 1,198kg it is also light weight, witnesses 0-120mph in 8.9 seconds and has a top speed of around 225mph. In 2016 it would have cost around £360,000 – and with delivery miles only, it’s virtually as new.

Images courtesy of RM Sotheby's.