Lamborghini Miura from The Italian Job

Among car fans, there are only a few iconic movies. Besides ‘Le Mans’ and ‘Bullitt’ by and with Steve McQueen, the movie ‘The Italian Job’ from 1969 is one of them. The approximately five-minute intro sequence alone is already worth seeing. The Italian-born Rozzano Brazzi drives in best weather along the Great St. Bernhard Pass. He drives nothing ordinary, but a beautiful, orange Lamborghini Miura. With a cigarette in his mouth, he casts from one corner to the next along the picturesque mountain landscape before the mafia stops him at the end of a tunnel with a bulldozer. For the following scenes, showing a heavily damaged Miura on the way down the mountain into a river, the film production company Paramount Pictures used a second vehicle without engine, which was already parked outside the Lamborghini plant in Sant’Agata after an accident.

A few years after the film was released in the cinemas, among car fans the search for the Miura used in the driving scenes began. However, this wasn’t very easy, since Lamborghini hadn’t created records of what car was loaned to Paramount Pictures. In the last years and decades, several collectors worldwide claimed to be the owner of the famous movie car. Finally, the in-house classic car department Polo Storico used all available production records and other sources as well as the memories of former employee Enzo Moruzzi, who in the 1960s and 70s was responsible to deliver various Lamborghini sports cars to VIP customers and film productions. He also performed as a stunt driver if necessary.

Moruzzi recalled that the ‘Arancio Miura’ colored car was accidentally taken off the production line at that time, and instead of the white leather seats ordered by the customer, it was fitted with black seats in order to leave no traces during filming. However, in a few scenes the white headliner and headrests are visible, which couldn’t be replaced so quickly. These and some more details only applied to one production vehicle built during the period in question: chassis number 3586.

After the film was done, the car went back to factory, was thoroughly checked, got its correct seats again and was then delivered to its first owner in Rome. Whether it was clarified to him that his car already was a screen hero, isn’t sure today. After a few more owners all around the world, in 2018 this Miura P400 became part of the Kaiser Collection of Fritz Kaiser from Vaduz/Liechtenstein. Mr. Kaiser also founded ‘The Classic Car Trust’. Just in time for the 50th anniversary of ‘The Italian Job’, this special Lamborghini has now been unequivocally identified and certified by the factory.

Images: Lamborghini Polo Storico