The special Miura versions: Roadster e Jota

Menu

Jota

Miura Roadster

On the Olympus of gods from the price of 7,000,000 it. liras (such was the cost of the production-model car) somebody had also some bright ideas like the American well-off customer who wished a Miura Roadster version: at Bertone's they started studying again, displaying the model at the 1968 Bruxelles Motorshow. From the production-model car they eliminated the roof panel, the side windows and the external handles from the doors. Without the rear slatted cover, the engine was completely at sight, while the bodywork had some changes to balance again the construction style: the roll bar lowered under the windscreen profile, on its turn more inclined; the tailwas, on the contrary, re-dimensioned by lifting the wing crest; while the air-vents were made broader on the body centre pillars. The stage effect proved very remarkable, even thanks to the guessed metallized blue colour, but the Roadster didn't go on the production. It was just in those years that California, the main market collecting convertible sports cars, was living a puritanical crisis that was unfavourable both to high performance cars and to convertible sports cars, the former to restrain the air-pollution and the latter for security reasons. The unique model (chassis "3498") lived a second youth when it fell into ILZRO's hands, the American Organization for zinc spreading, that provided for modifying the car with parts made of this metal. The activity was given to John Foster, earlier working at the Ford style centre, who inserted bumpers, side profiles, headlight grids, wheel cover, radiator cowling, steering wheel spokes, cam cover, console and exhaust terminals in zinc, while the blue colour of the original bodywork was replaced by the black paint that better highlighted the zinc plated parts. The car was named ZN 75 and aroused more curiosity than a true interest.

Menu	Miura Roadster

Miura Jota

The second special version was born from the very nature of the Miura: since the 1965 Turin Motor show, when displaying the chassis-engine unit, the concepts that have led its design to extremes were so evident to make its use obvious in races. Probably, it's also common opinion that a young make of high performance cars, like Lamborghini at that time, is obliged to pass to races when looking for imposing its own image definitively. The specialized press thought so, the P400 designers did the same, and perhaps Ferruccio Lamborghini had the same thought as well, if the original project really envisaged the working-out of two versions with different technical details one for a road car and the other, the Sprint, for a racing car. But nothing came of that project and the Sprint was an unrealized dream, however the association went on between races and what Miura had by that time become: some clients tried it by taking part as private drivers in some hill climbing chrono races, but above all Bob Wallace tried it as Lamborghini's test driver. The project came into being as a "private" development programme of Wallace's design on a prototype with about 20,000 km (Miura S version, chassis "5084", engine "30744"), to the purpose to make it in accordance with the enclosure "J" to the international sports regulations. That was the Jota's birth certificate. First of all Wallace tried to " squeeze" all the power that the V12 Lamborghini could deliver: the original carburettors (4 triple-throat Weber 40 IDA 3C ) were replaced with the same number Weber 46 IDL, changing the compression ratio from 10.4:1 to 11.5:1. Power jumped from 370 bhp to 440 with max r.p.m jumping from 7,700 to 8,500. The need to decrease the exuberant power brought to increase the rear track from 1418 mm to 1540 mm. They introduced new tyres "Dunlop Racing" (front/rear)9/15 and 12/15, combined with the new lightened rims of the Campagnolo, which obliged to a significant enlargement of the wheel arches . Suspension system was modified by using tubular arms and race type Koni dampers. Braking got 4 self ventilated discs. Great care was taken to make every component lighter, from the chassis that was also subject to an increase of its torsion stiffness. The bodywork was rebuilt with Avional panels, riveted on the chassis, while headlights were protected by "eyebrows" in Perspex and all glass surfaces were replaced by Plexiglass. Altogether these changes made the car weigh 900 kg only saving 250 kg in comparison with the series Miura. A prominent front spoiler, featured by broader side "whiskers", improved the negative lift of front wheels, while hot air vents were rid of the protecting grids and other two of them were cut out at the sides of the integral bonnet, behind the wheelhouses. Likewise, the characteristic air vents on the door posts were rid of protections. The remarkable run stopper on the front bonnet was a further confirmation that the Yota was anything but mild by nature. This interesting experiment made by Wallace will never know the verdict of the track, but it will be used as the basic Miura SV. The original Yota was destroyed in a disastrous crash in 1972, after being purchased by Interauto in Brescia, that finally intended to make it race. Lamborghini company built other three replicas known as "SVJ" and with different features from the first one: the chassis "4860" ended in Germany, the "4990" was purchased by a client in Haiti, the "4934" went to the Shah of Persia and the last one, the "5090" to an unknown destination. The history became complicated with the further versions born from the transformation of the Miura traditional cars: in 1976 Lamborghini company displayed the new "SV Special" car, deeply modified to get better performances. "Jota Replica Targa" in 1980, "SVJ Replica" in 1981 and SVJ Replica Ufficiale" in 1986 followed.

Canio Jakir

In particular I wish to thank the Automobili Lamborghini Holding and the Automobile Museum "Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffa" in Turin.

• Deganello E., "When Ferruccio dreamed" (Quando Ferruccio sognava), "Ruoteclassiche", Oct.1994
• Deganello E., "the up-you sign to Ferrari" (Un corno a Ferrari), "Ruoteclassiche", Jan.2003

Menu

Miura Roadster

Miura Jota