The story from Lamborghini is that the car had been hunted for nearly the entire 50 years since the movie was filmed.
On days like these when skies are blue and fields are green. I look around and think about what might have been. And then I hear sweet music float around my head. Like the roar of Lamborghini’s 3.9L V12 sitting in the back of a Miura. And if you recognize those lyrics, you’ll probably know where we’re headed with this. The folks at Sant’Agata have authenticated and verified the Miura from The Italian Job.
No, not that Miura. The pancaked car bulldozed unceremoniously off of a cliff on the Great St Bernard Pass was already wrecked in a collision before it was flattened and exploded. This was the car driven for the stunning opening scene up until that point. Blasting through the Swiss Alps to the sounds of Matt Monro in what has to be one of the coolest openings in all of cinema.
This year marks 50 years since the heist and chase movie, starring Michael Caine, that saw Minis flying over, around, and through Turin, and a bus balancing on the precipice. So it seems like the perfect time for Lamborghini’s Polo Storico to certify the car.
The story from Lamborghini is that the car had been hunted for nearly the entire 50 years since the movie was filmed. At first, collectors believed that the film car was the wrecked car, but it was quickly established that even the movies wouldn’t have smashed such a rare and desirable car. Paramount Pictures found a damaged Arancia Miura (Orange) car on the Lamborghini lot and grabbed it and an identical but not wrecked car. It was returned to the factory after filming and delivered to a buyer in Rome.
Eventually, that Miura was once again found. Because The Kaiser Collection of Vaduz, in Liechtenstein, reached out to Polo Storico, Lambo’s heritage division, to find out exactly which chassis number was in the film.
The chassis number was verified with testimonials from the likes of Enzo Moruzzi, who was the stunt double driving the car during filming.
That let Polo Storico certify once and for all that this car, chassis 3586, was the movie car. As Caine’s Charlie Croker would say, “it’s a very difficult job and the only way to get through it is we all work together as a team. And that means you do everything I say.” Because they have responsibility for all of the company’s historical archives.
If the car doesn’t look quite right, that’s because the original white leather seats were removed for filming. Call it the seat preservation society. Black seats were fitted, though the white headrests remained. So, unless you’ve got to get a bloomin’ move on, enjoy these photos.
Keyword: Lamborghini Certifies The Italian Job Miura