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1970 Lamborghini Miura P-400 Jota, If Lambo Was a Race Car

The origin

Lamborghini was never intended to appear in a race because Ferruccio Lamborghini wanted to focus on being supreme on road, not track. Bob Wallace, on the other hand, believed that Lamborghini cars are potentially competitive racers. The chief test-driver of Lamborghini could persuade Ferruccio to let him modify 3 models and build a race version of each to see what a race Lambo would be like. The 1st one was a Miura, based on a P-400 and modified to comply with the “J” series of the FIA races. So it was named after the pronunciation of J in the Spanish alphabet, Jota.

The engine was well boosted by utilizing a dry-sump lubrication, different camshafts and also increasing the compression ratio, along with many other changes in different parts, enabled to rev up to 8800 rpm and unleash up to 440 bhp. The gearbox and exhaust system were also replaced with the race versions and the suspension was widened. In order to reduce weight, the steel chassis floor and most of the bodywork were remade of Avional, a high strength and light aluminum alloy. New Campagnolo wider yet lighter magnesium wheels were installed, the side windows and the headlights were replaced with fixed plastic ones, the interior was stripped off, the dashboard was replaced with a just-essentials one. All extra instruments were also eliminated reducing the overall weight to around 900 kg. The car also received aerodynamic modifications, with the front spoiler for example, attached to retaliate the uplift Miura’s nose faced at high speeds. To have a perfect weight distribution, the single fuel tank was replaced with two 60-liter ones fitted into side sills. Besides, some vents were cut wherever needed on the bodywork for better ventilation.

Almost everything was purposefully modified and all the above mentioned were just a few general ones. The raging bull was now ready to charge. It was test driven by Bob on Pirelli test tracks for around 20/000 km, but not being intended to race and because of some financial problems of the company, the one and only Jota was sold to Inter-Auto in Brescia, Italy.

Not long after, the car crashed on a bridge during a test drive, one of the side tanks was busted and the car was burned to the ground beyond repair. There was no Jota anymore but with the new Miura SV model available, several customers wanted their cars to be upgraded to Jota edition, including the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. These examples are known as SVJ and not identical to the original Lamborghini Miura Jota, because they were road cars after all.

Piet Pulford, an English Lamborghini enthusiast, decided to reincarnate the legendary Lamborghini Miura Jota as a replica, getting help from Bob Wallace himself, living in Arizona at the time. A wrecked Miura chassis No. 3033 was purchased, delivered to Wymondham Engineering in Norfolk and the masterpiece started being developed by the hands of many engineers and mechanics, including Chris Lawrence and Roger Constable who played a great role, under Bob’s tele-supervision. After a nearly 15-year effort, Jota was reborn in 2003, “and even better than the original”, Wallace believed.

Technical specifications

The Lamborghini Miura Jota was/is a mid-engine race-car powered by a boosted P400 engine, a natural aspirated V12 @ 60° with an alloy block mounted transversely and transformed to a dry-sump, featuring 2 valves/cyl layout and using 2 overhead camshafts driven by chain. The engine was fed by 4 Weber 3-choke 46 IDL carburetors and the ignition system was replaced with an all-different electronic one using 2 coils and Marelli distributors. It had the same bore/stroke ratio of 82/62 mm, but with increased compression ratio of 11.5/1. With a total displacement of 3929cc, the mighty engine could produce up to 440 bhp @ 8500 rpm of power and 403 Nm @ 6500 rpm of torque, well enough to propel the 900 kg car to the speed of 100 km/h in around 3.6 s and a top speed of 320 km/h through a 5-speed gearbox but with closer ratios and a ZF differential. Jota used a wider, all independent suspension system which was parallelogram arms with coil springs and adjustable Koni telescopic shock absorbers in both front and rear. It also featured ventilated disc brakes on all 4 wheels.

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Carlos Herrera
Carlos Herrera
2 years ago

Is the “Millechiodi” also a “Jota” ?

Carlo Pinin
Carlo Pinin
2 years ago

Non male con i fanali alternativi

Mark84
Mark84
2 years ago

how much are those worth now?

Celebrating 115 years of Carrozzeria Garavini, the brand sees its rediscovery and relaunch in the world of cars, design and elegance.

At Garavini, craftsmanship, manufacture and uniqueness come together to create works of art on wheels that go beyond the concept of a simple means of transport to become symbols of passion and refinement.

115 years after its foundation, the company has decided to start again with the Alfa Romeo 4C, in the 10th anniversary year of the model’s presentation, in collaboration with the IAAD in Turin. This partnership between the historic brand and the design institute represents an opportunity to create a high-end sports car that combines outstanding Italian aesthetics with the best technologies.

Poltu Quatu immediately turned out to be the ideal location for the premiere of the project, thanks to the famous Concours d’Elegance which, as the perfect combination of worldliness, elegance and the joy of living the dolce vita, allows the meeting from all over the world of those enthusiasts who, more than anyone else, can appreciate the value and style of a vision such as Garavini’s.

The project takes its inspiration from the 1930s Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 by Garavini, the star of the Italian Dolce Vita and the birth of the classic car movement in Italy. The Garavini Perenne represents an extraordinary sports car that combines the Italian tradition of elegance and style with innovation and high quality craftsmanship. Garavini’s tribute to the model, the 4C, which, with its debut 10 years ago, decreed the real relaunch of Alfa Romeo, is no coincidence: symbolic value, as happens in all valuable initiatives, has a decisive weight in the conception and realisation of unique products.

The soul of the project is Luca Babbini, a young entrepreneur with experience in research and development for various industries, in particular the automotive industry. Babbini’s path, which started at IAAD and has been refined through subsequent collaborations, has always been linked to a passion for luxury, not so much as a material passion, but derived from the emotion that an object or an experience conveys.

“When I crossed Garavini’s path,” explains Luca Babbini, Garavini Design Director, “with family origins and values that can be traced back to mine, I thought it was a sign: the awareness of this affinity has allowed us to give life to a new chapter, a reality in which passion for craftsmanship, luxury and family heritage come together. The Garavini Perenne will be an opportunity to enhance the Turin area but in an international key, thanks to the freshness and desire to do that only a young team, such as that of Garavini and that of the IAAD master’s degree course in Transportation Design, can guarantee.”

On 8 July on the occasion of the Poltu Quatu Classic, a preview of the concept on which the students of the IAAD master’s course in Transportation Design are working, reasoning and declining the Garavini values of elegance and attention to detail, aimed at creating a modern classic with a first series of 15 examples, which aspires to become a timeless model, a source of inspiration for the present and the future. The lines are classic, inspired by a sporty use that smells of fresh air and speed. Driving pleasure is at the heart of the design with a set-up dedicated to usability on the road as well as on the track.

Again Luca Babbini: ‘The valorisation of young people is a key aspect of the project: it always seems, in the common narrative, that unreachable challenges and moments of continuous crisis await us, but the future is full of opportunities and style and beauty are not a closed chapter. The creation of new classics is the true ambition of a project, which looks to the future aware of its past but with the confidence that it can still make a difference. The Turin area, then, is rich in excellent craft realities with which to create synergies and develop a true pole of high craftsmanship. There is nothing to stop us from looking beyond the automotive field and broadening the declination of our values with incursions into other sectors… in short, there is a lot to build on, and the Garavini lifestyle begins today with Garavini Perenne.

The result of this partnership is a high-end compact sports car with a sculptural aesthetic design. Garavini is committed to satisfying a discerning international audience that appreciates the art of automotive design and Italian craftsmanship. The ability to excite both long-time enthusiasts and new customers is a challenge Garavini sets itself, aiming to create a fascinating and successful future for the brand.

The Garavini Perenne will be released in 2025.