Sharing this 1971 Miura SV Jota right after the 1962 Iso Grifo to nail home how close these two cars are in design and spirit, if not chassis or engine.

The mid-mounted V12 of the Lamborghini is a huge part of why this car propelled Lambo to global heights, while Iso and Bizzarrini was nearly finished by the early 1970s.

This car was an SV upgraded by the factory to Jota specification, with the hope of taking the car racing.

The later Miura’s like this are far quicker and better handlers, but the nose is less graceful than the original, with the lower lighting elements giving the SVJ a relatively dour facial expression from straight ahead.

1971 Lamborghini Miura SV Jota

Lot 119

1971 Lamborghini Miura SVJ by Bertone

$2,000,000 – $2,600,000

• Chassis no. 4892
• Engine no. 30640

385 hp, 3,929 cc DOHC transverse V-12 engine, four Weber three-barrel carburetors, five-speed manual transaxle, independent front and rear suspension by coil springs and unequal length wishbones, and four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes. Wheelbase: 98.4 in.

• One of only a handful of Miuras SVs factory-converted to Jota specifications between 1971 and 1975

• Fully restored by Gary Bobileff in 2007

• Ideal for both track days and concours events; equally exciting to drive and stunning to behold

BOB WALLACE’S DREAM: THE ULTIMATE COMPETITION-READY MIURA

Despite the otherworldly performance that Lamborghini’s Miura offered, none were ever campaigned on the world’s race tracks by the factory or clients. Even though it was designed explicitly as a street-going automobile, the Miura could still handedly keep up with many of its race-bred rivals in terms of performance.

Bob Wallace, Lamborghini’s chief test driver and road development engineer, knew better than most that if adapted for use in motorsport, the Miura would be a formidable weapon against Ferraris and Porsches. Wallace had been involved with the design and evolution of the Miura since its early days and knew of its enormous potential better than most. With Lamborghini’s factory as his tool, he set out to produce a special race-ready Miura that would hopefully help to bring the company into motorsport.