Hollywood couldn’t have written this better.
(Lamborghini)
A long-lost Lamborghini Miura P400 featured in the classic 1969 heist flick, “The Italian Job,” has been rediscovered and restored just in time for the classic film’s 50th anniversary this June.
The bright orange coupe can be seen being driven by Rossano Brazzi through the Great St Bernard pass connecting Switzerland and Italy as the opening credits roll, up until he drives into a dark tunnel and crashes into a bulldozer, which pushes the car off of a cliff.
But it wasn’t the same car. According to Lamborghini, the filmmakers purchased an already wrecked Miura to destroy and borrowed a new one for Brazzi to drive. The only caveat being they had to swap the white seats for black ones so they wouldn't get stained. After production was complete, that car was returned to the automaker and sold with the original seats and its connection to the film forgotten for some time.
(Lamborghini)
The car changed several times since then as some classic car historians were trying to match a Miura to the one in the movie to avail. Then last year, it was purchased by a car collector in Liechtenstein named, Fritz Kaiser, who had a hunch it might be the one and decided to go to the source for help to find out.
(Lamborghini)
He sent it to the team at Lamborghini’s historic center, who researched the chassis number, #3586, and interviewed employees who were around at the time the film was being made, including the man who performed the stunt driving duties Enzo Moruzzi. As far as it is concerned, everything checked out. So it restored it, certified it and officially closed the book on the search.
(Lamborghini)
It’s not been revealed how much Kaiser paid for the car or the restoration, but Miuras like it are currently worth $1 million or more.