Saturday, May 26, 2007

Shah's two 1971 Lamborghini Miura

1971 Lamborghini Miura SVJ "Jota"





The 1971 Lamborghini Miura SVJ, chassis #4934, was built for Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The Shah stored this car under armed guard with a Miura P400 SV in Royal Palace in Tehran. After he fled the country during the Iranian Revolution, his cars were seized by the Iranian government. The SV/J was sold into Dubai in 1995. In 1997 this car was sold via a Brooks auction to US actor Nicolas Cage, at US$490,000, becoming the model's highest ever price sold in an auction. Cage sold the car in 2002. Now owned by a collector in London, England.

More information and pictures: http://www.lamborghiniregistry.com/Miura/MiuraJota/4934.html

1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV



The 1971 Lamborghini Miura SVJ, chassis #4870, was specially ordered by Shah Reza Pahlavi. Neither the Pope, nor the President of the United States, nor the President of the Soviet Union have ever owned a Miura. Factory sources states that the Shah personally visited the factory in Italy briefly in early 1971, accompanied by his wife Queen Farah Diba, en route from his winter home in St Moritz, Switzerland to the Royal Palace in Tehran. The Shah's Lamborghini's were delivered via S.E.A Automobili in Rome, as was #4870. After security clearance, this SV was flown to Teheran, Iran, and stored under armed guard at the Royal Niavaran Palace with the Shah's collection of several hundred cars. By account of both the Shah's family and the caretaker of his collection, the Shah adored this Miura SV and often drove it, with armed SAVAK security guards in tow in a Mercedes 600.




On January 24th 1991, the car was imported into Italy after being 'rescued' from Iran. It was refurbished in 1991 to 1993. The Italian owner kept the car until 1998, when he sold it privately to its next owners Joe and Margaret Sackey via a European Broker. The car also has its original Teheran Government licence plates TEH-88540 (fully restored in green on white) as came with the car.

More information and pictures: http://www.lamborghiniregistry.com/Miura/MiuraSV/4870.html