www.QV500.com - Lamborghini Miura Part 5: P400 Jota
 

During 1970, factory development engineer, Bob Wallace, was given the go ahead by Paolo Stanzani to construct a Miura-based hot rod more or less from scratch. Intended to illustrate just how far the concept could be taken, the solitary prototype would also be used to evaluate new suspension, mechanical and aerodynamic ideas. Built around chassis 5084, the project was undertaken much like the original Miura programme had begun six years earlier, Wallace and a select team working on the car as a factory sanctioned (and funded) spare time project.
   
Known as the P400 Jota in reference to the FIA's Appendix J regulations it was built to comply with, 5084 became the most infamous of Wallace's experimental creations and its chequered history part of Lamborghini folklore. The extensively uprated specification included a narrower backbone chassis, enlarged side members and Avionel outer panels for the doors, bonnet and rear bodywork. There were steel inner panels with a pair of 60-litre fuel tanks. Bizzarrini's V12 engine retained the 82 x 62mm bore and stroke dimensions and like all production Miura motors, capacity remained unchanged at 3929cc. Output jumped to 440bhp at 8500rpm thanks to a compression ratio of 11.5:1, hot camshafts and four huge triple choke Weber 46 IDL carbs, two of which were reversed to lessen fuel surge. Dry sump lubrication was used, pre-dating its arrival on the SV by over a year while a free-flow competition exhaust featured four megaphone outlets. Huge 9x15 and 12x15 Campagnolo cast-magnesium wheels were fitted front and rear and shod with Dunlop racing tyres. Ride-height was dropped thanks to completely reworked suspension geometry. The Jota's interior was to full competition specification with a new dash, seats, an integral roll cage and sliding plastic side windows. Upon completion, 5084 weighed in at just 880kg and could reputedly hit 185mph and sprint from 0-60 in under four seconds. After completing around 20,000km of test mileage, it was sold to an Italian playboy in Milan.
 

He sold it just a few months later to Dr Alfredo Belponer, owner and president of the Scuderia Brescia Corse racing team. However, before Belponer was able to take delivery, chassis 5084 was completely destroyed when it crashed, rolled and caught fire after going off the brand new and still unopened Brescia ring road in April 1971. Many important customers had seen it around the factory though and inevitably began asking for one. Although Lamborghini couldn’t justify the investment in manpower and never obliged, they did build five very special Miura SV/J's...