Orange Miura from 1969 film is certified by Lambo

People of the Internet, the orange Lamborghini Miura that appeared in the opening sequence of The Italian Job has been found.

Effectively lost since the film’s release 50 years ago (insofar as of all the orange Miuras in the world, nobody knew which one had actually appeared in the movie), chassis #3586 has finally been officially certified by Lambo’s Polo Storico department as the same car actor Rossano Brazzi drove up the Great St Bernard Pass for the film’s opening sequence.

Of course, the car in the film appeared to meet a somewhat sticky end, when it was involved in a fiery crash in a tunnel then hurled off a cliff. For a time people thought the producers had destroyed a perfectly good Miura, but it was soon established they’d used two - a pre-crashed Miura the factory had laying around, and an identical, pristine example plucked straight from the production line.

It was driven to the set by long-time Lambo employee and Italian Job stunt-double Enzo Moruzzi. He says 'the only thing worrying [Lambo] was the elegant white leather seats, given that car had to get back to Sant’Agata in perfect condition. So, I asked for them to be taken out, replacing them with a set of black leather seats that we used for testing'. The headrests were not replaced, however, which is why in the film the car appears to have black seats and white headrests.

After filming the intact Miura - chassis #3586 - was returned to the factory and prepared for its first owner, who lived in Rome. Now it’s owned by a collector in Liechtenstein - he sent the car to Lambo to confirm once and for all whether his car was the one that appeared in The Italian Job. No doubt it’s worth a bit more today than when he bought it in 2018…

STORY Tom Harrison