By 1970, Lamborghini's Miura line included the regular P400 and "S" or "tuned" models. As if this was not enough, the factory's chief development engineer, Bob Wallace, and his team began a project in their spare time. This skunkworks quickly earned the moniker "Miura Privata" around Lamborghini, in reference to Bob's intimate association with the project. "Let him do whatever he wants" was Ferruccio's response when engineer Stanzani had asked permission for Wallace to build the experimental car in late 1969.

The Jota was built simply as an exercise "to see what could be done to improve engine oiling, stabilize handling and provide overall better build quality," according to Bob Wallace himself. "It was not intended to go racing" continued Wallace, who knew full well that his employer, Automobili Lamborghini SpA, had a written edict in the company's by-laws which prohibited any involvement in racing. Featuring lightweight Avional in its construction, a split sump engine with dry sump application, open trumpets, "Megaphono" exhaust pipes, fuel tanks in the sills and other radical exercises to redistribute weight and experiment with performance enhancements, the Jota was claimed to have had nothing to do with the upcoming Countach, but was a test bed for engineering ideas we implemented in the Miura SV." If anything, it was a prototype for the ultimate production version of the Miura, the SV, as well as a manifold lesson in engineering better and better road-going supercars for the coming years.

Astoundingly, its purpose served, the factory claimed that the car was sold in 1971 to a loyal customer who kept it for a year, returning it for repairs in the summer of 1971. England's Doug Blain and Ian Fraser saw it there, photographed it, and featured it in the August issue of CAR magazine. "It was definitely there in mid-1971" says Fraser when spoke I to him in 2004 regarding the Jota (and the later model LP400 prototype then under construction). At any rate, the original Jota was sold on February 8th, 1972 to one Alfredo Belponer, a Brescia-based collector. The local dealer overseeing the transaction decided it was a good idea to take his customer's car out for a drive to show a colleague just how fast it could go... good fortune has it that they didn't kill themselves (or anyone else for that matter!), but the poor Jota was wrecked beyond repair, with its remains burned to the ground.

There is only one vehicle purpose built by the Lamborghini works as a prototype car with the Jota modification that has factory validation as purpose-built. Serial Number 4892 is that car on display here, built on the 13th of July, 1971 and sold to a Japanese enthusiast via Tomita who imported it into that country originally. He received a written declaration as to the car's authenticity from Ubaldo Sgarzi in August of 1974 when he himself returned to the factory for a new LP400 Countach. Additional documentation from Claudio Zampolli and the original Jota's creator Bob Wallace, also convey to further document this car's authenticity. Originally finished in white with blue, it was refinished in 1973 to its current Rosso Granada livery with 'Naturale' tan leather interior to match the aforementioned Countach. Fully detailed in the Lamborghini registry and currently nearing full restoration completion by marque specialist Gary Bobileff, this will indeed present the ultimate opportunity to garner the most coveted example from the Miura's lineage.

via russoandsteele