Restored 1978 Lamborghini Miura SVR (Photo: Courtesy of Lamborghini Polo Storico)

The massive expense, effort, and inconvenience it usually takes to restore a classic car may soon be a thing of the past, as manufacturers have discovered a new, lucrative income stream—restoring classics at the factory. Some, like Jaguar and Aston Martin, have even produced brand new versions of old classics. In terms of desirability, though, Lamborghini's latest project probably takes the cake

This stunning SVR model is one of 763 Miuras that Lamborghini built between 1966 and 1972; along with the "regular" versions there was a limited number of "Jota" specification models, or SVJs, that were developed by Lamborghini factory driver Bob Wallace. This particular car, a truly unique individual which has now been restored by Lamborghini, is a Miura S in green with the chassis number #3781. It was built in 1968 and was shown at the Turin Motor Show.

The car was purchased by a German customer in 1974, who took it back to the factory to be restored for the first time in its life. While it was undergoing a rebuild that took 18 months to complete, the Miura was converted into a special, created-for-the-occasion SVR specification, which was a step above even the renowned 440 horsepower SVJ models.

Japan was the next stop for #3781 where after its sale it became a genuine hero car as it made it into manga comic books and also served as the inspiration for the Kyosho toymaker's SVR model car line.

(Related: Lamborghini Marks Miura Milestone at Amelia Island)

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Restored 1978 Lamborghini Miura SVR (Photo: Courtesy of Lamborghini Polo Storico)
Above Restored 1978 Lamborghini Miura SVR (Photo: Courtesy of Lamborghini Polo Storico)

Forty years after it was taken to Japan, it was decided that the car was in need of restoration, and when it arrived back at the factory it was already in pieces. The car certainly wasn't a rotting barn find by any means at that point, as it had been sold as a complete car in Japan in 2015.

Because the car had been previously been modified in 1974, Lamborghini's Polo Storico factory restoration division boss Paolo Gabrielli admits the factory wasn't really able to use the same approach as these restorations normally require. Instead, they were forced to work mainly from the specifications from that 1974 rebuild.

The restored car was on display at a recent event at Nakayama Circuit in Japan as it was delivered to its owner.

(Related: Classic Car Market Reaps Better Returns Than Property, Fine Art)

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