Skip to main content

Hot car

A classic Lamborghini Miura SV sports car recently caught fire in London, while it was being driven. The owner managed to escape unharmed but by the time emergency services were able to attend the fire, the car had been completely burned out. As this extremely rare car is worth around £1 million, the insurance company is not likely to be happy about having to make a payout. The reason for the fire is unknown but the electrics of this 1971 model were never a strongpoint. Aerodynamically the Miura is also rep
August 15, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A classic 3066 Lamborghini Miura SV sports car recently caught fire in London, while it was being driven. The owner managed to escape unharmed but by the time emergency services were able to attend the fire, the car had been completely burned out. As this extremely rare car is worth around £1 million, the insurance company is not likely to be happy about having to make a payout. The reason for the fire is unknown but the electrics of this 1971 model were never a strongpoint. Aerodynamically the Miura is also reputed to have its flaws by generating lift rather than downforce at speed. As the front-mounted fuel tank empties the car is said to have a somewhat unnerving tendency to lift its front wheels from the ground. Given that the improved later (and most sought after) SV model had a top speed of 276km/h (171mph), this was something of a deterrent to driving a Miura flat out. The rarity and value of this particular model, with only 150 made and few surviving thanks to the car’s peculiar aerodynamics and stunning power to weight ratio, means that the car is likely to be rebuilt from the ground up.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Rubber tyre compactors improved
    November 16, 2021
    HAMM is offering new models for asphalt compaction in the shape of its latest compact pneumatic roller and its full-sized pneumatic machines
  • Interview with Jean Todt – FIA president
    January 19, 2018
    Reducing the death and injury toll on the world's roads is a key priority. It is estimated that every year, 1.25 million people die on the world’s roads. With motorisation and urbanisation to increase in many parts of the developing world in the years to come, there is every likelihood that this number could rise. Can you explain why so many lives are needlessly lost every year on our roads and why greater action isn’t being taken to address this?
  • Driving fit for a queen
    December 14, 2015
    The British queen is known as an enthusiastic driver, particularly for off-roading, but despite never having held a licence or sat a driving test. A legal anomaly means she has been able to drive without a licence although she did undergo training by the British Army when she served as a driver during WWII. Her off road driving skills are well known, particularly when at the wheel of her favoured Land Rovers. On one occasion during a formal visit by a previous Saudi king, he was surprised when she sat behin
  • UK to reconsider Chinese excavator tariffs
    July 15, 2025
    The ‘trade remedies’, which came into force May 14, affect Chinese-made self-propelled tracked excavators with a 360° revolving superstructure and with an operating weight between 11tonnes and 80tonnes.