Seems we've been flooded with press releases from manufacturers announcing factory-standard restoration services recently. Jaguar, Ferrari, Aston and - announced earlier this week - Land Rover all now offer owners with deep pockets the chance to have their car brought up to what may well be considerably better than as-new condition.
A factory restored Miura? Don't mind if I do!
Lamborghini has had its own restoration centre for some time, but has decided to get in on the act by relaunching it under a new and - to British ears - minty moniker: Lamborghini Polo Storico. This will both help owners to track down hard-to-find original parts or, if necessary, "if a special part is not available in stock it can be manufactured immediately based on the original blueprints." This will, we suspect, not be a cheap process, although it will bring the reassurance of knowing your old Lambo is as its makers intended. Polo Storico will also certify that your Lamborghini is indeed in original condition - again, we suspect in return for a fat fee - to help support insurance valuations.
Of course, there are lots of Lamborghini restorers and specialists out there already. But Polo Storico has an ace up its corporate sleeve as the guardian of Lamborghini's archive, with original documentation on every Lamborghini ever made. This allows owners both to check on the originality of their cars and also, if they wish, to return them to factory condition. Again, deep pockets, etc.
One-off Miura Roadster a showcase project
The brand has also been showing off its heritage at the Techno Classica show in Essen with two unique open top Lambos. The gorgeous Miura Roadster was a one-off shown at the 1968 Brussels Motor Show, designed by Nuccio Bertone with the help of a young Marcello Gandini. Sadly it never made production, although it was later painted in zinc-based paint as a rolling advertisement for the International Lead Zinc Research Organisation. Visitors also get a chance to have a gawp at a 2013 Veneno Roadster, one of Lamborghini's 'special models' of which just nine were produced.
