Lamborghini, as a company, had only been in existence for a few short years before its founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini, decided to embark on an ambitious project that would come to redefine the automobile industry as far as high-performance vehicles were concerned. That project, which ultimately gave birth to the Lamborghini Miura, actually started out as a secret venture embarked upon by a couple of design engineers at the company.

Their work was initially code-named 400TP in direct reference to the 4.0-liter V12 engine mounted in a transverse position, behind the driver’s cabin. Fearing he would not approve, Ferruccio wasn’t shown the project until the chassis had been built. The engineers were pleasantly surprised when he gave the project an approving nod and the rest, as they say, is history - one that became an integral part of the evolution of supercars.

Here then, are some of the most interesting snippets about the world’s first supercar – the Lamborghini Miura.

15 The Launch Blooper

Miura-1966GenevaAutoShow
via magiccarpics

The Miura was not a finished product when it was first shown off at the 1966 Geneva Auto Show. None of the engineers had checked to see if the massive V12 powerplant would fit inside the engine bay. As a result, they had to hastily fill the bay with ballast and keep away admirers and inquisitive journalists who were curious about the engine.

14 Laying Down The Marker

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via newsatlas

It is interesting to note that the Miura is actually considered the first production and road-legal sports car to feature a rear, mid-engine layout where the powerplant sits just behind the driver. It is credited for kickstarting a trend of high-performance, mid-seat vehicles that continues till today.

13 Origin of the Name

Miura - OTN
via motor1

Ferruccio Lamborghini was a fan of bullfighting. When the time came to name the Miura, he approached the Don Eduardo Miura’s cattle ranch in Sevilla and informed the businessman of his intention to name his car after the fiercest line of fighting bulls bred specially by the Don. He was only too happy to oblige and that was how the car had a name in line with its character.

12 Fastest Production Car

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via thenational.ae

The Miura was a trendsetter when it debuted and in terms of speed, it was well ahead of the pack. The supercar was able to achieve a 6.3-second sprint to 60 mph before rocketing on to a top speed of 163 mph. In 1966, this was enough to set the car apart as the fastest production sports car.

11 It Was Offered In A Few Different Variants

Miura - FDV
via motorious

The Miura had a production run that spanned 8 years, from 1966 to 1973. In that time, about 764 units were built in different variants that started with the Miura P400. Then there were other models like the P400S, P400SV, P400SVJ, and P400 Jota. Each variant featured various tweaks and modifications to make it even more formidable.

10 Names Behind The Scenes

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via carthrottle

There were a few interesting characters involved in the development of the legendary car. One of them was the late Giotto Bizzarrini, the design engineer behind the most desirable collector’s car, the Ferrari 250 GTO. Giotto laid the foundation for the V12 engine before he departed Lamborghini. Then there was the late Bob Wallace, the famous Lamborghini test driver, who at age 21, followed his automobile passion to Italy.

9 Early Models Had An Achilles Heel

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via 1cars.org

There is no doubt that the Miura was revolutionary when it launched. However, it was also well known that the car, especially the earlier models, had a rather notorious tendency to generate front-end lift at high speeds. This issue was corrected to a large extent with the introduction of the Miura SV.

8 Third Time’s The Charm

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via jalopnik

Ferruccio was a man obsessed with excellence and was impatient about creating a masterpiece that would take the automobile world by storm. Lamborghini had only formally been in existence for about 3 years and had only made 2 other cars - the 350GT and the 400GT - before the Miura was conceived.

7 The One And Only Miura Jota

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One of the most extreme Miura variants, the SV, debuted in 1971 but even that wasn’t enough for Bob Wallace, Lamborghini Chief Test Driver at the time, so he decided to build one to his own specifications – and the Miura Jota was born. The car was much lighter than the regular model and the V12 engine had been tweaked to produce over 400hp. Unfortunately in 1971, the only Miura Jota met a fiery end when it crashed and burned on a lonely Italian road.

6 The One You Didn’t Know About

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via pinterest

There was another one-off Miura that you probably have never heard of – the Miura SVR. The car started out as a Miura P400 S when it was purchased by a wealthy German businessman, Heinz Steber. Heinz wasn’t satisfied and he wanted something much more potent; even better, he had the funds and 8 months later, Lamborghini had completed the Miura P400 S transformation to the one-off Miura SVR.

5 If Ferruccio Had His Way

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via inventory.symbolicinternational

Ferruccio Lamborghini believed in exclusivity and his initial plan was to limit production of the Miura to just 30 units. He apparently did not expect the heavy volume of interest the car generated after it was shown off at the 1966 Geneva Auto Show. He eventually gave in to the pressure and that initial plan of 30 cars had grown to over 700 units by the time the last Miura rolled off the production line.

Related: 15 Things You Need To Know About the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster

4 They Were Not Cheap

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via robbreport

The Miura was one special machine; Lamborghini knew this only too well and ensured that it reflected in the pricing. Each unit cost $20,000 which in 1966, was a heck of a lot of money. That didn’t stop the Miura from selling like hot cakes; a total of 275 units were shipped to customers between 1966 and 1969.

3 The Best Miura

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via uncrate

The is little doubt that the best Miura variant was the SV, launched in 1971. The car only featured a few external modifications; the main changes were on the inside. A new rear suspension setup was introduced; this took care of the nagging front-end lift problems. Also, larger carburetors were fitted and different cam-timing was utilized, helping to make the SV much more tractable at lower RPMs.

Related: These Were The Most Expensive Cars In The '60s

2 The Most Expensive Miura

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via lp112

Lamborghini Miuras are highly desirable today and generally command prices in excess of half a million dollars when they come up for auction. However, in August 2015, a pristine example set a record when it crossed the auction blocks for a staggering $2.5 million. This one was an almost flawless 1971 Miura P400 SV by Bertone.

1 The Powerplant Was No Joke

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via lamborghinipalmbeach

The monstrous Miura engine sat just behind the driver’s head and there were no restrictions to the roar of the naturally aspirated roar when the engine was in full throttle. The V12 powerplant in the early models was mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and could produce 360 hp at a screaming 9,800 rpm. That figure was later bumped up to 385 hp on the Miura SV while the one-off Miura Jota reportedly had more than 400 hp at its disposal.

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