Not many cars possess the so called legendary status, while even fewer maintain that prestigious title even after their launch. However, Lamborghini Miura is one of those few fantastic cars. The Miura is a distinct breed of Spanish fighting bull known for ferocity and cunning. Ferruccio Lamborghini wanted to establish a sports car to compete with world-class supercar manufacturer Ferrari. The result was the mid-engine Lamborghini Miura. Launched in 1966, Lamborghini Miura has always been in a privileged position in automotive history. The Miura, is also regarded as the world’s first “Supercar” with an advanced design and some powerful record-breaking performance.
The Incredible History of Lamborghini Miura
The automotive showpiece was labeled as a supercar as a consequence of an enhanced mid-engine construction. At the time when Miura ruled the roads, people largely believed what Lamborghini said. It was only possible thanks to a 25-years-old designer named Marcello Gandini. He had gifted two of the most paramount supercar designs throughout his automotive design career – Lamborghini Countach and Miura. The automotive marvel made its first appearance at the 1966 Geneva Auto Show.
The Miura is a result of the hard work of Ferruccio Lamborghini and his young engineering team. An aeronautical engineering mastermind, Gian Paolo Dallara, urged about a mid-engine supercar. Dallara had a commendable history of working with giant automakers like Ferrari and Maserati. A young engineer, Paolo Stanzani, and a race mechanic turned development driver, Bob Wallace, were the other teammates behind the revolutionary Lamborghini Miura.
The Miura’s Ground-breaking Evolution
Lamborghini Miura P400
1967 was the year when the deliveries of this unbelievable beauty began, and this first version of the car arrived with the Miura P400. The supercar was equipped with a powerful V12 engine that could bestow 350 HP with its 5-speed gearbox as a unit affixed transversely behind the seats. In just about three years, Lamborghini manufactured 474 units of the first-generation Miura P400.
Lamborghini Miura P400 S
Despite its straight-line performance, Miura P400 was facing issues related to its controllability. It became unstable at high velocity due to aerodynamic lift. In 1969, the Miura was reborn with its upgraded version – Miura P400 S. The new version was gifted with a reinforced chassis and new Pirelli low-profile tires. With the help of bigger intake ports and rapidly operated cams, the Miura P400 S delivered 370 HP with performance remaining unaffected.
Lamborghini Miura P400 SV
A couple of years later, the ultimate Lamborghini Miura P400 SV made its debut in 1971. This version of Miura came with the broadened rear track and with wider tires. The engine of the P400 SV was able to deliver a power output of 385 HP with the help of another round of augmented ports and faster cams. To enhance the lubrication under high g-force, Lamborghini isolated the transmission from the engine sump. Indeed, from the trio of the Lamborghini Miura, the SV offered the best handling characteristics, but it came up a bit slower speed than its previous versions.
Lamborghini Miura Roadster
An Italian automobile company, Bertone, made the Miura Roadster a show car in 1968. The Miura Roadster was based on its previously launched Miura P400 and made its first appearance at the 1968 Brussels Auto Show. This car featured at a few of the auto salons. It was then sold to the International Lead Zinc Research Organization. Although they equipped the Miura with a removable roof, the Bertone Miura Roadster was the only car with an open-top.
Lamborghini Miura – Value for Money
Considering everything, the Lamborghini Miura has always been an expensive car, only because of its originality. Today, the beautiful supercar is worth a hefty price somewhere in the range of $1.5 to $3 million, which is 5 to 15 times more than its base price. Lamborghini Miura made its debut with an original base price of $20,000 (equivalent to $159,528 in 2020) in the year 1966. However, its resale price then increased to $ 70,000 – $ 80,000 in 1999. This supercar has set an example of a highly desireable exotic classic Italian car in the history of the automotive industry. Several years ago, the 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 S called “Millechiodi” was about to set the record for the world’s most exclusive and expensive Miura ever made.
There was a time when the Lamborghini Miura was the favorite toy of multimillionaires. With a typical retrospective supercar’s acceleration and speed, the Lamborghini Miura is widely accredited as the first true supercar. Obviously, the world got supportive of the mid-engine Lamborghini Miura, and today it is worth more than the most expensive supercars of modern times. Without any doubt, the Lamborghini Miura remains a notewrothy collectible and exotic classic Italian car.