Lamborghini Miura
Encyclopedia
The Lamborghini Miura was a sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....

 produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...

 between 1966 and 1972. The car is widely considered to have begun the trend of high performance, two-seater, mid-engined sports cars. At launch, it was the fastest production road car available.

The Miura was originally conceived by Lamborghini's engineering team, who designed the car in their spare time against the wishes of company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini
Ferruccio Lamborghini
Ferruccio Elio Arturo Lamborghini was an Italian industrialist. Born to grape farmers from the comune of Renazzo di Cento in the Emilia-Romagna region, his mechanical know-how led him to enter the business of tractor manufacturing in 1948, when he founded Lamborghini Trattori, which quickly became...

, who showed a preference towards producing powerful yet sedate grand touring
Grand tourer
A grand tourer is a high-performance luxury automobile designed for long-distance driving. The most common format is a two-door coupé with either a two-seat or a 2+2 arrangement....

 cars, rather than the racecar-derived machines produced by local rival Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...

. When its rolling chassis was presented at the 1965 Turin auto show, and the prototype P400 debuted at the 1966 Geneva show, the car received a stellar reception from showgoers and motoring press alike, who were impressed by Marcelo Gandini's sleek styling as well as the car's revolutionary design.

As Lamborghini's halo car, the Miura received periodic updates and remained in production until 1972, and was not replaced in the automaker's lineup until the Countach
Lamborghini Countach
The Lamborghini Countach is a mid-engined supercar that was produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. Its design both pioneered and popularized the wedge-shaped, sharply angled look popular in many high performance sports cars...

 entered production in 1974, amid tumultuous financial times for the company.

Development

During 1965, Lamborghini's three top engineers, Gian Paolo Dallara
Gian Paolo Dallara
Gianpaolo Dallara is an Italian businessman and motorsports engineer. He is owner of Dallara Motorsports, a company that develops racing cars.-Biography:Dallara was born in Parma....

, Paolo Stanzani, and Bob Wallace put their own time into the development of a prototype car known as the P400. The engineers envisioned a road car with racing pedigree; a car which could win on the track and be driven on the road by enthusiasts. The three men worked on the car's design at night, hoping to sway Lamborghini from the opinion that such a vehicle would be too expensive and would distract from the company's focus. When finally brought aboard, Lamborghini allowed his engineers to go ahead, deciding that the P400 was a potential marketing tool, if nothing more.

The car featured a transversely-mounted mid-engine layout, a departure from previous Lamborghini cars; the V12 was also unusual in that it was effectively merged with the transmission and differential, reflecting a lack of space in the tightly-wrapped design. The rolling chassis was displayed at the Turin Salon in 1965; impressed showgoers placed orders for the car despite the lack of a body to go over the chassis.

Bertone was placed in charge of styling the prototype, which was finished just days before its début at the 1966 Geneva motor show. Curiously, none of the engineers had found time to check if the engine fit inside its compartment; committed to showing the car, they decided to fill the engine bay with ballast, and keep the hood locked throughout the show, as they had three years earlier for the début of the 350GTV. Sales boss Sgarzi was forced to turn away members of the motoring press who wanted to see the P400's power plant. Despite this setback, the car was the star of the show, making stylist Marcello Gandini
Marcello Gandini
Marcello Gandini is an Italian car designer, widely known for his work with the automotive design house Gruppo Bertone, notably his design of the Lamborghini Countach. Together with Giorgetto Giugiaro and Leonardo Fioravanti, Gandini forms a noted triumvirate of Italian car designers, all born in...

 a star in his own right.

The favourable reaction at Geneva meant the P400 was to go into production by the following year, under a different name, Miura. The name along with the company's newly created trade-mark badge were taken from a type of fighting bull
Miura bull
A Miura bull is a Spanish fighting bull bred from the lineage of the Miura Cattle Ranch , located in the province of Seville, Spain. The ranch originally belonged to Don Eduardo Miura Fernández, and is known for producing large and difficult fighting bulls...

. The Miura gained a worldwide audience of automotive enthusiasts when it was chosen for the opening sequence of The Italian Job
The Italian Job
The Italian Job is a 1969 British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom....

 (original 1969 version). In press interviews of the time company boss Ferruccio Lamborghini
Ferruccio Lamborghini
Ferruccio Elio Arturo Lamborghini was an Italian industrialist. Born to grape farmers from the comune of Renazzo di Cento in the Emilia-Romagna region, his mechanical know-how led him to enter the business of tractor manufacturing in 1948, when he founded Lamborghini Trattori, which quickly became...

 was reticent about his precise birth date, but stressed that he was born under the star sign Taurus
Taurus (astrology)
Taurus is the second astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the zodiac between the 30th and 59th degree of celestial longitude. Generally, the Sun transits this area of the zodiac between April 21 to May 21 each year...

.

P400

Early Miuras, known as P400s (for Posteriore 4 litri), were powered by a version of the 3.9 L Lamborghini V12
Lamborghini V12
The Lamborghini V12 is a sixty degree V12 petrol engine designed by Lamborghini, and was the first internal combustion engine ever produced by the firm....

 engine used in the 400GT
Lamborghini 400GT
Lamborghini 400GT is the name given to two gran tourismos produced by Italian manufacturer Lamborghini.The first 400GT, commonly referred to as simply the 400GT or 400GT Interim, was essentially the older 350GT featuring an enlarged, 3929 cc V12 engine, with a power output of...

 at the time, only mounted transverse
Transverse engine
A transverse engine is an engine mounted in a vehicle so that the engine's crankshaft axis is perpendicular to the long axis of the vehicle. Many modern front wheel drive vehicles use this engine mounting configuration...

ly and producing 350 PS. About 474 P400s were produced between 1966 and 1969 - a success for Lamborghini despite its then-steep $20,000 USD price (approx. $114,000 in today's terms).

Taking a cue from the Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...

, Lamborghini formed the engine and gearbox in one casting and they shared common lubrication until the last 96 SVs, which used a limited slip differential requiring appropriate oil.

It has been reported, but not confirmed, the first 125 Miuras were built of 0.9mm steel and are therefore a bit lighter than later cars. All cars had steel frames and doors with aluminum front and rear skinned body sections.

P400S

The P400S Miura, also known as the Miura S, made its introduction at the Turin Motorshow in November 1968, where the original chassis had been introduced 3 years earlier. It was slightly revised from the P400, including newly added power windows, bright chrome trim around external windows and headlights, new overhead inline console with new rocker switches, engine intake manifolds made 2mm larger, different camshaft profiles, and notched trunk end panels (allowing for slightly more luggage space). Engine changes were reportedly good for an additional 20 PS. Other revisions were limited to creature comforts, such as a locking glovebox lid, reversed position of cigarette lighter and windshield wiper switch, and single release handles for front and rear body sections. Other interior improvements included the addition of power windows and optional air conditioning, available for $800. About 140 P400S Miura were produced between December 1968 and March 1971. One S #4407 was owned by Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

.

P400SV

The last and most famous Miura, the P400SV or Miura SV featured different cam timing and altered carburetors. These gave the engine an additional 15 PS, to 385 PS. The last 96 SV engines included a limited slip differential which required a split sump. The gearbox now had its lubrication system separate from the engine, which allowed the use of the appropriate types of oil for the gearbox and the engine. This also alleviated concerns that metal shavings from the gearbox could travel into the engine with disastrous and expensive results.

The SV can be distinguished from its predecessors from its lack of "eyelashes" around the headlamps, wider rear fenders to accommodate the new 9 inches (228.6 mm) rear wheels and Pirelli
Pirelli
Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse multinational company based in Milan, Italy. The company, the world’s fifth largest tyre manufacturer, is present in over 160 countries, has 20 manufacturing sites around the world and a network of around 10,000 distributors and retailers.Founded in Milan in 1872,...

 Cinturato tires, and different taillights. 150 SVs were produced.

There was a misprint in the SV owners manual indicating bigger intake valves in English size (but correct size in metric). The intake and exhaust valves in all 4 liter V12 Lamborghini remained the same throughout all models. This intake size misprint carried forward into Espada 400GT and Countach LP400/LP400S owners manuals as well.

P400 Jota

In 1970, Lamborghini development driver Bob Wallace used chassis #5084 to create a test mule
Development mule
A development mule or a test mule in the automotive industry is a vehicle equipped with experimental or prototype components for testing. Automakers evaluate aspects of vehicles before a full pre-production car is built to find problems. Mule cars are drivable, often years ahead of actual production...

 that would conform to the FIA
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...

's Appendix J racing regulations. The car was appropriately named the Miura Jota (the pronunciation of the letter 'J
J
Ĵ or ĵ is a letter in Esperanto orthography representing the sound .While Esperanto orthography uses a diacritic for its four postalveolar consonants, as do the Latin-based Slavic alphabets, the base letters are Romano-Germanic...

' in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

). Only one was ever built, which was eventually sold to a private buyer after extensive testing. In April 1971, the car crashed on the yet-unopened ring road
Ring road
A ring road, orbital motorway, beltway, circumferential highway, or loop highway is a road that encircles a town or city...

 around the city of Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...

, and burned to the ground.

P400 SV/J

Once customers heard about the Jota, they requested their own "Jota". Lamborghini could not justify the expense of building a series of Jotas, so they offered an upgraded SV model instead. This model, known as the SV/J, featured upgrades to the engine, suspension components, exterior and interior.

Of the five examples of the Miura SV/J built by the factory while the Miura was still in production, two were built new (chassis #5090 and #5100) and three were converted from existing SVs (chassis #4934, #4860 & #4990). All of these still exist. Chassis #5100 is however the only SVJ to feature the dry sump lubrication system as per the mechanics of the original Jota #5084.

One of these cars, chassis #4934, was built for the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979...

. The Shah stored this car under armed guard with another SV in Royal Palace in Tehran. After he fled the country during the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...

, his cars were seized by the Iranian government. The SV/J was sold into Dubai in 1995. In 1997 this car was sold via a Brooks auction to Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...

, at US$490,000, becoming the model's highest ever price sold in an auction. Cage sold the car in 2002.

A sixth SV/J was built at the Lamborghini factory between 1983 and 1987 from an unused Miura S chassis. This was made for Jean Claude Mimran, one of the Mimran brothers, the then owner of Lamborghini.

Further Miuras were subsequently upgraded to SVJ specifications (trying to imitate the real factory SVJs) by various garages of Switzerland, USA and Japan.

Roadster

Another one-off, the Miura Roadster (actually more of a targa-model, but without any removable roof) was built by Bertone as a show car. Based on a P400, it was first shown at the 1968 Brussels Auto Show. After having been exhibited at several auto salons the car was sold to the International Lead Zinc Research Organization (ILZRO) who turned it into a display-vehicle showcasing the possibilities of using zinc alloys in cars. The car was named the ZN75. A few other Miuras have had their tops removed, but this Bertone Miura Roadster was the only factory open-top Miura.

In 2006 the ZN75 was purchased by New York City real estate developer Adam Gordon. Gordon had Bobilff Motorcars in San Diego, California return the car to its original Bertone Roadster form. The restored car was first shown in August 2008 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is an automotive charitable event held each year on the Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California, considered the most prestigious event of its kind. It is the finale of a week long festival of classic cars events in the Monterey area every year...

.

P400 SVJ Spider

This one-off example of the Miura was displayed at the 1981 Geneva Motor Show with other new Lamborghini models (Jalpa and LM002) shortly after new company CEO Patrick Mimran took over the factory. Finished in pearl white, the SVJ Spider was the formerly yellow Miura S presented at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, reconstructed in 1980 by the Swiss Lamborghini Importer Lambomotor AG with SVJ parts provided by the factory - hence the official Bertone badge and Bertone lettering on the inner door side sills.

Equipped with wide wheels and a rear wing reflecting the marque's revival, it was considered as a prototype for a possible limited series of Miura Spider.

Subsequently bought by Swiss Lamborghini collector Jean Wicki
Jean Wicki
Jean Wicki is a Swiss bobsledder who competed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won three medals with one gold and two bronzes .-References:* *...

, the car had its rear wing and chin spoiler removed and was painted silver, bringing the car's style closer to the Berlinetta SVJ. Lamborghini specialist Autodrome (France) purchased the car from Wicki and restored its bodywork and upholstery in partneship with Carrosserie Lecoq (Paris). Painted traditional Miura lime green, the car was eventually sold to a Parisian collector.

Other than private modifications, there are only two "open" Miuras, officially presented in International Motor shows: the Bertone Miura Roadster, exhibited on Bertone's own stand at Bruxelles in 1969, and this example, shown on the lamborghini stand at the Geneva Motor show in 1981.

2006 Miura concept

A retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...

-styled Lamborghini Miura concept car was presented at the American Museum of Television & Radio
Museum of Television & Radio
The Paley Center for Media, formerly The Museum of Television & Radio and The Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S...

 on January 5, 2006 alongside the Los Angeles Auto Show, though it was not present at the show itself. Instead, the Miura concept car
Concept car
A concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car made to showcase new styling and or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced....

 officially debuted at the North American International Auto Show
North American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...

 two weeks later. It was the first design to be penned by Lamborghini design chief, Walter de'Silva
Walter de'Silva
Walter Maria de'Silva is an Italian car designer who is currently Head of Volkswagen Group Design, and is currently responsible for oversight on the design of all Volkswagen Group passenger car brands including Audi, Volkswagen, SEAT, Škoda as well as Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti...

, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1966 Geneva introduction of the original Miura.

Lamborghini president and CEO Stefan Winkelmann denied that the concept would mark the Miura's return to production, saying “The Miura was a celebration of our history, but Lamborghini is about the future. Retro design is not what we are here for. So we won’t do the Miura.”

Specifications

Lamborghini Miura P400 P400S P400SV
Produced:  1966 - 1969
474 built
1968 - 1971
140 built
1971 - 1972
150 built
Engine:  60° 12-cylinder-V engine
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....

 (four-stroke), mid-mounted
Bore x Stroke:  82 mm (3.2 in) x 62 mm (2.4 in)
Displacement:  3929 cc
Max. Power @ rpm:  style="text-align:center;"|350 PS @ 7000 style="text-align:center;"|370 PS @ 7700 style="text-align:center;"|385 PS @ 7700
Max. Torque @ rpm:  style="text-align:center;"| 355 newton metres (261.8 ft·lbf) @ 5000 style="text-align:center;"|388 newton metres (286.2 ft·lbf) @ 5500 style="text-align:center;"| 388 newton metres (286.2 ft·lbf) @ 5500
Compression Ratio:  9.5 : 1 10.7 : 1 10.7 : 1
Fuel feed:  Four Weber IDL40 3C 3bbl downdraught carburetors
Valvetrain:  Two overhead camshafts per cylinder bank, chain driven, bucket tappets
Cooling:  liquid
Gearbox:  5-speed-manual & rear wheel drive, ratio 4.083:1
Electrical system:  12 volt
Front suspension:  Upper and lower wishbones, coil springs, stabilizing bar
Rear suspension::  Upper and lower wishbones, coil springs, stabilizing bar
Brakes:  Girling disc brakes all around, hydraulically operated
Steering:  Rack & pinion
Body structure:  Monocoque construction
Dry weight:  style="text-align:center;"|1125 kilograms (2,480.2 lb) style="text-align:center;"|1298 kilograms (2,861.6 lb) style="text-align:center;"|1298 kilograms (2,861.6 lb)
Track front/
rear: 
style="text-align:center;"|1400 millimetres (55.1 in) 1400 millimetres (55.1 in) style="text-align:center;"|1400 millimetres (55.1 in) 1400 millimetres (55.1 in) style="text-align:center;"|1400 millimetres (55.1 in) 1540 millimetres (60.6 in)
Wheelbase:  colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| 2500 millimetres (98.4 in)
Length:  colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| 4360 millimetres (171.7 in)
Width:  style="text-align:center;"| 1760 millimetres (69.3 in) style="text-align:center;"|1760 millimetres (69.3 in) style="text-align:center;"|1780 millimetres (70.1 in)
Height:  colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| 1060 millimetres (41.7 in)
Tyre/Tire sizes:  Pirelli Cinturato72 205 VR-15 GR70 VR 15 FR70 HR 15 front, GR70 VR 15 rear
Top speed (measured):  style="text-align:center;"|276 kilometres per hour (171.5 mph)
0-60 mph (measured):  6.7 sec
Fuel Consumption (measured):  21 L/100 km


External links

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