Feb 26, 2002
by Pete Vack
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Last and best of the fabled Miuras, the SV, of which 150 were built. Photos provided by
the Miura Register web site
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Simon Kidston's new website (see News & Views Feb 26, 2002) inspired me to take a fresh look at the Miura. (pronounced Myur ah). First, the bad news-early Miuras were fragile, hot, unreliable and not particularly well made. Unbeknownst to the first owners, they were recruited as development engineers who had paid for the privilege. But Miuras were not designed to be sold to Soccer Moms, and the technical problems encountered by the complex transverse mid-engined layout, achieved on a very small budget, were part of the thrill of ownership. It was not all Lamborghini's fault; such was the success of the Miura that the factory was literally forced to sell the car without developing the prototype, much less a refined product.
That being said, we can concentrate on the positive aspects of the Miura, of which there are many. The 1966 Miura stopped everyone dead in their tracks, including Ferrari (a very intended target), who could not respond in kind until the Berlinetta Boxer. Dramatic, low, yet perfectly proportioned, the Gandini design made the-then current 275GTB series look like a potato sack (although I never did like the Miura's searchlight headlamps). Set sideways behind the driver, (no doubt inspired by the 1964 Honda Formula 1 car) the 4-liter V12 sat low in the chassis, as the gearbox was placed on the rear side of the block, under the exhaust ports. The monocoque chassis and modern racing suspension left Ferrari production cars a generation behind. In every aspect, the Miura set a benchmark for supercars, and it was the fastest production road car in the world at the time. The Miura put Lamborghini on the map, and provided a heads-up to all those that went before or planned to follow.
In 1972, with the departure of Ferruccio Lamborghini, the Miura passed away far too soon. The Countach, as its name implied, was a car that could not be rationally defined. Although faster, longer-lived, and certainly sensational, the Countach developed into overweight, hard to handle beast, best left to admire while parked. On the other hand, the Miura was meant to be driven, and looked good both at speed and at rest. Noise factor aside, it was a joy to drive, and the favorite of both Ferruccio and Bob Wallace. The chassis and engine were engineering art, the body outrageously beautiful, timeless and tasteful. All of this, the Countach was not.
Lamborghini returned to earth with the Diablo, a considerably tamer in appearance than the Countach, yet a development of the same concept. Sales were good, road tests were praiseworthy, but the Diablo did not stir anyone's soul. Today, the new Murcielago is even less radical than the Diablo, and a better car to boot. But it will not stir anyone's soul either, although it has been conceived within more rational limits.
The Miura managed to do both. It set the automotive world fire, and did so with beauty, grace, style and wonderfully imagined technology. That's why the Miura gets my vote as the greatest Lamborghini ever.
We wish Simon the best as he begins tracking the Miuras. The car deserves it.
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Books on Lamborghini
A coffee table book worth its weight in Ferrari parts-
Needing to have a failing memory refreshed, I went to my bookshelf and procured my copy of Lamborghini, by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide
, (Publications International, 1991) a heavy, nasty sized book that refuses to fit in a standard bookshelf. Ugh, by the looks of this it isn't going to be worth the effort.
After reading a few chapters, I quickly changed my mind. Coffee table or not, this book is extremely well written, has 450 excellent photos. The unnamed authors made good use of access to both Ferruccio Lamborghini and Bob Wallace. The chapters are comprehensive and logical, and the appendix includes specs up to the Diablo, a bibliography and clubs. Can't say how much it cost but no doubt was relatively inexpensive. A highly recommended first book on Lambos.
For a more in depth coverage of the Miura we recommend locating a copy of Lamborghini Miura, The Definitive Analysis of Lamborghini's
First Sensational V-12 Supercar by Peter Coltrin and Jean-Francois Marchet. This exhaustive title thoroughly details the design,
development and production and includes a full list of chassis numbers in the appendix.
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