Lamborghini Miura

[MadMaxx]

I have always loved this car. I think the lines of the 60's era cars are timeless.

Anyway, anyone have good pics of the Miura? I have a very limited selection, mostly new lambo/f-cars here at my office...


James

[Daryl]

James, I may have some interesting pix somewhere. The Miura is indeed an interesting machine. I was able to drive one here locally some years back. It was one of the most memorable car experiences I've ever had. Really exhilarating. And the guy was selling the car for only $27K!! (Like I said, some years back) Of course, at the time that was like $27 million to me;-). Oh well, it was a right hand drive car anyway! Daryl

[BigTex]

We had quite a few photos of the Miura at the recent Texas Running of the Bulls. Check the Texas section of the Old Site archives!

Or, I could run over to the shop and take a few new ones!

[zjpj]

I love the Miura too. I want to learn more about it. The SVJ is the top of the line, right? Didn't they only make a handful?

[t88power]

The best Lambo ever to this day!! Awesome car!

Ernesto

[Daryl]

James,

If you ever get a chance, rent the original version of "The Italian Job", starring Michael Caine. The movie opens with Marcello Mastriani driving a Miura through the serious twisty bits of the Italian Alps with "On Days Like These" playing in the background, punctuated every so often by the sound of his downshifts. After the intro credits roll the Lambo disappears into a tunnel where it "crashes" head-on into a bulldozer that then pushes the Miura out of the tunnel and over a cliff, in a prolonged tumble of destruction. It was obviously a previously wrecked car (No engine, etc. if you watch closely) but it still was heartbreaking to watch!

[Stickanddice]

What pictures do you want? I can get one of just about every aspect of a Miura.

Cheers

[NNO]

i saw one, for the first time, in New Orleans... It was gorgeous, no argument there, but for some reason, i liked it more in pictures... Maybe it's just me, maybe it was that my mind was too focused on the scores of Ferraris around me but i expected it to have more of an impact on me... Maybe i need to see one when i'm not so distracted... Still a beautiful car, though...

The Diablo Roadster will always be my favorite Lamborghini, though...

[Agent Smith]

Miuras are absolutely awesome machines. Down the line I would LOVE to have one in my stable. Looked sweet thrity years ago, still looks sweet today. Timeless!!

[Exotic_Car_Guy]

Originally Posted by MadMaxx

I have always loved this car. I think the lines of the 60's era cars are timeless.

Anyway, anyone have good pics of the Miura? I have a very limited selection, mostly new lambo/f-cars here at my office...

James

James,
I certainly share your appreciation for the Miura. Here are some photos of my 68. Every time I drive my Miura, I'm transported back to the 60's. The Miura was truly trend setting when it was introduced, and it started the Supercar genre. It was the first mid-engine V-12 road car. Prior to its introduction, only race cars used this layout. It wasn't until 7 years later that Ferrari introduced its first V-12 mid-engine road car - the Boxer.

Here is a short clip from a writer that accurately describes the feeling of driving a Miura.

Gil

Does the driving experience live up to the looks? Approach the car, impossibly low and flat, and open the door with the little catch hidden between the door slats. Climbing inside, your posterior just inches from the ground, you feel almost as if you're lying down. If you're tall, the roof touches your head and your legs are spread to clear the steering wheel. But it feels special: you could be on the grid in a 1960s sports prototype waiting for the flag to drop.

And then the magical moment comes when you turn the key, its location on the transmission tunnel only serving to heighten the sense of occasion. Tick tick tick tick ... the pumps send the four star leaded fuel to the battery of thirsty Weber carburetors inches from your ears. When the ticking has slowed down you turn the key all the way and the starter motor whines behind you. The engine turns and then ... bhaaam! A raucous high pitched whine as cams and exhaust fight for your attention. You let the engine warm up properly before moving off, conscious that the oil pressure is high when cold and it's easy to blow an oil filter by over-revving.

Once the temperature gauges have moved off their stops, dip the clutch and grab the gearlever with all your strength. It needs it - and push it ahead into first. Lift the clutch, give it some revs, and away you go. Not difficult but you have to be deliberate with the controls. The steering is light, with no self centering. The engine noise is almost deafening as revs build, but sounds fantastic. A unique, banshee like wail.

The Girling brakes require a heavy shove and, whilst they work, they don't inspire great confidence. Remember, this is a 1960s design and whilst the straight line performance is still impressive, technology in other areas has progressed further in the past 35 years.

Find a clear stretch of road, floor the accelerator and see what happens. Full revs in every gear - there's no red line so as the British magazine Classic Cars observed: "the red line is fear". 7000rpm arrives faster than you think, you're moving very quickly and the noise is reaching fever pitch, then reach for the next gear (which takes some time) and you're off again.

Soon you're traveling at well over 100mph, then 120, then 140. By now you feel like you're about to take off (and some owners have), then 150, and from then onwards progress is slower. 160mph is for the brave, 170mph for real heroes. Of course, being an Italian car, the speedometer is probably showing 200mph, which doubtlessly impressed countless female passengers in the 1960s. Like I said, only for the brave...

When you drive a Miura which is working properly take the time to savour the moment. The engine whining like a turbine behind your ears, the view over the curvaceous front wings as they devour the road ahead, and the flat cornering - it's one of motoring's great experiences, incredibly rewarding. Imagine being back in the 1960s, on empty roads with no speed limits when most family saloons couldn't top 90mph. The Miura was from another world.

Some people criticize the Miura as over-rated as a driver's car. Many owners polish their cars more than they drive them (and these are often the cars with the most frequent problems). This is, after all, a 1960s car and it will never provide the reliability of a modern one. Having been lucky enough to have driven hundreds of classic cars, from 1920s Bugattis to a 1990s McLaren F1 (usually other people's, sadly), I can confirm that many of them were quite simply fantastic. But I cannot think of any, especially for the price, which give such an adrenalin high. Every journey is exciting - if not always for the right reasons.

If you want to get from A to B take a Ferrari Daytona or a Porsche Carrera RS 2.7. You'll get there quickly without any hassle. But if the trip is more important than arriving, live a little and take a Miura.

[Ferruccio]

Exotic car guy,
Has your Miura been very realiable?

[Exotic_Car_Guy]

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

Exotic car guy,
Has your Miura been very reliable?

That is a good question. Bottom line is I would say YES. With a 35 year old vintage car with low miles, you have to expect that a car would need some sorting out. When I bought my Miura, I immediately put it into the shop to refresh a number of things. The only things that have gone wrong are things that are typical of parts of that age. Once sorted out, the car has been very reliable. I can go into my garage fire it immediately up, and take off for a drive - no drama.

The Miura was way ahead of its time, it made a big splash in the car world. The reaction of the enthusiasts took Lamborghini by surprise with many more orders than they expected. When Ferruccio Lamborghini originally launched the Miura he thought maybe he would build a total of 50 cars. My car was the 137th Miura produced and the total P400 production went to 475 cars (followed by 140 S's and 150 SV's ). Lamborghini being a small and new company had quite an undertaking to feed the demand. The result was that the Miura did not get the level of development that a modern car from a major manufacturer does today.

There are a few known issues, but they are straightforward to deal with. One of the more important improvements that Lamborghini did starting with the 125th Miura produced is to go to a larger gauge frame which really improved the stiffness of the chassis. Many of the Miuras that are still on the road today have since been updated to address the initial shortfalls.

Despite this stress on the new marque, it is quite amazing how good a job Lamborghini did with these cars. It is even more amazing that a lot of this accomplishment was driven by three 25'ish year old guys. Gianpaolo Dallara was the chief engineer, Bob Wallace was the development and test driver/mechanic, and Marcello Gandini of Bertone designed the body. Giotto Bizzarrini who did the Ferrari GTO race car was commissioned by Lamborghini to do the original four cam V-12 engine design after Bizzarrini left Ferrari, and the Lamborghini engine was further developed by Dallara for the Miura. Lamborghini was one of the few marques like Ferrari that did the whole car - chassis, engine, transmission, etc.

35 years later the Miura still looks fresh, and the technologies it incorporated are still in use today (mid-engine, quad cam V-12, transverse engine mount, all synchromesh transmission, independent suspension, disc brakes, air ducting in the wheels for brake cooling, aluminum body panels, aluminum engine and chassis lightening to save weight, etc.). These all seem common now, but the Miura was the first to bring all of these together in a customer road car. Also, many of the aesthetic design elements were and still are being copied (exposed headlights, air intakes, louvers, hinged front and rear bonnets). To this day, the Miura is still one of the lowest profile exotics (just over 40" tall). I like to see my Miura parked next to modern exotic cars. Most of them are bigger and heavier than the Miura (some things don't necessarily get better with time).

The Miura truly deserves the place it holds in automotive history.

Gil

[Ferruccio]

Originally Posted by Exotic_Car_Guy

The Miura truly deserves the place it holds in automotive history.
Gil

Definitly! I saw one at the TROTB and it was incredible. What a car!

[msdesignltd]

Hey Guys, New to this site but not Ferrari's......I am Currently looking to purchase a very clean Lambo Miura 69 70 71 s or sv, any hints who has one up 4 sale. will pay finders fee of 10 minutes behind the wheel, as long as you keep it under 55..... Thanks Michael

[Exotic_Car_Guy]

Originally Posted by msdesignltd

Hey Guys, New to this site but not Ferrari's......I am Currently looking to purchase a very clean Lambo Miura 69 70 71 s or sv, any hints who has one up 4 sale. will pay finders fee of 10 minutes behind the wheel, as long as you keep it under 55..... Thanks Michael

Michael,
As you're probably aware, the Miura is pretty rare and they don't come on the market very often. People that own them are tending to hold on to them. You can do Internet searches periodically to see what comes up. Sometimes you might be able to get a lead from Hemmings. There seems to be more available in Europe. If you're willing to pay all the extra costs involved in importing a car, that might be an option for you.

Good luck,
Gil

[PWehmer]

http://www.fantasy-motors.com/

Look under "current inventory"

The car flawless, factory upgrades, great history.
If you can swing the paper to afford the worlds best....

I got a ride in it. It has factory Webers with velocity stacks.
The noise 4 inches behind your head when they open up will stay burned in my memory for a long time.

[zff]

I'd seen several pictures of Miuras before I saw one in person. Photos do NOT do this car justice. I used to think it was "just" a good-looking car from the photos, but in person, it's probably the most beautiful car I've ever seen.

[Miuraguy]

I had to wait twenty years to get my Miura...it's everything I'd hoped it would be! After four and a half years of ownership and pretty regular usage it's given me no real trouble and is always a blast to drive!

[sparta49]

check out miurasv.com

[Bmyth-FDC]

Here is a picture of a Miura I took recently at the Best of France and Italy show in LA.

Also, there is a yellow Miura S being serviced at FX Performance (FChat sponsor). You can call over there, ask for Costa, and see if they've taken any digital shots of the car. The car sounds great... the roar of the 12 cylinders is very heartpounding!