Restoration of Miura 1021

Alberto; Check your PM & email, I sent you something of interest...Mark

 

Hi Alberto,
I have no idea about Hopf, unfortunately also no further info on the pictures, looks like I have them since a few years stored on my computer.

 

On a little side note,

I`ve seen thoose before, i think they are posted on the Miura thread aswell.

 

Note the uneven (rear of) door gap.

Pete

 

There are lots of original features and characteristics we plan to leave on the car...but the shut gaps will not be one of those. This car will fit like a fine Italian leather glove!

 

Steve, great work, as you always do.

BTW, if you plan on a glass piece for shows, perhaps you'll consider the 8 "breathing slots" the factory cut into the screen of their own prototype (4 on both the trailing & leading edge of the screen). Not only do they look cool, but, they are functional.
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You'll note that when the screen was first fitted, by the Monaco Gran Prix weekend (when this image was taken) there were only 4 slots on the trailing edge of the screen. Clearly this was insufficient, and they went to all 8.
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Your photos are AMAZING treasures of Lamborghini history

 

Thank you Joe, Great information! Nice post with the diagram. We will see what the boss wants to do.

Steve

 

Alberto there is one thing you may be able to do that was not available to them back then.

Louver the glass.. If the leading edge (top of the glass by the roof) had the four openings and "Gilled" Up like 4 scoops forcing more air in and the training edge near the rear they faced the back of the car that would suck air out creating a more dynamic flow and not really alter the looks of the glass.

 

Would a bigger radiator or better electric fans solve any potential cooling issues? You've added all the SV belly pan air scoops, I would presume. How about placing heat shields on the exhaust manifolds?

Are people really certain that the car would overheat if the lovers were replaced? It just seems to me that 8 good size holes in the plexi will allow a fair amount of heat to escape.

 

Here is one, I have a set but I'll have to do a search.

You can see by now Bobby has gone to the 8 slots, but he is probably writing down in his book that the engine is still over-heating!

I guess you'd have to test it to find out if it would, but at the point this pic was taken the "Venetian Blinds" solution hadn't come to him yet
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The top slots are perfect for flooding the engine with water when its park at heavy rainfall. ;-)

 

All of this reminds me greatly of my various attempts to improve the cooling on one of my cars, the Bora.

All I can suggest is that it's really expensive and time consuming going the trial and error, error, error ... route. You need to figure out the airflow. In that car the air flows up and into the engine compartment causing the rear to lift some 2 inches at 140 mph. I have video of the cat at speed to prove this. Air actually flows forward through the central tunnel and into the car if you open the windows a crack. I remember a Pantera uber fan who raced with us at the Silver State and had a humongous 550? CI aluminum block engine in that car and he actually was able to get the car in a wind tunnel because he contract machining for NASA. That fixed his issues.

I have no idea what the Miura does at speed or if the engine compartment air flow is a big issue but it certainly is on the Bora. At slower speeds in hot weather and heavy traffic it eventually heat soak as all that mass in the back does not get enough airflow. Now I think I I know what to do but I just won't cut the car up like that.

There have been attempts to do exactly the same things being mentioned here on the Bora a lot of years ago but I don't know if any of them actually worked. You have to know how the air flows at speed. Fans added in special locations won't help you at high speed.

My vote is for a perforated grill on the back end of the car but it's just a guess ...

 

Clearly this application had its shortcomings, and the Venetian Blinds were the ultimate solution both in (beautiful) form & function.

Another issue with a Miura would be keeping the underside of that screen reasonably clean. As anyone who has owned a Miura knows, the engine has a tendency to dispel an fine mist of oil. After a bit of driving the screen would start to get opaque and visibility of the engine would be not-so-clear.

Given all of the above, its only realistic application is that of a showcasing the engine.

Something I have never been able to pin down (despite various theories which I have espoused before) which I would love to know is: who came up with the Venetian Blinds? Gandini, Dallara, Wallace? Or the secretary in the front office?

 

This Swedish car is cut up
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I say again the best solution is to duplicate the Venetian blinds in clear perspex. Would work perfectly and you would be able to see the engine.

Otherwise just open the hood IMO. The non-venetian blind rear window looks like *****.
Pete

 

Alberto. Heat rising in the engine bay and being trapped will cause the fuel in the 4 carburetors to boil causing a big disaster. Another Miura on fire! Best Jeff Stephan

 

Well that's a sort of Thepenier group IV replica. That's a whole other thing ...
There have been quite a few other attempts over the years.

It's also unclear to me as to whether that actually works. Once someone spends that much effort on a solution the statements tend to be "Yeah it works great!".