Miura, the original supercar

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Beauty!

 

4814 looks to be a paler blue to my eyes than 5080???? Pics below were posted by Stephen Keen, who owned 4814.
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Did Lamborghini actually sell SV size rear wheels for fitment to Miura P400 and P400S?

 

My understanding is they bolt right on. The rear track is narrower on P400-S cars so the wide fenders aren't needed. Not sure if they specifically sold them but I am sure many chose to use a set back there.

Personally this combo (wide rears) looks best to me on P400-S.

 

Thank you, chaps. So a Lamborghini approved upgrade then?

 

Thanks. Essential upgrade. The SV wheels transform the look of the Pre SV cars and eradicate their only real negative lookswise, imo.

 

Essential upgrade!! NO it isn't. I can't believe the number of P400/S miuras out there with this "mod". Reminds me of the "60s when we took our chevys and put big tires on the back end. SV's should have 'em. they've got the bigger fenders to fill and that's the way they left the factory. Early cars don't look right with bigger tires. They have a certain purity with the wheels and correct tires fitted. Leave 'em original. That's what I did!!!! And, that's just my opinion.

 

Yes, I can see your point of view, Joe. Actually, the way the rear wheels don't fill the arches on the pre SV cars has become more appealing to my eye of late. There is something of their time about them in the same way the Ferrari 330 P3 rear wheels sat in the body.

 

Great point! Yes a good photo shows that it is infact completely beautiful with small rears. Also bending down low to view one live works too. The lower the vantage point for any Lamborghini seems to be the sweet spot.

What are the feelings on driving characteristics of a P400-S with wide wheels? Does it help in any perceivable way? Thanks.

 

Love this colour in Miura!

 

I have not driven one with wider wheels so I can not comment. I do not feel there is anything wrong with the way they drive with the stock wheels in place.

However there is a technical reason for not putting wider wheels on a P400-S. The lower rear suspension arm on these cars is a two piece assembly. A lot of stress is put on the forward mounting bushing assembly. This assembly controls the toe settings of the rear suspension. When this assembly goes bad the toe settings can change drastically (even varying depending if you are accelerating or braking). My car had 0.5 inch of toe in on one rear wheels which made for some interesting handling. Now it has been rebuilt it drives fine, but a wider tire has the ability to put more loads on this joint, potentially reducing its service life substantially. If you know about this issue and watch for it, then the wider tires will most likely be fine. But if you ignore it, then there is a good chance it will wear out quickly (if it is not already bad) and you will not be happy with the way these Miura's drive. I suspect a lot of the stories about how bad the early Miura's handle is a result of this suspension joint not being in good condition. To complicate the issue, this setup is unusual in the automotive world so a fair number of mechanics are likely to misunderstand how it works and how to set it up correctly.

Cheers Jim

 

Thanks for this tidbit. I will be sure to watch.

 

FWIW, I'm MORE concerned with the cars braking at speed than anything else. Gotta plan ahead and give yourself a bit more room than the average vehicle!

 

I have heard this comment before and I am curious what you are comparing it too? In my experience the brakes are excellent for 60's car. Very good for 80's car, good for a 90's car and average for a 2000's car. They are not overly assisted like many modern cars, in my opinion many modern cars have to much assist which makes them difficult to stop smoothly without launching the passenger through the windshield for the first hundred miles. The high levels of assist common today make it very difficult to do a smooth heal toe downshift and to modulate the brakes without locking them up (assuming no ABS). Are you comparing it against a modern car that has a lot of power assist or is the car just not stopping?

Cheers Jim

 

Joe: I am about to start building a 1/16th scale model and would like to use 5080 as the basis for the build. The exterior paint I plan on using is pretty spot on with Azzuro Cielo, but what is the interior color on that car? Do you have any images?

Thanks,
Angelo