Fathers of the Miura - Paolo Stanzani, Marcello Gandini, and Gian Paolo Dallara


Produced between 1966 and 1973, the Miura is widely considered by most to be the world’s first Supercar and the start of the trend for high performance mid-engine super sports cars. As Lamborghini's flagship car, the Miura received updates through the S and SV variants until Miura production ended, and was then replaced in 1974 when the Countach entered produc- tion. The Miura and Countach both were the fastest production road cars of their time, and the beginning of the Lamborghini legacy of record breaking V12 super sports cars. The Miura was born when Lamborghini's


three top engineers, Gian Paolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani, and Bob Wallace during their own time in 1965 developed a prototype chassis design known as the P400. The engineers imagined a road car


with racing pedigree – one which could win on the track and be driven on the road by enthusiasts. The three men worked on its design with hope of convincing Ferruccio Lamborghini such a car would neither be too expensive nor distract from the company's focus. After some convincing, Lamborghini gave the small team the go-ahead on proceeding with the P400, which he expected to be at minimum great PR for the car brand. The car featured a transversely-mounted mid-engine layout, which was different than the 350GT and 400GT; and also featured a gearbox and differential that would be cast into one aluminum piece together with the engine block. The rolling chassis was displayed at the Turin Salon Motor Show in 1965 and created such an impression on the public


that orders came in for the car regardless of the lack of body. Bertone was placed in charge of styling


the prototype, which was finished just days before its debut at the 1966 Geneva motor show. However, none of the engineers had found time to check if the engine fit in the rear bonnet space, so they decided to fill the engine bay with weight and keep the rear bonnet locked for the motor show, as they had three years earlier for the début of the 350GTV. Sales head Sgarzi was forced to turn away members of the motoring press who wanted to see the P400's power plant. Regardless of this however, the P400 was the highlight of the show and Marcello Gandini became a legendary designer. The Miura P400 would go into production in late 1966. LA VITA


Spring / Summer 2016 I La Vita Lamborghini I 23


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