Lamborghini Miura celebrates its 50th anniversary in Verona
In occasion of the 50th anniversary of its debut, Lamborghini Miura will be celebrated at Verona Legend Cars show, in Veronafiere, from May 13th to May 15th. Homaging founder Ferruccio Lamborghini’s 100th birthday, Lamborghini Club Italia organized a showcase of some of the most exciting models – set up in a star formation – to represent the iconic Miura production: P 400, P 400 S and P 400 SV. The Miura history seems almost a legend. Its debut at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show, radically changed the concept of “supercar” for the sector.
The late House chief engineer Gian Paolo Dallara, once declared “Ferruccio Lamborghini allowed us to commit a technical heresy.“ The peculiarity of the model was its engine position: Miura was the first car in the world to feature a mid-engine – which is located between the rear and front axles. The car’s four-liter V12 layout, allowed for a noticeable reduction of the wheelbase, resulting in a new compact car concept for the sports automotive sector since a rear-wheel drive with the front engine, was the norm at the time.
The Lamborghini Miura was a Marcello Gandini’s project, completed under chief designer and automobile constructor Nuccio Bertone. Gandini also designed the Lancia Stratos and Lamborghini Countach. Fascinated by the revolutionary car’s chassis, Bertone promised to Ferruccio Lamborghini “I am the one who can make the shoe fit your foot.” The result –fulfilled- of the promise was a car 110 cm high, with an innovative, yet harmonious silhouette. Designed by Giotto Bizzarrini, the engine sported a V12, 3.9 liters 350hp, performing up to 290 Km per hour, making the Miura the fastest production car in the world. Lamborghini hoped for a 50 units selling, while between the years 1966 until 1973, the car sales reached 762 in numbers.
The car’s name honors Don Eduardo Miura Fernandez, a bullfighting bull breeder, as Lamborghini was a Spanish corrida lover, not to mention born under the Taurus astrological sign, which also ended up on every model as a symbol of the brand, located in Sant’Agata Bolognese. The list of celebrities who rode a Miura is long: from the Shah of Persia to the King of Jordan, singers such as Claudio Villa, Frank Sinatra, Little Tony, Rod Stewart and Gino Paoli, as well as actors Nicolas Cage and Russell Crowe. As for today, in Italy about 30 specimens of the model survived the test of time.
The celebration has been organized by Lamborghini Club Italia, the only official clubsince 1993, founded in the Sant’Agata factory, thanks to rally pilot Sandro Munari. The club counts about 70 members, all passionate- and fortunate – Lamborghini’s owners.
