Lamborghini watchers will know that 2005 is the 40th anniversary of the world’s most beautiful car – the Lamborghini Miura. A normal celebration is simply not enough for this icon of icons so the 40th anniversary will span 2005 and 2006, because in autumn 1965 at the Turin Motor Show, the show-stopper on the Lamborghini stand was bereft of body. It was just a rolling chassis with a spectacular mid-mounted transverse V12. Not only did it not have a bodyshell but no one had even been commissioned to design one. Nevertheless, the orders flooded in, so boss Ferruccio Lamborghini handed the design duty to Bertone. As soon as the Turin Show closed, Bertone got to work on his new commission. The head of design and brainchild of the Miura was an astonishingly young 22-year-old Marcello Gandini. After a winter of frantic work, the March 1966 Geneva Motor Show saw the presentation of the first real Miura and the immortality of Gandini.

The Miura’s chassis is a fabricated steel monocoque with hinged front and rear ends in aluminium, the huge clamshells allowing unrivalled access to the car’s components. The engine and transmission unit comprise one single casting which is mounted transversely between the driver and the rear wheels, giving a low polar moment of inertia. Centre of gravity is also low as the gearbox and differential unit nestle behind the engine rather than underneath it. Suspension all round is by double wishbone, steering is non-assisted rack and pinion and brakes are non-servo discs all round – all very racy, yet with generous luggage capacity and way ahead of the 1960s opposition.

Miura production ran from 1966-1973 and saw three distinct model types: P400, P400S and P400SV. The original 1966 Miura was a rush job and there was no time for R&D, so each model was an improvement but some upgrades were introduced mid-series. There were also a few one-offs like the 1968 Miura Roadster and the 1970 Miura Jota. Ferruccio Lamborghini permitted test driver Bob Wallace (who wanted Lamborghini to go racing) to build the Jota – a semi-race special. This kept Wallace busy and the snorting Jota became a useful tool for frightening journalists. The original Jota was totally destroyed in a high-speed crash but Lamborghini expert Piet Pulford has built a replica of that famous car. On seeing the original Jota, some Miura owners requested Jota-esque modifications to their Miuras, calling them SVJs. Ferruccio was a man on a mission. His feud with Enzo Ferrari meant that he would not rest until he had built a better car than his rival. You could justifiably argue that Lamborghini succeeded with the 350GT, 400GT, and the Islero. With the Miura there was no doubt: Lamborghini had overwhelmed Ferrari – the bull gored the horse.

In total, 760 Miuras were built with a great many receiving upgrades. In their heyday, Miuras had a high attrition rate and, of those 760 cars, fewer than half that number exist today. In the Miura market, the later the car, the better, with the SV being the most sought-after. Prices have risen rapidly and are tipped to join the best from Maranello in the automotive stratosphere. In the USA, good SVs have already changed hands for over half a million dollars.

The difference between the P400 and the ‘S’ is subtle, while the SV is radically different. That first chassis presented at the 1965 Turin Show was a gorgeous mass of drilled metal. As the years progressed, so the holes disappeared. The metal also got thicker to improve the torsional rigidity of the early cars. Consequently, each model got heavier and required more power. The SV’s spec includes more power, a stronger chassis, ventilated discs (introduced mid-S), different lights, and different front end. New wide-track rear suspension means a wider rear body, wider wheels and tyres and more. The rear wishbones and their pick-up points were redesigned in order to prevent rear wheel steering inputs which accompanied suspension travel on the pre-’71 cars. Mid-way through the SV series, the shared oil system for the engine and transmission was abandoned for split-sump. This separates the oil systems, prolonging the life of both engine and gearbox, as well as enabling appropriate oils for each.

Driving a Miura is something you don’t forget. Simply walking up to the car brings on excitement. With the roof at waist level (42in/1.050m) it feels much like getting into a racing car. But unlike a racing car, ground clearance is good enough to cope with real-world driving. As the three Miuras were let loose on our test track, it reminded me that I must get to the world’s wildest party at Pamplona for the running of the bulls.

The P400

With three beasties ready to run, let’s go in time-order with the oldest bull first, the P400. This 1967 car is owned by Colin Gilmore-Merchant and is a low-mileage, right-hand drive, unrestored example. It was delivered to our test track by Lamborghini and Ferrari specialist Colin Clarke. As you drop down into the seat, you immediately inhale that Lamborghini smell. This car feels soft, warm and homely, like a favourite old jumper. The sitting position is laughable but you quickly forget about it. The steering wheel is too far away and set at such an angle that you could never reach the top of the wheel without leaning forward. This is exacerbated by the laid-back seat angle which is essential if you want your head to clear the low roof. The Miura’s beautiful proportions mean compromises. The pedals are too close necessitating a splayed-leg attitude. If they had made the sitting position more upright and raised the roof; if they had shifted the pedals (and thereby the front wheels) further forward, the Miura wouldn’t be the Miura.

Ignition on. Wait for the fuel pump to settle down. Prime the 12 chokes with a couple of dabs on the right pedal (no choke is fitted to any Miura) and the 12 cylinders whoop and fall to a smooth idle. Keeping the bank of Webers in tune is not the nightmare that folklore would have you believe. Down the not-too-heavy clutch pedal, slot the metal-gated lever into the conventional position for first gear, and away we go. Power is slightly less but delivery is more linear than with later Miuras. The P400 does not have that all-or-nothing feeling each side of 5000rpm.
 

Despite the low mileage the rear springs have suffered by supporting 60% of the P400’s mass for nearly 40 years. Accelerative squat drags the tail even lower as the nose rises. With this set-up and a high air-speed, the inside of this Miura would be a scary place to be. At lower speeds the ride is quiet and comfy. Roll is noticeable but the suspension element in the high-profile narrow tyres gives the P400 a fine steering and ride quality long gone in more modern machines. It’s great to drive a Miura in its pure original form. That it is not as fast as the later cars is largely irrelevant as a Miura is an art form.

The P400S

The middle-aged bull in our triple test is perfectly matured. This very green Miura S is now owned by Henry Weitzmann. This is the famous ‘Twiggy Car’ that we first tested back in issue 18 (Jan/Feb 1998). The icon supermodel in the icon supercar; something yet to be bettered. Originally a 1968 white P400, like many Miuras this one has been upgraded. In this case a factory upgrade in 1970 from P400 to P400S. Then in 1990 the car was in a garage fire and was returned to the factory for another rebuild. Henry has owned the car since 1991 and he emphasises that it is not for sale. Miura ‘S’ upgrades include chrome window trims, electric windows, a new switch pod in the roof lining and the ‘S’ badge. Under the skin an ‘S’ has a stiffer chassis and a more powerful motor. Visually, an ‘S’ is close to its predecessor, the P400, but for straightline speed an ‘S’ is up there with an SV.

The green car feels slightly more highly strung than the P400. The ride is more taut and there is busy-ness from the engine. The extra 20bhp comes at the top end by stretching the red-line to nearly 8000rpm. Even today, 40 years later, a 4-litre production engine running at 8000rpm is quite something. With revs comes power and speed. However, contact with your passenger is now by SHOUTING. Interior decibels are surprisingly low for normal town driving or even a legal motorway jaunt, but if you want to be bad in any Miura you will need a LOUD VOICE. Heat insulation is good, another common Miura misconception. Less heat enters the Miura’s cabin from mechanical components than with a front-engined car. The main heat source is from the greenhouse effect of the huge windscreen relative to the small cockpit volume.

Ride is comfy. Handling is very good – to a point. Push too hard and the Miura S will complain with roll angles, jaw, squat and dive. The grippier the tyres, the higher the g and the greater the jaunty cornering angles. Lift-off oversteer is here in great quantities, requiring the driver to unwind the steering should he/she come off the power while cornering hard. Power delivery is superb. The Miura will pull happily from 1000rpm round to 8000rpm, although proper power comes in at above 5000rpm.

The P400 SV

Finally, the young bull – fighting fit and recently back from international hillclimbs, race circuits and road rallies. This restoration of this Miura was featured in Auto Italia issue 106 (May-June 2005). This is a 1970 car totally rebuilt and upgraded to SV spec. Not an easy task as just about everything had to be changed. Let’s take my own SV for a drive. The engine starts with an explosion of revs and just as quickly settles down to smooth tickover. Lamborghini engines are much quieter than those from their red rival just down the road at Maranello.

Minute changes to the seat angle and steering column make a big improvement to the sitting position. Despite the gearchange shaft passing in a straight line through the engine’s sump and directly into the gearbox, the gearshift on any Miura requires effort. The clutch is surprisingly light for the period while the unassisted steering has perfect feel. It is a little low-geared for parking but the faster you go, the better it gets. After its restoration, the Miura’s first run was at Monza and the handling was much better than I could ever have imagined in a 35-year-old car. With its much wider rubber, traction and grip are tenacious. Chassis communication with the driver is enormous, while the long-travel unassisted brakes do their job well enough. With their transverse sumps, all Miuras can experience oil surge in race conditions but not on the road. While an SV is easily the quickest of the trio, using the SV as a racing car means cornering at high g with one eye on the oil pressure gauge. A dry-sump system or an acu-sump would be a good mod for race-track use.

What makes the SV so quick is its ability to carry far more speed through a corner than a P400 or an ‘S’. Power delivery is innocent enough up to 3000rpm. From 5000-8000 the Miura is truly spectacular. High-speed Miura nose-lift is dependent on the aerodynamic angle of attack (or rake). It only happens on Miuras with tired rear springs. Further jacked-up by its taller rear tyres, this Miura SV is rock steady at huge speeds. The top-end power rush is accompanied by a crescendo of noise. Some SVs were offered with open trumpets, and that is what we have here. So from 2500rpm you hear that beautiful induction noise of a bygone era. The SV will reach 60mph in first gear, making it tricky to get off the line quickly. Second gear will see you banned from driving in many countries, at 87mph. Third gear is good for 122mph. Fourth gear, and you pass all the German supercars restricted to 155mph. In fifth gear, 180mph is all yours.

If that doesn’t irritate the Health and Safety Police, here is a statistic. Since 1920, only 14 people have been killed at the San Fermin Pamplona Bull Run and only a few hundred injured. Next year’s runs are at 08.00hrs every day from 7th-14th July. See you there.

Test by Roberto Giordanelli / Photography by Michael Ward