Telling the story of the world’s first supercar, the Lamborghini Miura, requires a deft touch and real experience. After all, it broke the mold and still influences automotive design today. Chris Harris manages to break down that history and pay tribute to the big bull in this short and sweet video.
It’s hard to overstate all that the Miura has influenced since its release in 1966. From its shape to its powertrain to the way that it put Lamborghini on the map, it was a proper shock to the car world. As Harris puts it, “there was nothing as outrageous as this.”
He takes us through the famous story of how the brand’s founder got into a row with Enzo Ferrari himself. That argument leads to the creation of the Lamborghini car company. The first models didn’t shout like the Miura though.
Related: How About A Classic Lamborghini Tractor To Go With Your Miura?
Putting the engine in the back and mounting it transversely was totally wild for the day. It provided better weight distribution which made the Miura even faster than it could’ve been otherwise. Reportedly, it could go 170 mph (273 kph), though lots of folks have reported that the front wheels get a little light past 120 mph (193 kph).
The way that the engine does its job is just as special as the layout or the cylinder count itself. It’s deliciously mechanical and in the video, we can see how close it sits to the driver. From the cabin it’s easy to see, hear, and feel it working away.
Harris also says that despite its utterly stunning exterior design, there’s no real consensus as to who exactly drew the car first. Both Marcelo Gandini and Giorgetto Giugiaro have been credited with it but the latter has given full credit to the former saying “Gandini designed the Miura and I have never said anything different to this simple statement.”
Really though it’s all of these factors that combine to make the Miura this historic landmark of automotive design that it still is. Harris calls it Genesis and frankly that’s the perfect way to look at it. Every epic supercar we enjoy today can trace its layout and attitude back to the Miura in one way or another.
Lead Image Credit: Top Gear on YouTube