Lamborghini Miura
1966–1973 · Lamborghini Miura — Supercar, V12, designed by Marcello Gandini.
The Story
Here’s the uncomfortable truth Ferruccio Lamborghini had to swallow: the most important car his company ever built was designed behind his back. He wanted refined grand tourers and left the wild race-bred stuff to Ferrari. But in 1964 his young engineers — Dallara, Stanzani and Kiwi test driver Bob Wallace — moonlighted on a mid-engined sports car, mounting a V12 sideways because nobody had told them they couldn’t. Ferruccio saw the bare chassis, grasped what it meant, and let it run.
Draped in Gandini’s bodywork and finished days before the 1966 Geneva show, it didn’t just launch a model — it invented a genre. The press reached for a word that didn’t quite exist yet and called it a ‘supercar.’ Every McLaren, Ferrari and Koenigsegg since traces its DNA to this orange wedge; Chris Harris calls it ‘Genesis.’
Named, like every great Lamborghini after it, for a fighting bull, it has behaved like one ever since: gorgeous, intoxicating, and occasionally happy to throw you. That isn’t a flaw to engineer out. It’s the whole point.
The Numbers
Benchmarked against its class
Each dial ranks this car within its Supercar class — fuller means higher, and the tick marks the class midpoint.
Signature Colors
The Designer
Marcello Gandini
One of history’s most influential car designers; defined the wedge era at Bertone (Miura, Countach, Stratos). Penned the EB110’s body for the reborn Bugatti. Born Turin 1938, died 2024. Sources: Wikipedia; Car Design News. PARTIAL: his Lamborghini cars (in the Lamborghini file) will join at the cross-make consolidation.
Studio Motors POV
This is the car that started the entire conversation — own it and you own the first chapter. We don’t chase whatever Miura happens to be for sale; we hunt the right one — numbers-matching, honestly restored, with the history to justify the price. That’s the difference between buying a Miura and buying THE Miura.
Market & Value
Values on cars like this move monthly. Our brokers price from real transactions.
What Reviewers Said About Miura
Worth Knowing About the Miura
3 Things You Didn’t Know
- Built against the boss's wishes — engineers developed it in their spare time.
- Orders came in before anyone had driven it — chassis at Turin '65, car at Geneva '66.
- Early cars' V12 and gearbox shared one oil sump; later SVs separated them.
5 Fast Facts
- ~764 built: P400 (~275), S (338), SV (150) — the SV is the one collectors chase.
- Transverse mid-mounted 3.9L V12 — Harris says it 'deserves the Nobel for just existing.'
- Opened The Italian Job (1969) to Matt Monro's 'On Days Like These.'
- SV: 385 hp, fastest road car of its kind when Rod Stewart bought his new in '71.
- Named for Don Eduardo Miura's Spanish fighting bulls — the first bull-named Lambo.
Provenance
Owners & what to look for
Famous Owners
Frank Sinatra — Miura S
Rod Stewart — P400 S, bought new 1971
Miles Davis — totaled his on NYC’s West Side Hwy, 1972
Twiggy · Eddie Van Halen · Jay Kay (Jamiroquai)
(Documented — Wikipedia / Lamborghini.)
Studio Buyer’s Brief
The SV is the grail — wider arches, 385 hp, separate gearbox sump. Matching numbers and documented history move the needle most; rust and crash repairs are the value-killers. Early ‘eyelash’ P400s have purist charm — SVs have the money.
Full Specifications
- Make / Model
- Lamborghini Miura
- Class
- Supercar
- Production years
- 1966–1973
- Units built
- ~764 total (150 SV)
- Variants
- P400, P400 S, P400 SV; Jota/SVJ (race specials, ultra-rare)
- Engine layout
- Mid
- Engine
- V12
- Engine family
- Bizzarrini V12
- Displacement
- 3.9L
- Power
- 380 hp
- Torque
- 295 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 6 s
- Top speed
- 180 mph
- Power-to-weight
- 294 hp/tonne · 7.5 lb/hp
- Transmission
- 5-speed manual
- Drivetrain
- RWD · Petrol
- Curb weight
- 2851 lb
Questions
Miura FAQ
Why is the Lamborghini Miura historically significant?
The Miura is widely credited with popularising and defining the mid-engine supercar template, with its transverse V12 layout a signature engineering statement. Its 1966 debut at the Geneva Motor Show made every existing sports car design instantly appear outdated.
What engine does the Lamborghini Miura use?
The Miura uses a 3.9-litre V12 derived from Giotto Bizzarrini’s design, mounted transversely amidships behind the driver. The P400 SV, the definitive final variant, produces 385 hp and was the first to separate the engine and gearbox oil sumps, curing an early reliability concern.
How many Lamborghini Miuras were made?
Approximately 764 Miuras were built between 1966 and 1973 across three variants: the P400, P400 S and P400 SV. The SV was limited to 150 examples and is the most sought-after, combining wider rear arches with a revised 385 hp engine and separated oil sumps.
How much does a Lamborghini Miura cost?
Miura values range from approximately $1 million for P400 and S variants in good condition to $4 million or more for the finest matching-numbers SV examples. Provenance, chassis integrity and original paint are the dominant value factors for all variants.
How does the Miura SV differ from earlier Miura variants?
The P400 SV introduced wider rear arches, a revised suspension, and separated the engine and gearbox oil sumps that earlier cars shared — eliminating a known reliability weakness. Power rose from 350 hp to 385 hp, and only 150 were built, making the SV both the most capable and rarest production Miura.
Can you buy a Lamborghini Miura?
Yes. Miuras surface through specialist marque dealers, established auction houses and private collections.
The Lamborghini Lineup
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350 GT ’64400 GT ’66Miura ’66Espada ’68Islero ’68
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Huracan STO ’21Countach LPI 800-4 ’21Revuelto ’23Temerario ’25
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