Lamborghini Miura

The Miura’s engineering development dates to 1965, with Gian Paolo Dallara and Paolo Stanzani guiding the engineering team. The car made its public debut at Geneva in March 1966. Its V12 sat transversely behind the cockpit and ahead of the rear wheels, a layout that kept the wheelbase short.^[1,2]

Carrozzeria Bertone created the body. The maker’s history draws attention to the long, low nose, rounded headlights framed by the familiar eyelashes, and rear-window slats that helped disperse engine heat. At the back, the engine cover joins visually with the luggage compartment and rear wheel arches. These details give the Miura a recognizable design vocabulary without making every version identical.^[1]

Production totalled 265 P400s from 1966 to 1968; 338 P400 S cars were sold from 1969 to 1971, while 150 SVs were delivered, with SV sales spanning 1971–73.^[1]

The SV brought the family’s reported output to 385 CV. Other changes include wider rear tyres and wheel arches, a stronger chassis, revised suspension and separate gearbox lubrication. The headlamp eyelashes disappeared on this version. Those changes make the SV’s identity specific: they should not be transferred to the P400 or P400 S.^[1]

The Miura Jota was an experimental prototype from which four SVJ specials were derived. The names belong to a separate branch of the story, not to the regular P400, P400 S and SV sequence. The model also appeared in the 1969 film The Italian Job, a concise link between its automotive history and popular cinema.^[1]

A three-quarter view can answer a useful Miura question before any specification sheet: do the rounded headlamps retain their surrounding eyelashes, and how broad are the rear arches? The earlier P400 and P400 S carry the lashes; the SV removes them and widens the rear for larger tyres. These are linked front-and-rear clues, so one cropped headlamp photograph is a weaker identifier than a view showing both ends.^[1]

Use those features to organise a comparison, then confirm the exact car’s identity from its record. The low nose and rear-cover form establish the family resemblance, while the SV changes explain why two authentic Miuras need not have identical details. Jota and SVJ remain separate special branches, rather than a fourth ordinary step in the P400, S and SV sequence.^[1]