Lamborghini – Miura P400 (1967)

A well-known legend has it that the decision by tractor manufacturer Ferruccio Lamborghini to build cars was made after a spat between Ferrari customer Lamborghini and Enzo Ferrari himself. Lamborghini frequently grumbled about a plethora of problems he experienced with his car. Ferrari acerbically commented that Lamborghini might be able to build tractors but there was no way he could produce sports cars… This anecdote may belong to the realm of myth but a good story is sometimes better than truth. As we all know, Lamborghini went on to build sublime sports cars. The first mid-engined car – the Miura – was an utter sensation. Just two years after the company was founded, the Miura was launched at the Turin Motor Show in 1965. The design and concept of the Miura were accorded a stellar reception. The transversely mounted V12 mid-engine propelled the bombshell to a top speed in excess of 275 km/h (172 mph). The entrancing silhouette was created by Bertone’s new design supremo – Marcello Gandini – who had just started work there. Lamborghini also commissioned Bertone to produce the body and trim the interior of the Miura. The new car was named after Antonio Miura, a Spanish breeder of legendary fighting bulls. Consequently, Lamborghini began a tradition of conferring names from the world of bullfighting on new models. When the Miura was launched in the marketplace, the speedster was one of the fastest sports cars of its era and the projectile also made Ferrari models look like yesterday’s conveyances. When the 365 GT/4 Berlinetta Boxer burst on the scene in 1973, Ferrari also entered the mid-engined era for street-legal sports cars. This early P400 was sold new to the famed Lamborghini dealer Bob Estes in Southern California in December 1967. P stands for ‘posteriore’, 400 represents displacement of four litres. Bertone’s build sheet shows ‘Rosso Miura’, actually an orange colour, paired with ‘Panno: Grigio’/ ‘Finta pelle Nero’, as the original specification – grey cloth seats and black leatherette interior.