• HOME
• 
• AUTO LISTINGS
• 
• FINANCE
• 
• NEWS
• 
• DIRECTORY
• 
• REVIEWS
• 
• FORUM
• 
• BLOG
• 

Lamborghini Celebrates Miuras 40th Anniversary with Concept at Detroit

New Head Stylist adds Modern Twist to Lamborghinis Most Beautiful Supercar

Amongst Lamborghini enthusiasts, the Miura is considered one of the most beautiful Lambos ever made, let alone, one of the most beautiful cars ever made. It was born in a time prior to the outrageous wedges, bulging flares, and vertical scissor doors of cars like the Countach, Diablo and Murciélago. Though its hard to believe, 2006 marks the 40th anniversary of the timeless Miura, which was launched at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show by its creators, Ferruccio Lamborghini and Nuccio Bertone, and in celebration Lamborghini will be showing off the Miura Concept.

The Miura Concept is the first vehicle styled by Lamborghinis new head of design, Walter deSilva. If the

Pistachio-green paint, rear window louvers and the concepts overall form are true to the Miura, but a eyelash-free headlamps are different. (Photo: Lamborghini U.S.A.)

name sounds familiar to you, thats because deSilva has also led design projects within other Volkswagen Auto Group brands, including Seat (Volkswagens Spanish division), and most recently, Audi. In fact, deSilva was responsible for such dramatic changes in design as the single-frame trapezoidal grille on all new Audis. However, where deSilva looked to forge new designs and create distinction, hes paid homage to the Lamborghinis storied past to modernize the Miura.

deSilvas objectives in creating the Miura Concept werent to create all-new shape

deSilvas tribute to the legendary Miura shows few changes over the original, keeping the classic supercars beautiful shape intact. (Photo: Lamborghini U.S.A.)

from scratch, but rather to work off of the original design, smoothing out the original cars edges and cleaning up the details. While some purists might think such a task would be akin to improving on Rembrandts Mona Lisa, the integration of new technologies and the need to at least appear as it meets current safety regulations make the task even more daunting.

Therefore, the new Miura features a bit of aerodynamic work, such as the front splitter, in place to keep the cars nose glued to the ground during high speed cornering. Despite the added details, the modernized Miura remains ninety percent faithful to the original, in its shape and profile; the pistachio-colored end result being unmistakable in its muse. Lost in the translation are the eye lash vents around the headlamps, although

If only everyone could look as good after four decades... (Photo: Lamborghini U.S.A.)

the front valance is less cluttered, and at the rear the classic matte-black louvers remain.
Like the original, the Miura Concept looks like its going 300 km/h even when standing still, which, unfortunately, is all its ever likely to be seen doing, as the Miura Concept is merely a styling exercise.  For all the dreams that may have come true for deSilva in redesigning the vehicle, there isnt anything to report on in terms of its powertrain. No, you wont hear anything about Lamborghinis latest sequential manual transmission, or even a word about the all-new V12, because the Miura Concept is just a full-size mockup, albeit a very beautiful one. While official photos dont show the interior due to the deep-tint glass, Lamborghini says that the original car heavily inspired the cabin.

The Miura Concept celebrates more than 40 years of Lamborghini building beautiful sports cars, and while a shame that it will never see the light of day is a wonderful reminder of yesteryears classics.

Page:  1

AUTOMOBILE REVIEWS BY MAKE

Acura  Audi   Bentley   BMW   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Chrysler   Daewoo   Dodge   Eagle   Ferrari   Ford   Geo   GMC   Honda   Hummer   Hyundai   Infiniti   Isuzu   Jaguar   Jeep   Kia   Lamborghini   Lexus   Lincoln   Lotus   Maserati   Mazda   Mercedes-Benz   Mercury   MINI   Mitsubishi   Nissan   Oldsmobile   Plymouth   Pontiac   Porsche   Saab   Saturn   Scion   Subaru   Suzuki   Toyota   Volkswagen   Volvo