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Austrian Import
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AUG 11, 10:55 PM
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For those who live near Monterey, CA, the Councours week has officially begun:
Exotic and collectors cars will be shown an auctioned off throughout Monterey, Pebble Beach, Carmel, etc.
I already saw a gorgeous Lamborghini Miura S in yellow. 
There will be a few more Miuras auctioned off, including Miura S, Miura SV, and Jotta. All of them 
Check out: http://www.edmunds.com/insi...mns/articleId=130090
http://www.rmauctions.com/F...D=r103&SaleCode=MO08
This is one of many auction houses present this week.
| quote | from: " TARGET=_blank>http://www.rmauctions.com/F...3&SaleCode=MO08"[/B]
385bhp at 7,850 rpm, 3,929 cc transverse mounted alloy V12 quad-cam engine, Weber carburetors, five-speed manual gearbox, independent front and rear suspension with A-arms, coil springs with tubular shocks and anti-roll bars, four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 98.4"
This was where it all started – the first production automobile to prove itself worthy of the ‘supercar’ tag. Prior to the Lamborghini Miura's arrival in 1967 many sports cars had offered high levels of performance and handling. The Miura however was the first built around the criteria that define our modern concept of the supercar: massive speed and jaw-dropping design coupled with technical innovation; together with a wallet-wilting price tag to which only the wealthiest could aspire.
As legend has it, the founding of Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini was inspired by Signore Lamborghini’s displeasure with the clutch in his Ferrari, the latest of several that he had owned. As a wealthy industrialist and manufacturer of agricultural machinery, he took his complaint to Signore Enzo Ferrari himself. He may indeed have remained a happy customer after this encounter – if things had gone differently. Instead he felt disrespected, his opinions ignored as those of a simple tractor builder.
Signore Lamborghini became determined at that point to build a better car. He chose the bull as his company’s symbol ostensibly because Taurus was his birth sign but there are many who cannot dismiss the obvious – the bull is a very stubborn animal and more powerful by far than the cavallino (horse). Some might call this hubris, the Italians have another word: vendetta.
Since Signore Lamborghini’s ambitions were large he wanted more than simply to create a beautiful, well-handling sports car – he demanded that the engine be originated by Lamborghini as well. So he enlisted Giotto Bizzarrini – the father of the legendary Ferrari GTO, and one of the engineers driven out of Ferrari during the ‘palace revolt’ of November, 1961, to create an all-new four-cam V-12 engine, initially displacing 3.5 liters. The debut Lamborghini model was the 350GT, featuring an unusual, ‘bubble top’ design with ‘frog eye’ headlights by Carrozzeria Touring. Viewed as an interesting exercise in exotica, it was a remarkably well-balanced package and the engine in particular received accolades from the motoring press.
By 1967 the latest version of this powerplant (by now enlarged to 4.0 litres) was used for an entirely new, even revolutionary new model – the iconic Lamborghini Miura. First shown to a stunned public in March, 1966 at the Geneva Salon, the Miura was the brainchild of seven young engineers working after hours at Lamborghini on this radical new sports car. In fact, credit for the design goes to Marcello Gandini at Bertone, who was only 22 at the time. Under the guidance of New Zealand engineer Bob Wallace, the Miura's chassis was tuned to deliver the handling needed to contain and exploit the prodigious power available. With double wishbone suspension at each corner (in best racing tradition) it was very advanced for a road car. The mid-mounted engine was fitted transversely to allow for a more compact overall stance – an engineering solution inspired by none other than the Austin Mini. The original sketches also called for a glass engine cover and a three-seat layout with the driver in the middle and each of two passengers on either side. Although the latter feature never made it to the production Miuras, it re-emerged on future supercars, most notably on the McLaren F1. The glass cover was also never used but the rear window louvers used in production were an industry first. As the engine was no longer front-mounted but rather ‘posteriore,’ the first generation of Miuras were named P400s. This turned out to be a sensational, trendsetting decision. Almost immediately the young Lamborghini marque leapfrogged to the head of the class, well ahead of both Ferrari and Maserati with this innovative mid-engine configuration.
The specifications are still impressive today: a lightweight frame, all independent suspension, four-wheel disc brakes and a well-proven, wonderful-sounding V12 engine breathing through four triple throat Webers. With 350 brake horsepower on tap, the car was capable of nearly 180 miles per hour in the hands of the brave, which was more than a match for any other road-going production car. Clothed by that unmistakable, heart-stopping shape, formed in aluminum, the Miura was the stuff of dreams.
A process of evolution and improvement was maintained throughout the life of the Miura and in 1968, the ‘S,’ for spinto (or, tuned) version appeared, boasting 370 brake horsepower, updated brakes and numerous other enhancements. Faster, more stable, with better braking and more luxuriously appointed, it was a large step forward from its already magnificent forebear.
Undoubtedly the most accomplished of all Miura variants however was the SV. ‘S’ for spinto, ‘V’ for veloce (fast), it Lamborghini's final evolution of their seminal supercar. Once again launched at the Geneva Salon, in 1971 the SV took a significantly greater stride forward in development terms than the S had been over the original P400. Starting with further development to the chassis, the front and rear suspensions were completely re-engineered to improve handling (most profoundly reducing oversteer). The rear suspension geometry was changed from lower triangles to lower quadrilaterals to handle the much wider, Pirelli Cintauratos on nine-inch Campagnolo wheels. The ventilated disc brakes offered on the later S models became standard. Mechanically, output was increased yet further with the SV pumping out a heart-pounding 385 brake horsepower at 7850rpm.
This was primarily accomplished by enlarged inlet ports, modified cam timing and altered carburetors, while aesthetically Bertone made a number of subtle changes that help differentiate the SV from earlier incarnations. The most striking of these were the now bulging of the rear wheel arches to accommodate the wider wheels, adding a smartly purposeful look to the already distinctive shape. Gandini's distinctive slatted eyelashes were dropped in favor of a smoother, matte black-painted headlight surround and a more integrated front bumper housing larger supplementary lenses. At the rear were revised light clusters which incorporated reverse units for the first time. The cockpit was now fully trimmed in sumptuous leather. During the autumn of 1971, an optional self-blocking ZF differential became available and a dry sump lubrication system was fitted, the latter eliminating the bearing damage that some earlier Miuras had suffered after consistently hard driving. At the end of the day, the Miura SV was the fastest production vehicle on the planet.
Despite the widely held impression that the SV was clearly the best Miura yet, only 150 were built because it was announced alongside Lamborghini's prototype LP500 Countach. Virtually overnight, demand slowed to a mere trickle. Thus, the SV was more or less doomed from the outset which was a great shame as the true potential of this revolutionary car was finally fulfilled. Production ended in early 1973 although it was not until autumn that the last deliveries were made.
“An exercise in automotive art” - Road & Track Magazine, April, 1970
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