The Lamborghini Miura’s fortieth anniversary dominates Automobili Lamborghini’s attendance at this year's Techno Classica (6 - 9 April 2006). To mark the occasion and in celebration of its long and rich sports car tradition, Lamborghini is presenting two models at the world's largest motor show for classic cars. The cars will be shown in Hall 7, Stand 509. Along with the 1973 Miura SV from Lamborghini’s collection from its factory museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese, the "Lamborghini Miura Concept" design study will also be present. This nostalgic reminder of the classic sports cars of the sixties and seventies is celebrating its German premiere in Essen.

The Lamborghini Miura

In the autumn of 1965, Lamborghini presented its latest technical development at the Turin International Motor Show: a chassis equipped with all the mechanical components. The name: TP400. The abbreviation stands for "Trasversale Posteriore" and reflected the engine’s position and displacement: a four-litre engine installed transversely in front of the rear axle.

The revolutionary concept was developed by engineers Gianpaolo Stanzani and Gianpaolo Dallara. Instead of the tubes of round and oval cross-section common at the time, they used bent, cut, welded and perforated sheet-steel panels for the chassis. The style was more reminiscent of aviation than a car. The complicated sheet-steel structure formed the chassis of the vehicle, with attachment points for the suspension, the cockpit and the entire drive train. The engine used was the V12, already well-known and held in high esteem by automotive aficionados, and which delivered 350 bhp from 3,929 cc. However, it was given a new engine block, into which the young engineers integrated the gearbox and clutch. Installed immediately behind the cockpit and in front of the rear wheels, very close to the vehicle's centre of gravity, it delivered particularly advantageous weight distribution. All the TP400 lacked at that point was a body.

The interest shown by renowned international designers, who were all fascinated by the opportunity to "dress" this exciting new chassis, led to a series of confidential discussions with Ferruccio Lamborghini. The decision was finally taken in favour of Bertone, who officially declared in February 1966 that Lamborghini had given them the job of designing a body for the chassis. The Turin company's design boss, Marcello Gandini, had already started working on the project straight after the Turin Motor Show, and the launch of the complete car was achieved in record time.

After just five months, one of the greatest masterpieces of automotive design made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1966. It derived its name from Spain's wildest and most feared breed of fighting bull: the Lamborghini Miura.

The "Lamborghini Miura Concept" design study

The "Lamborghini Miura Concept" design study, first exhibited at the Detroit Motor Show in 2006, continues the line of the legendary Lamborghini Miura of the sixties. The man responsible for this reinterpretation of the fascinating classic sports car is Walter de’Silva, Head of Design of the Audi brand group and now, since December 2005, also Director of the Centro Stile Lamborghini. The aim when developing the "Lamborghini Miura Concept" was to retain the extraordinary clarity of the original design. For this reason, work was concentrated on perfecting the surfaces, in order to emphasise the purity of form and proportions. The measured use of modern elements for the light units and the wheels and in the interior keeps the design homogeneous.

Lamborghini had long harboured the desire to rework the classic design. Said de’Silva: "For the last two years we have often dreamed of subjecting the Miura to a redesign. Now that I have also been entrusted with the leadership of the Lamborghini design team, I am all the more delighted that I have been able to implement this ambitious task as my very first project. Thanks to the enthusiasm of Automobili Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann, this dream has become a reality."
 

The "Lamborghini Miura Concept" is thus far purely a design study. There are no plans - say Lamborghini - for series production. It should be seen rather as Lamborghini taking a bow to its own history.

Maintaining tradition at Lamborghini

Lamborghini’s history is carefully maintained in many respects. The Lamborghini Museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese, with its comprehensive collection of classic Lamborghini vehicles, is literal concrete proof of the grand tradition of the brand. In addition to this, the Lamborghini Register, initiated in 2003 to mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the company, oversees research into vehicles, their history and location, and the recording of the engineering and cultural heritage that Lamborghini vehicles represent. The restoration centre dates from the same year. The studio specialises in the restoration of vehicles made by Lamborghini which are in need of overhaul. Its customers are provided with various services: from simple information, through specific advice, to the complete restoration of the vehicle. Thanks to the company's historical archive, the team at the restoration centre is in a position to supply colour samples of the original paints and leather, the production data sheets, the operating and maintenance manuals, as well as the specifications of all the models.

Automobili Lamborghini today

The product portfolio of Automobili Lamborghini includes the four model series: Gallardo, Gallardo Spyder, Murciélago LP640 and Murciélago Roadster. The Lamborghini Gallardo features a V10 engine which delivers 520 bhp and has a displacement of 4,961 cc. It sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.0 seconds, and reaches a top speed of 315 km/h. The drive train of the mid-engine sports car includes permanent all-wheel drive, based on Lamborghini's proven VT (viscous traction) system. The Gallardo Spyder is not simply an "open-top" version of the Coupé, but a separate model with an attractive design and a unique system for opening and closing the soft-top hood, which disappears into the engine compartment when folded up. Equipped with the same technology as the Coupé, the Gallardo Spyder reaches a top speed of 314 km/h with the hood closed and 307 km/h with the hood down. It completes the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in a scintillating 4.3 seconds.

Just recently launched at the Geneva Motor Show, the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 represents the fastest and most extreme sports car in its class. The displacement of its V12 engine, mounted longitudinally in front of the rear axle, is 6,496 cc. It delivers an impressive 640 bhp and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in an excellent 3.4 seconds. As in the case of the Gallardo series, it has permanent four-wheel drive. The Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster continues the tradition of the open-top 12-cylinder model from Sant’Agata. It is based on the predecessor of the Murciélago LP640. The engine is a V12, with the cylinder banks set at an angle of 60 degrees, delivering 580 bhp (426 kW) and with a displacement of 6,192 cc. It accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. All Lamborghini models can be equipped with an e-gear automated six-speed gearbox, which is shifted by means of paddles on the steering wheel.

Lamborghini ArtiMarca presents the Linea Miura at the
Techno Classica

New merchandise line launched to mark fortieth anniversary of the Lamborghini Miura To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Lamborghini Miura, the super sports car manufacturer from Sant' Agata Bolognese is unveiling a new merchandise line at the Techno Classica in Essen: the Linea Miura.

This homage to one of the most significant cars from Lamborghini's past starts with seven exclusive articles. They all display the original Miura logo and are based on brown and cream colour-ways. The men's collection is comprised of driver’s gloves made from supple calfskin leather in the colour combination brown-black, and two polo shirts made from very high-quality cotton piqué: one in brown and the other in a classic stripe design. For female Miura enthusiasts, there is a polo shirt in cream and gloves in brown-cream. This is made from the same exclusive materials as its counterparts in the men's collection. The range is completed by a two-colour cap and a key ring sporting the Miura logo. The new articles will be available at the Automobili Lamborghini stand in Hall 7 and, of course, from the Automobili Lamborghini Store in Sant' Agata Bolognese as well as from all official Lamborghini dealers and over the internet.

As well as the "Linea Miura", the Automobili Lamborghini Collection comprises over one hundred exclusive articles such as high-quality bags, desk-top items and luxury lifestyle articles. One of their distinctive features is that all articles are designed and made in Italy. The range also includes collectors' miniatures of the high-performance sports cars with the bull emblem.