The 2016 Amelia Island Concours will celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the most gorgeous cars to ever come out of Italy–and maybe the whole of Europe: the Lamborghini Miura.
“The Miura rewrote the rules,” said Bill Warner, founder and chairman of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. “The commendatore (Enzo Ferrari) had a talent for making enemies. He angered Henry Ford and Ferruccio Lamborghini; Ford took Le Mans from him permanently in 1966 and by the end of that year, the Miura had become the ultimate road and fantasy car.”
The Miura first broke cover at the Turin Auto Salon in 1965. It was just rolling chassis at the time, but became an instant hit. The rear-engined supercar was created in secret by engineers Bob Wallace, Paolo Dallara and Paolo Stanzani. And though Lamborghini didn’t immediately view the performance as a top priority, he was convinced the Miura could at least be a marketing tool. He was more than correct.
The Miura is still one of the best looking exotics ever to leave a factory.
When released, the Miura was the fastest production road car in the world, making 350 hp from its V12 engine and costing a lofty $20,000 in the U.S. Its full production run lasted just 7 years, from 1966 to 1973.
The Miura is named after a family of fighting bulls, in traditional Lambo fashion. The original P400 moniker stood for posteriori 4 litri, hence the transverse-mounted, 4.0-liter V12 behind the seats. It was followed by the P400S, the P400SV, the Jota and few others. There should be at least a handful of these on the lawn at Amelia Island.
In addition to the Miura, the 2016 Amelia Island Concours will celebrate automakers Pegaso and Cord as featured marques. The festivities start March 11 and run to the 13th at The Ritz Carlton. The annual show routinely draws more than 250 rare vehicles from across the globe.
Check out ameliaconcours.org for more information.