Car Tales - Paolo Lekai
Content featuring @piazzagranturismo
In 1965, Lamborghini's three top engineers, Gian Paolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani and Bob Wallace went to work to develop Lamborghini's flagship supercar. The engineers envisioned a road car with racing pedigree that could win on the track, while remaining comfortable when driven on public roads. The three men worked on its design at night, hoping to convince company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini such a vehicle would neither be too expensive nor distract from the company's focus. Ferruccio agreed and gave his engineers a free hand in the belief the P400 was a potentially valuable marketing tool, if nothing more.
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Bertone was placed in charge of styling the prototype, which was completed just days before its debut at the 1966 Geneva motor show; meanwhile the engineers hadn't been able to check if the engine even fit inside its compartment. Committed to showing the car, the engineers filled the engine bay with ballast and keep the hood locked throughout the show, just as they had done three years earlier with the début of the 350GT. This led sales head Sgarzi to turn away members of the motoring press who wanted to see the P400's power plant. Despite these minor inconveniences, the car was the highlight of the show and immediately boosted stylist Marcello Gandini's reputation.
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The Miura was powered by a version of the 3.9 L Lamborghini V12 engine used in the 400GT at the time but was transversely mounted and produced 345hp. Taking inspiration from the Morris Mini, Lamborghini designed the engine and gearbox to be made from one casting. Its shared lubrication continued until the last 96 SVs, when the case was split to allow the correct oils to be used for each element. All cars had steel frames and doors, with aluminum front and rear skinned body sections; however an unconfirmed claim states the first 125 Miuras were built of 0.9 mm steel and are therefore lighter than later cars. 275 P400s were produced between 1966 and 1969 which was a complete success for Lamborghini despite its then-steep price of US$20,000 (equivalent to $147,631 in 2016)@car.tales">.@car.tales
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#lamborghini #lambo #carporn #miura #drivetastefully #cars #classiccars #supercar #maranello
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