A super(car) half-century: 50 years of the Lamborghini Miura



The most beautiful car of all time is 50 years old. That no other car has come close to outshining the physical form of ­Lamborghini’s seminal Miura might seem unreasonable, but times have changed. Aerodynamics, occupant and pedestrian crash protection and a whole host of other reasons have seen to that.

But there’s far more to celebrate when it comes to this classic ­Lamborghini than its visual perfection. The Miura gave birth to the supercar as we know it. Were it not for a few young men flying by the seats of their pants – and their maverick boss, Ferruccio Lamborghini – the history books would be very different.

Driving a Miura has been at the top of my motoring bucket list for as long as I can remember – something I had resigned myself to never happening, particularly in light of their recent soaring of values. In the past decade prices have risen tenfold – nowadays, a decent one will set you back about US$2 million (Dh7.4m). Fortunately, car manufacturers with rich histories are recognising that their pasts should be celebrated, rather than swept under the rug. And there’s nothing quite like a half-century birthday to provide a reasonable excuse to revisit the history books. I had a feeling that Lamborghini would mark the Miura’s 50th with something special.

Here I am, in Italy, close to the Swiss border, with the driver's door of a bright-yellow Miura SV wide open. And it's mine, all mine. For most people, their introduction to the Miura was when viewing The Italian Job, the 1969 comedy heist movie. In its opening scenes, while the credits roll, an orange Miura S roars onto the screen, and stays there for the duration of Matt Monro's On Days Like These. But as gloriously silken as Monro's voice was, it's the Miura's spine-tingling throttle blip, 16 seconds into the movie, that provides the real music.

For a glorious three minutes and four seconds, the car captivated cinemagoers, catapulting the Miura to international fame. The car, the road, the scenery, the soundtrack – everything was sublime, before the Mafia ruined it all, killing driver and car, dumping them over the edge of a ravine.

For nearly four decades, my idea of personal motoring nirvana has centred around driving that car on that road – precisely what I’m about to do.

First, though, a potted history to explain why this car is so important to the automobile industry. Putting to one side for a moment its heart-stopping beauty, the engineering underneath its aluminium suit was radical in the extreme, and set the template for almost every supercar designed and built since.

Lamborghini had only been building cars for three years when the Miura was unveiled in 1966. A year before, its rolling chassis had been shown to the public, and what was on display was enough for orders for the new car to start trickling in, despite nobody knowing what it would end up looking like. But there was enough there to get the right people excited.

Up to that point, road-going sports cars had their engines up front, with power sent to the rear wheels, but the Miura turned everything around. Taking inspiration from Ford’s GT40 race car, Lamborghini’s chief engineer, Gian Paolo Dallara (who was just 28 at the time), situated the V12 engine behind the cockpit, and designed it so that the gearbox was incorporated in the same housing, similar to the Mini. Everything was then turned horizontally to save space.

All this was achieved by ­Dallara and two other men – Paolo ­Stanzani and Bob Wallace – by working in their spare time to convince their boss it was a good idea. When Ferruccio saw what they were up to, he gave them free rein to do as they pleased, believing it to be little more than a potentially effective marketing tool.

Dallara, Stanzani and the car’s designer, Marcello Gandini, have all come along to join in the ­Miura’s birthday celebrations, and I talk with them before my time in the car.

“[Ferruccio] always wanted to have something better than the others,” Dallara tells me, “more performance than our neighbours [Ferrari]. We were a young company with young designers who had to overcome all sorts of problems – there were so few examples to look to. We made mistakes, but Mr Lamborghini was very tolerant and forgiving. Without that incredible shape, though, it would not have been such a success.”

That shape, Gandini tells me, evolved over plenty of coffee-shop meetings with the engineers. “We were two or three friends meeting up in a coffee bar to discuss requirements. There was no structure back then, and it was just me looking after the design. There was no team like there is today.

“We had two-and-a-half months to get a prototype ready for the Geneva motor show, and the shape was completed at 10pm on Christmas Eve [1965]. The engineers and I followed the same line of thinking – this was just my interpretation of what they were doing at the same time.”

And what a design it was. Though Gandini says his original wish was for the rear to be wider, with fatter wheels and tyres – something that came to pass with the third generation, the SV. And that’s the model I’m handed the keys to. It normally lives in the ­Lamborghini factory museum, and I have admired its form on many occasions, but when you see a Miura outdoors, its perfect proportions, curves, vents and clever design details all come together to form the ultimate motoring ­sculpture.

There was more than one road used in the Miura's Italian Job scenes, but the majority of the footage was shot on the Great St Bernard Pass. It's here I take my seat behind the SV's gorgeous, evocative steering wheel. The driving position is absurd, requiring your legs to be far apart, arms outstretched and feet struggling to get to the right pedals. No matter, it's a classic.

I twist the key, and that V12 erupts with a roar that defies ­description. As I emerge onto the tarmac, flanked either side by the last vestiges of winter snow, I laugh out loud. I simply can’t believe I’m doing this for real. But I am, and for the next hour or so, I wring the life out of this timeless icon to try to find its weak spots. Apart from its antique brakes, there really aren’t any.

The power delivery is smooth, gear changes requiring a fair bit of effort thanks to a truck-like clutch and a recalcitrant shifter, but it feels more than OK to anyone with experience of old cars. Jump into this after spending your whole life driving a new SUV, however, and you wouldn’t cope. It’s hard work, but ultimately rewarding – I have my window down the entire time to help with the cabin temperature, and even then my back is soaked from the sheer physical exertion required to hustle a Miura around hairpin after hairpin. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Compared to a modern supercar, the Miura SV feels a bit tame, but it’s still extremely quick if you keep the revs on the boil and gearshifts precise. But it’s engaging in a way today’s sanitised machines cannot hope to be. And the noise. Oh, the noise. Lift off the throttle and it gurgles, cracks and pops – get back on it, and a lowdown rumble becomes full-on roar, then a high-pitched scream. It’s magnificent in every respect.

When my time is up, I’m full of mixed emotions. I have done what I never thought possible, and while I’m ecstatic about that, I’m sad, too, because I just don’t want it to end. I want to keep driving – perhaps take it the 400 kilometres back to the factory in Sant’Agata, rather than pull in and hand the key to its minder. But the Miura remains my ultimate automobile. It will forever be out of my reach to own one, though, and that’s my only regret.

motoring@thenational.ae

Fight card

Bantamweight

Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) v Rey Nacionales (PHI)

Lightweight

Alexandru Chitoran (ROM) v Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR)

Catch 74kg

Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) v Omar Hussein (JOR)

Strawweight (Female)

Weronika Zygmunt (POL) v Seo Ye-dam (KOR)

Featherweight

Kaan Ofli (TUR) v Walid Laidi (ALG)

Lightweight

Leandro Martins (BRA) v Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW)

Welterweight

Ahmad Labban (LEB) v Sofiane Benchohra (ALG)

Bantamweight

Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR)

Lightweight

Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Glen Ranillo (PHI)

Lightweight

Alan Omer (GER) v Aidan Aguilera (AUS)

Welterweight

Mounir Lazzez (TUN) Sasha Palatnikov (HKG)

Featherweight title bout

Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR)

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Aquaman%20and%20the%20Lost%20Kingdom
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Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
  • Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
  • Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
  • Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
 
 
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
If you go:

 

Getting there:

Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.

 

Getting around:

Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com

Company Profile

Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE%20Warriors%2045%20Results
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UAE - India ties

The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China

Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion

The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India

Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015

His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016

Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017

Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25

Uefa Nations League

League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands

League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey

League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania

League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

RACE CARD

5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 1,000m
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
 
Amith's selections:
5pm: AF Sail
5.30pm: Dahawi
6pm: Taajer
6.30pm: Pharitz Oubai
7pm: Winked
7.30pm: Shahm
8pm: Raniah

Tips%20for%20holiday%20homeowners
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20several%20factors%20for%20landlords%20to%20consider%20when%20preparing%20to%20establish%20a%20holiday%20home%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3ERevenue%20potential%20of%20the%20unit%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20location%2C%20view%20and%20size%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EDesign%3A%20furnished%20or%20unfurnished.%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Is%20the%20design%20up%20to%20standard%2C%20while%20being%20catchy%20at%20the%20same%20time%3F%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EBusiness%20model%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20will%20it%20be%20managed%20by%20a%20professional%20operator%20or%20directly%20by%20the%20owner%2C%20how%20often%20does%20the%20owner%20wants%20to%20use%20it%20for%20personal%20reasons%3F%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuality%20of%20the%20operator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20guest%20reviews%2C%20customer%20experience%20management%2C%20application%20of%20technology%2C%20average%20utilisation%2C%20scope%20of%20services%20rendered%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Adam%20Nowak%2C%20managing%20director%20of%20Ultimate%20Stay%20Vacation%20Homes%20Rental%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Malcolm & Marie

Directed by: Sam Levinson

Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya

Three stars

Herc's Adventures

Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5

SPAIN SQUAD

Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)

Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)

Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)

Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)

RESULTS

Argentina 4 Haiti 0

Peru 2 Scotland 0

Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0