The 50 years of a Star, happy birthday Lamborghini Miura SV.

Japan's acid green Lamborghini Miura license plate with peach blossom trees behind it

It was March 1971, it was the debut of the legendary Lamborghini Miura SV, presented socially at the Swiss Motor Show in Geneva. The latest evolution of the P400 project, today, with only 150 examples made, it is the most coveted vintage supercar model from the House of the Bull of Sant’Agata Bolognese by collectors around the world. Today, the myth conceived in the Motor Valley, turns 50 years old.

The Story of the Lamborghini Miura SV

The Miura SV looks somewhat different from the other Miuras (P400 and P400 S), both technically and stylistically. While retaining the same general layout, with the 4-liter 12-cylinder engine placed transversely in a rear-center position, the SV adopts a chassis that is stiffer and reinforced at some crucial points, rear suspension revised in its anchor points and in the shape of the arms with an increased track width of almost 130 millimeters. It uses, in this version, different sized tires between the front and rear, with the rear rims increasing from 7 to 9 inches and adopting 255 tires. The design of the rims themselves is revised, making them sportier, and their gold color finish will be chosen by customers on most of the Miura SVs produced.

Yellow-colored Lamborghini Miura parked in front of a house with trees and plants behind
Yellow-colored Lamborghini Miura parked in front of a house with trees and plants behind

These technical changes also entail a revision of the Miura’s shape, updated by Marcello Gandini himself, creator of the original design. The SV is visually characterized by wider rear fenders, differently designed taillights, and a front hood featuring an unprecedented air intake for the cooling radiator. The same engineers Giampaolo Dallara and Paolo Stanzani, then Lamborghini technical managers and fathers of the Miura and Miura S, confirmed that the SV version benefited from the experience gained during the first five years of Miura production.

The engine, heart and soul of the Lamborghini Miura SV

The Miura SV’s engine develops more power, 385 hp at 7850 rpm, and is more drivable due to higher torque (40.7 kgm at 5750 rpm) distributed differently. Also new are the settings of the 4 triple-body Weber carburetors, again of the 40IDL3C type. It will be on the SV that, in the course of production, a separate lubrication system between engine and gearbox will be adopted, a modification practically not visible from the outside but technically extremely valuable. The top speed claimed for the Miura SV is over 290 km/h and the kilometer, with a standing start, is reached in just under 24 seconds; for the time these are absolute record numbers.

Lamborghini Miura SV green with open bodywork front and back
Lamborghini Miura SV green with open bodywork front and back

The unique features of the Miura SV

Just on the front hood, the most distinctive modification that characterizes the Miura SV is the absence of the famous “eyelashes” outlining the headlights. This modification did not arise from a technical reason, but from a specific request by Ferruccio Lamborghini, who, knowing how complex and expensive the assembly and perfect finishing of the eyelashes was, wanted to reduce the Miura’s production time. However, it was Ferruccio himself who requested the headlamp eyelashes on his personal SV, which thus turns out to be the only one to have officially adopted this specification. The interior of the SV is more finished and is updated from previous versions, mainly due to greater use of leather in the upholstery and the presence of several chrome elements.

Light blue Lamborghini Miura SV seen from the front with black background
Light blue Lamborghini Miura SV seen from the front with black background

A rare model, a stain legend of the Motor Valley

With the Miura SV, an era in which speed and sinuous lines had dictated the law finally came to a close, an unrepeatable period during which a small group of young men, animated by an innate passion and with sound technical skills, could create what for many was, and remains, the most beautiful production car ever produced. One last example was expressly ordered by Walter Wolf in 1975, and is now preserved at MUDETEC, the Lamborghini Museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese.

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