From 1966 through 1973, Lamborghini built the Lamborghini Miura, a vintage sports car. It was the first supercar with a rear mid-engine design. This arrangement has subsequently become the standard for high-performance sports and supercars. The Miura P400 was faster than most of its competitors, including the Ferrari 275 GTB and the Ford GT40, with a top speed of 163 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 6.3 seconds.
The Lamborghini Miura's outstanding engine was the driving force behind its performance. It was a naturally aspirated V12 engine with 3.9 liters that was adapted from the Lamborghini 400 GT. It was cast together with the transmission and differential and positioned transversely behind the cockpit. The engine had six Weber carburetors, two valves per cylinder, and four overhead camshafts. In the initial P400 variant, it generated 350 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 355 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm.
The history of the Lamborghini Miura is fascinating. Contrary to the founder Ferruccio Lamborghini's preferences for grand touring vehicles over race vehicles, it was developed by Lamborghini's engineers in their spare time. The Miura was first displayed as a rolling chassis at the 1965 Torino Auto Show before being unveiled as a finished vehicle at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show. Both the public and the press gave the Miura highly favorable reviews. When it was first introduced, it was also the world's quickest production vehicle.
