automotivebriefs
9:15in productionCh. 1 · Built Against Orders/ 9:15 · ceiling 15 min
Supercars

Lamborghini Miura

Marcello Gandini · 1966

The Miura didn’t invent speed — it invented where the engine belongs.

The Lamborghini Miura is the first high-performance production road car with a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Conceived secretly by engineers in 1965, it debuted at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show. Marcello Gandini designed it in three months. It held the title of world’s fastest production car at launch. It remained Lamborghini’s flagship until 1973.

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Chapters & takeaways4
  1. 1:02
    Built Against Orders

    Engineers built it in secret, defying their boss’s vision for grand touring cars.

  2. 2:06
    The First Mid-Engined Layout

    It placed a transversely mounted V12 behind the driver — the first production car to do so.

  3. 3:54
    Two Shows, One Revolution

    Its rolling chassis appeared at Turin in 1965; the P400 prototype stunned Geneva in 1966.

  4. 5:24
    Three Months That Changed Everything

    Marcello Gandini drew it from sketch to prototype in three months — and it was groundbreaking.

Worth your time?

Yes. Drive the whole thing.

4.5/ 5
What works
  • central driver position
  • immediate steering feedback
  • direct mechanical connection to rear axle
What does not
  • comfort
  • visibility
  • accessibility
Drive it if
  • drivers who value mechanical integrity
  • those drawn to spatial drama
Skip it if
  • those needing practicality
  • those seeking forgiving dynamics
The written brief1 min read

What the car is and where it came from

The Lamborghini Miura is an Italian sports car produced from 1966 to 1973. Engineers Giampaolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani and Bob Wallace developed it secretly in 1965 against Ferruccio Lamborghini’s preference for grand tourers.

How it works, in terms someone would actually use

The driver sits ahead of a transversely mounted V12, with the engine and gearbox behind the cabin. The rear mid-engine layout shifts weight rearward, sharpening turn-in but demanding precise throttle control at the limit.

What it gets right

It places the driver centrally in a lightweight, tightly packaged chassis with immediate steering feedback and a direct mechanical connection to the rear axle.

What it does not

It does not prioritise comfort, visibility or ease of access. Its low roofline, narrow cabin and high sills compromise daily usability.

What it changed

It made the rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout the standard for performance sports cars. Every such car since owes it a structural debt.

Who it is for, and who it is not

It is for drivers who value raw mechanical integrity and spatial drama over refinement. It is not for those who need practicality, visibility or forgiving dynamics.

Is it worth your time

Yes. It is the foundational mid-engined production car — not as a myth, but as a working machine that redefined what a road car could be.

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