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The Lamborghini Miura is a sports car that was produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1966 and 1973. The car is widely considered to have instigated the trend of high performance, two-seater, mid-engined sports cars.〔List of Top Gear episodes#Series Three〕 When released, it was the fastest production road car available. The Miura was originally conceived by Lamborghini's engineering team, who designed the car in their spare time against the wishes of company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini. He preferred powerful yet sedate grand touring cars, rather than the racecar-derived machines produced by local rival Ferrari. The Miura's rolling chassis was presented at the 1965 Turin auto show, and the prototype P400 debuted at the 1966 Geneva show, to stellar receptions from showgoers and motoring press alike. Both were impressed by Marcello Gandini's sleek styling and the car's revolutionary mid-engine design. As Lamborghini's flagship car, the Miura received periodic updates and remained in production until 1973, and was not replaced in the automaker's lineup until the Countach entered production in 1974, amid tumultuous financial times for the company. == Development == During 1965, Lamborghini's three top engineers, Gian Paolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani, and Bob Wallace put their own time into developing a prototype car known as the P400. The engineers envisioned a road car with racing pedigree – one which could win on the track and be driven on the road by enthusiasts. The three men worked on its design at night, hoping to convince Lamborghini such a vehicle would neither be too expensive nor distract from the company's focus. When finally brought aboard, Lamborghini gave his engineers a free hand in the belief the P400 was a potentially valuable marketing tool, if nothing more. The car featured a transversely-mounted mid-engine layout, a departure from previous Lamborghini cars. The V12 was also unusual in that it was effectively merged with the transmission and differential, reflecting a lack of space in the tightly-wrapped design. The rolling chassis was displayed at the Turin Salon in 1965. Impressed showgoers placed orders for the car despite the lack of a body to go over the chassis. Bertone was placed in charge of styling the prototype, which was finished just days before its debut at the 1966 Geneva motor show. Curiously, none of the engineers had found time to check if the engine fit inside its compartment. Committed to showing the car, they decided to fill the engine bay with ballast and keep the hood locked throughout the show, as they had three years earlier for the début of the 350GTV. Sales head Sgarzi was forced to turn away members of the motoring press who wanted to see the P400's power plant. Despite this setback, the car was the highlight of the show, immediately boosting stylist Marcello Gandini's reputation. The favourable reaction at Geneva meant the P400 was to go into production by the following year. The name "Miura", a famous type of fighting bull,〔 was chosen, and featured in the company's newly created badge. The car gained the worldwide attention of automotive enthusiasts when it was chosen for the opening sequence of the original 1969 version of ''The Italian Job''. In press interviews of the time company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini was reticent about his precise birth date, but stressed that he was born under the star sign Taurus the bull. File:1965 Turin Salon Miura Chassis -1.jpg|The prototype Miura chassis as it appeared at the Turin show File:Lamborghini Miura engine.jpg|1968 Miura S engine 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lamborghini Miura」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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