Tractor manufacturer and GT enthusiast Ferruccio Lamborghini set out to make the perfect car in 1963, and two years later, the first supercar was born. Named after a Spanish ganadería which produces particularly fierce bulls, the Miura astonished the public when only the chassis was shown in 1965, with its V12 engine mounted transversely behind the cockpit. Many pundits doubted that Ferruccio would ever put his mid-engine mount into production. At the time, almost all cars designed for the road were rear drive with engines placed under the hood.

Marcello Gandini from Bertone was called in to skin the chassis with sleek bodywork and clam-shell hoods on both front and rear. It was quite simply the hottest thing on four wheels. When Ferruccio first presented the complete car in person at the 1966 Salon de Genève, the Miura was hailed as an aesthetic masterpiece and a technical marvel. It was so radical, so sexy, and so low to the ground - light years away from the Ford Galaxy Jay’s dad drove every day.

Despite the sensation caused by early prototypes, Ferruccio planned on a limited production of about 50 cars. When the orders started pouring in, his team had to scramble through development, creating some confusion with earlier models, as changes were implemented over a range of serial numbers. Early Miuras were known as P400s, and were powered by a version of Lamborghini’s famous 3.9 liter V12 engine, producing 350 hp. The P400S, also known as the Miura S, was introduced in 1968 with several revisions on the original. With reshaped combustion chambers, higher lift cams and improved breathing, the engine yielded an extra 20hp and increased torque.

Although Jay insists that the Miura is a great daily driver, as long as she’s well maintained to factory standards, this isn’t exactly the kind of car you can just park anywhere. After all, there’s no bumpers on this baby. Arguably the most collectible of all Lamborghini models, the curvy Miura is, according to Jay, “like a beautiful woman” - not the kind of car you can leave alone for too long. That must be why Walter de Silva, now head of Lamborghini Design, decided to celebrate the Miura’s 40th anniversary in 2006 with his first design for the company, a new Miura concept car.

His iconic design remains faithful to the original, while refining contours and performance, but Automobili Lamborghini has yet to set a firm date for its production launch.