January 8, 2006 The House of the Raging Bull has reprised the legendary name and beautiful shape of the Muira with the introduction of a Lamborghini Miura concept car. The daring design study dubbed the "Miura Concept" was secretly unveiled at the Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills, California to an elite group of auto industry insiders and car enthusiasts last Thursday evening. Arguably the most beautiful car ever created and long considered company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini's favorite Lamborghini of all-time, the new Miura Concept brings back the legendary Miura name on the eve of the car's 40th Anniversary. The original Miura quickly became one of the hottest cars of its day with a long list of past and current celebrity owners like movie star Nicholas Cage, Tonight Show Host Jay Leno, rock star legends Elton John and Rod Stewart, and Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, the epitome of cool from The Rat Pack. The new concept penned by Lamborghini design head Walter de'Silva brings back the sensuous styling of the original Miura that raised the benchmark in supercar design and instantly won the admiration of car enthusiasts worldwide.
De Silva’s other responsibilities include serving as Head of Design of Audi Group. The talented designer’s idea for the new concept was simple: a retro-inspired look heralding back to one of the auto world’s most famous icons, the legendary Lamborghini Miura.
The daring design study dubbed the "Miura Concept" was secretly unveiled at the Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills, California to an elite group of auto industry insiders and car enthusiasts last Thursday evening. Arguably the most beautiful car ever created and long considered company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini's favorite Lamborghini of all-time, the new Miura Concept brings back the legendary Miura name on the eve of the car's 40th Anniversary.
"Ferruccio Lamborghini once said it means very little to produce the best racing cars in the world, people only remember the drivers, but if you can produce the best road cars in the world, no one will ever forget them," Automobili Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann reminisced about Lamborghini's famous founder. "40 years ago, Lamborghini created what was unquestionably the best road car in the world, the legendary Miura. Today, Lamborghini follows in this uncompromising tradition by making the most beautiful, high-performance supercars in the world."
The original Miura quickly became one of the hottest cars of its day with a long list of past and current celebrity owners like movie star Nicholas Cage, Tonight Show Host Jay Leno, rock star legends Elton John and Rod Stewart, and Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, the epitome of cool from The Rat Pack. The new concept penned by Lamborghini design head Walter de'Silva brings back the sensuous styling of the original Miura that raised the benchmark in supercar design and instantly won the admiration of car enthusiasts worldwide.
Currently celebrating its fortieth anniversary, the Miura was originally designed by Marcello Gandini and first publicly presented at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show by Ferruccio Lamborghini and Nuccio Bertone.
The new concept model which, as of now, is strictly a concept with no firm date set for its production launch, is the inspired creation of de’ Silva, the world-famous Italian designer. He has redesigned every aspect of the car while remaining absolutely faithful to the original form.
The new car retains the extraordinary purity of line, characteristic of the original Miura: the designer’s intervention has been defined by refining the contours and eliminating any superfluous detail, in order to enhance the clean, simple lines and perfectly balanced proportions of the original that so impassioned enthusiasts.
The restyling of the lower part of the body takes the car’s structural strength and aerodynamic performance to new heights, without disturbing the delicate aesthetic equilibrium.
Even the touches of contemporary styling applied to the interior, the lights and the wheels have been carefully measured to achieve a homogenous design that is both timeless and immediately recognisable.
And so a true design icon is born.
"Over the last two years," explains Walter de’ Silva, "I have often dreamed of redesigning the Miura. Now, thanks to my new position at the head of Lamborghini design, and the enthusiastic support of the Lamborghini CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, I have been able to turn that dream into a reality."
Recently experiencing great corporate success, Automobili Lamborghini begins the New Year by celebrating the successful production of 3,000 Lamborghini V10 Gallardo models after just two years, a record high number for the Volkswagen-Audi owned Italian supercar maker. In addition to strong Gallardo Coupe sales, the brand new convertible V10 Gallardo Spyder has recently become available at Lamborghini dealers. In addition, the epitome of all supercars, Lamborghini's flagship V12 Murcielago Coupe and Roadster models, also remain in solid demand.