Discussion
The Miura has been one of my very top dream cars since I first saw a picture of it many years ago. McNab brought me down to earth a bit when he described the realities of them on here a while back (
), but they are still so beautiful it hurts.
And I got a ride in one a couple of years ago! At the NEC, the sporting Bears were doing their thing, and a lovely man called Henry took me out in his green beastie, told me about its history and let me enjoy its fantastic engine sound. I have a photo of it beside my pc. MMMMMM.....Miura
), but they are still so beautiful it hurts. And I got a ride in one a couple of years ago! At the NEC, the sporting Bears were doing their thing, and a lovely man called Henry took me out in his green beastie, told me about its history and let me enjoy its fantastic engine sound. I have a photo of it beside my pc. MMMMMM.....Miura
The Jota . . . 
440 / 8500 
www.fast-autos.net/lamborghini/lambomiurajota.html
www.lambocars.com/framed/miura/jotarepl.htm
[url]www.supercars.net/cars/1970@$Lamborghini@$Miura%20S%20Jotag.html[/url]
www.than.org/cgi-bin/frame.pl?url=/2909963792.html
www.lamborghiniclub.nl/jota.htm
www.lamboreplica.co.uk/
No one has a Miura . . .
440 / 8500 www.fast-autos.net/lamborghini/lambomiurajota.html
www.lambocars.com/framed/miura/jotarepl.htm
[url]www.supercars.net/cars/1970@$Lamborghini@$Miura%20S%20Jotag.html[/url]
www.than.org/cgi-bin/frame.pl?url=/2909963792.html
www.lamborghiniclub.nl/jota.htm
www.lamboreplica.co.uk/
No one has a Miura . . .
Yertis, you might be interested to know that a beautiful Lamborghini Espada features heavily in the film 'Le Mouton Enragé' made in 1974, starring Jean-Louis Tritignant and directed by Michel Deville. The end of the movie looks like a period advertisement for this amazing car, and the rest of it is chock-full of sauce.
Yertis....
Bad news....
The Espada is great to drive!
It is not as fast as its 'alleged' 365bhp (S3) suggests and it is low on lowdown torque which is a bit strange for a continental GT car. You have to wring its neck to get it to go - which gives the game away that this a sports V12 motor.
Having said that, the noise is glorious - the exhaust note, the 'pertoosh' of the carbs on gearshifts, the rifle-bolt sound of the gearshifter - and its natural cruising speed is about 110mph. I've never taken mine beyond about 130mph and I think the period 160mph claims are a bit ambitious. Shifting at about 5000rpm (she revs to 7500) it's really sweet, the synchros work better at higher revs.
Handling is good once you adjust to old-school high tyre walls. You have to set it up for a corner, allow the tyres to get comfortable, rather than chuck it in the bend like you can with modern low-profiles. She's heavy and wide ...set her up nicely and she sails through the corners - threading apexes together going through roundabouts in my home city makes for a great weekend blast!
The steering is heavy despite power assistance but it's accurate and the brakes - aided by big twin servos - are excellent. One of my fears was that when I got to drive it, it would be a bone-shaker with crap brakes and wobbly steering. Not that it would have made a bean of difference - I've wanted an Espada for longer than anything else in my life.
My obsession began was I was 7. My stepfather's brother was Alistair Maclean's (the author) chauffeur. Gregory would bring around Alistair's new cars sometimes and we would go for a ride around the block. Normally it was Bentleys and Rollers but one day he turned up in a LHD dark green Espada. I was smitten, completely smitten - it was such a stunning car compared with anything else I'd ever seen and I treasured my Corgi and Dinky Lamborghini Marzals all the more as I understood the lineage.
Having driven 70s Rolls Shadows - for which a canal boat driving licence is recommended - the Espada must have been truly astonishing in period. Where today a turbo-diesel VW can give an Espada a hard time, back in the 70s the big Lambo must have been something else. Sadly, Gregory the Rolls driver wiped out the Espada - and almost himself - in the Swiss Alps a couple of weeks after we'd seen the car.
I was extremely lucky to find mine. In my mind's eye, I wanted dark blue with tan hide and it had to be a late S3, RHD. I'd never even seen one this spec ...until I happened upon this one. (Picture in my Profile) Notions of daily driving have gone by the by, it's too good to expose its Italian metalwork to British weather.
Anyway, enough of this! Now I want to drive my Espada but it's raining!
Bad news....
The Espada is great to drive!
It is not as fast as its 'alleged' 365bhp (S3) suggests and it is low on lowdown torque which is a bit strange for a continental GT car. You have to wring its neck to get it to go - which gives the game away that this a sports V12 motor.
Having said that, the noise is glorious - the exhaust note, the 'pertoosh' of the carbs on gearshifts, the rifle-bolt sound of the gearshifter - and its natural cruising speed is about 110mph. I've never taken mine beyond about 130mph and I think the period 160mph claims are a bit ambitious. Shifting at about 5000rpm (she revs to 7500) it's really sweet, the synchros work better at higher revs.
Handling is good once you adjust to old-school high tyre walls. You have to set it up for a corner, allow the tyres to get comfortable, rather than chuck it in the bend like you can with modern low-profiles. She's heavy and wide ...set her up nicely and she sails through the corners - threading apexes together going through roundabouts in my home city makes for a great weekend blast!
The steering is heavy despite power assistance but it's accurate and the brakes - aided by big twin servos - are excellent. One of my fears was that when I got to drive it, it would be a bone-shaker with crap brakes and wobbly steering. Not that it would have made a bean of difference - I've wanted an Espada for longer than anything else in my life.
My obsession began was I was 7. My stepfather's brother was Alistair Maclean's (the author) chauffeur. Gregory would bring around Alistair's new cars sometimes and we would go for a ride around the block. Normally it was Bentleys and Rollers but one day he turned up in a LHD dark green Espada. I was smitten, completely smitten - it was such a stunning car compared with anything else I'd ever seen and I treasured my Corgi and Dinky Lamborghini Marzals all the more as I understood the lineage.
Having driven 70s Rolls Shadows - for which a canal boat driving licence is recommended - the Espada must have been truly astonishing in period. Where today a turbo-diesel VW can give an Espada a hard time, back in the 70s the big Lambo must have been something else. Sadly, Gregory the Rolls driver wiped out the Espada - and almost himself - in the Swiss Alps a couple of weeks after we'd seen the car.
I was extremely lucky to find mine. In my mind's eye, I wanted dark blue with tan hide and it had to be a late S3, RHD. I'd never even seen one this spec ...until I happened upon this one. (Picture in my Profile) Notions of daily driving have gone by the by, it's too good to expose its Italian metalwork to British weather.
Anyway, enough of this! Now I want to drive my Espada but it's raining!
The Miura is the most beautiful car ever - although the DB4 GT Zagato isn't far behind, or the 250 GTO, or the GT40, or the..... better stop before I bore everyone.
I know Miuras are a nightmare to live with, and trust me that won't stop me buying an SV sometime.... not for a second...
I know Miuras are a nightmare to live with, and trust me that won't stop me buying an SV sometime.... not for a second...
Guydw said:
The Miura is the most beautiful car ever - ( . . . ) that won't stop me buying an SV sometime.... not for a second...
Jota-version for me.
Uracco is nice.
"This smaller Lamborghini was developed to compete with cars like Porsche 911. It was a rather cramped 4-seater, however, powered by a 90 degree V-8 of 2,5 litres when it appeared in 1973 as the P250. But the timing was off and it didn't sell well, so a smaller 1994 cc was introduced in the P200 the following year complemented by the P300 with a 2996 cc engine developing 265 hp. In all 1050 cars of these types were built. With the beautiful Bertone body it deserved better."
This is the Lambo for me really: 375 / 8000 4 litre v12
castex said:
Yertis, you might be interested to know that a beautiful Lamborghini Espada features heavily in the film 'Le Mouton Enragé' made in 1974, starring Jean-Louis Tritignant and directed by Michel Deville. The end of the movie looks like a period advertisement for this amazing car, and the rest of it is chock-full of sauce.
Art-house car-porn. Cool. I'll check Amazon...More arthousecarporn: Le Piscine: http://richard5.net/maserati/lapiscine.php
Piccies are too big, 4,7 litre Masser Ghibli. Enjoy.
Piccies are too big, 4,7 litre Masser Ghibli. Enjoy.
dinkel said:
More arthousecarporn: Le Piscine: http://richard5.net/maserati/lapiscine.php
Piccies are too big, 4,7 litre Masser Ghibli. Enjoy.
I love Ghiblis almost as much as I love Espadas. Khamsins too. Who says the '70s were the decade that style forgot?
There's a Triumph Herald in one of those pics 
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