RE: New Miura concept photos arrive
Discussion
rico said:
The rumour mill for this concept is huge, I've heard 700bhp a few times and 1000bhp at least once. It's going after the Enzo and thats for sure. Priced above the Murcielago at £200k+
I would question whether the aerodynamics could handle the insanely high speeds that that sort of power would generate looking at the shape of the car.
While I think it looks like a better attempt at a retro recovery, it still emphasises the problem with 'retro-mobiles', such as the 'new' beetle and the b-ini, they lose sight of what made the originals great.
It may go and handle like a modern supercar, without all the danger etc (i.e. fun (matter of perspective of course!)) that made the original such a good car. As in 'copying' the original they always lose that something special that made them great.
Lamborghini are known for making cars born out of passion, this just looks like something a financial manager sees as dollar signs, which it obviously will sell due to the comments listed here, but IMHO while it may be a good car, it can never be the great car the original muira was for its time.
Autocar reckons to know that it will be produced: www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/63157/lambo_confirms_new_miura.html
Can you imagine a badge saying "LP400" but with a 5 litre engine? No Miura was ever "LP400" -- P400 yes, but not L -- so why it should have that badge I can't imagine. And it seems VW is raiding the parts bin if it's going to mix Veyron transmission with Lamborghini engine. It's like putting a Range Rover Sport engine in an 4WD Jaguar C-type copy.
Autocar said:
Lambo confirms new Miura
Hot in the wheel tracks of the sensational world exclusive cover story in our New Year Special, Auto Express can now bring you the news every supercar fan wanted to hear - Lamborghini's new Miura is going into production.
And not only does the newcomer bring back one of the company's most evocative shapes, but its performance is set to eclipse Ferrari's Enzo. The concept, which debuts at next week's Detroit Motor Show, has caused a massive stir with its retro looks - just as Ford did with its GT40-inspired GT supercar in 2002.
A clean, modern interpretation of the classic Miura shape, it replaces the original car's twin black upper grilles with a single inverted scoop, but keeps the quad black exhaust tips which poke through the rear valance. New 20-inch alloys finish the look.
Longer, wider and taller than the original Miura by around 10 per cent in every dimension, the newcomer boasts ample space for two occupants in a cabin which will be a futuristic, minimalist affair.
Despite mooted LP400 badging - which would denote a 4.0-litre engine in Lamborghini's numbering history - the Miura is expected to break with tradition and use a 5.0-litre V10 from the Gallardo with more than 600bhp.
Mid-mounted and with a seven-speed DSG sequential transmission from the Bugatti Veyron, expect it to dispatch 0-60mph in three seconds and offer a 205mph top speed. Unlike the original Miura, which lacked stability at high speeds, the new version will be rooted to the spot. It will feature a bold front splitter (to provide downforce and force cool air into the radiators), a rear-mounted spoiler that automatically deploys at 75mph and a rear diffuser.
Ceramic brake discs, a titanium exhaust system, magnesium wheels and carbon composite body panels will all keep the weight down. Expect a price of £350,000 and a limited run of 400 cars when the Miura arrives in 2007.
Matt Davis
Can you imagine a badge saying "LP400" but with a 5 litre engine? No Miura was ever "LP400" -- P400 yes, but not L -- so why it should have that badge I can't imagine. And it seems VW is raiding the parts bin if it's going to mix Veyron transmission with Lamborghini engine. It's like putting a Range Rover Sport engine in an 4WD Jaguar C-type copy.
It's gorgeous.
This may sound weird (OK, I know it does), but a car needs to turn me on with it's looks Call me shallow, I don't care. If a shape doesn't make it want to give it a good soaking with the extra bubbly Halford Supersuds it's just not working. This one? I'd gladly lovingly caress all those curves, drinking in every last beautiful detail. I'd polish it 'till the paint was through to the metal.
:goesoffforacoldshower:
This may sound weird (OK, I know it does), but a car needs to turn me on with it's looks Call me shallow, I don't care. If a shape doesn't make it want to give it a good soaking with the extra bubbly Halford Supersuds it's just not working. This one? I'd gladly lovingly caress all those curves, drinking in every last beautiful detail. I'd polish it 'till the paint was through to the metal.
:goesoffforacoldshower:
Hang on..
VW, Germans, Lazy design...
Nooo! They're going to 'new beetle' Lamborghini!
It would explain the baby muck green color. The next one will be pink and called 'Beverly Jota LP-Ipod'
Listen Fritz, one of those is more than enough, sell Lambo back to some whacky italians and go back to making sterile people's cars.
VW, Germans, Lazy design...
Nooo! They're going to 'new beetle' Lamborghini!
It would explain the baby muck green color. The next one will be pink and called 'Beverly Jota LP-Ipod'
Listen Fritz, one of those is more than enough, sell Lambo back to some whacky italians and go back to making sterile people's cars. 
sneijder said:
Gorgeous, but it's missing something ...
Not needed...there was also the special Jota version I believe, very beautiful example and
even more exclusive...is that possible?
Lamborghini Miura Jota (1970)
Engine: 12 cylinders 60º V
Displacement: 3929 ccm
Horsepower: 440 @ 8500 rpm
Maximum speed: 320 km/h
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 3,6 s
Weight: 900 kg
LxWxH (cm): n/a x n/a x 100
Design: Bertone (Marcello Gandini)
GTRene
>> Edited by GTRene on Friday 6th January 23:42
I’m not a fan of the styling changes. It’s time for Lamborghini to move onwards and not backwards with it’s designs (the Gallardo and Murcielago are really just re-takes on the Diablo IMO). As mentioned by other posters, really the original was the zenith of it’s design age so anything your re-create now will always be inferior compared to the original’s design. Aerodynamic problems will hinder this car greatly, unfortunately if you build a retro car you get retro aerodynamics as part of it.
You can see the sense in this though, build cars that children have posters of on their walls and then 30-40 years later (when those children have enough money to purchase a car like this) release a car looking very much the same as the original and they will go in search of their boyhoods through their wallets. But do children now have posters of the Gallardo on their wall? I think not.
You can see the sense in this though, build cars that children have posters of on their walls and then 30-40 years later (when those children have enough money to purchase a car like this) release a car looking very much the same as the original and they will go in search of their boyhoods through their wallets. But do children now have posters of the Gallardo on their wall? I think not.
Bar the wheels, I love it. I didn't think I'd ever say that but it nearly makes the brilliant timeless shape of the original look dated. I'd have one over any other car in the world 
Let's just hope they won't alter the design too much between this concept and what the finished product will be.
>> Edited by Thom on Saturday 7th January 09:35
Let's just hope they won't alter the design too much between this concept and what the finished product will be.
>> Edited by Thom on Saturday 7th January 09:35
My 2 pence worth:
1) You have to accept that Lamborghini no longer exists. It died with the Diablo.
2) VAG have started producing supercars, and pretty good ones at that. They just happen to call these cars "Lamborghinis".
The old Miura is my favourite car of all time. This new one is, to me, no more or less than Ford's effort with the GT. I'm not against it generally, but I would criticise mainly in that it doesn't look delicate - the old Miura was pretty, and delicate, but with an engine that would rip your guts in half. That was cool. That was what was so "Italian" about it. This new one is a German interpretation, but still will be a great car nonetheless.
Anyway, as an aside I really do think everybody has missed a trick by not making a replica Miura. I'm aware of pretty much all the current (and past) half-arsed attempts to do this, there's been no kit as good or successful as the Countach/Diablo designs. Plus, I'd be quite happy to drive a Miura at reasonable speed, which a replica could do. If you have a Diablo replica, you need it to be super quick. And everybody knows what a Diablo would look like, whilst small imperfections in the Miura might not matter so much...
1) You have to accept that Lamborghini no longer exists. It died with the Diablo.
2) VAG have started producing supercars, and pretty good ones at that. They just happen to call these cars "Lamborghinis".
The old Miura is my favourite car of all time. This new one is, to me, no more or less than Ford's effort with the GT. I'm not against it generally, but I would criticise mainly in that it doesn't look delicate - the old Miura was pretty, and delicate, but with an engine that would rip your guts in half. That was cool. That was what was so "Italian" about it. This new one is a German interpretation, but still will be a great car nonetheless.
Anyway, as an aside I really do think everybody has missed a trick by not making a replica Miura. I'm aware of pretty much all the current (and past) half-arsed attempts to do this, there's been no kit as good or successful as the Countach/Diablo designs. Plus, I'd be quite happy to drive a Miura at reasonable speed, which a replica could do. If you have a Diablo replica, you need it to be super quick. And everybody knows what a Diablo would look like, whilst small imperfections in the Miura might not matter so much...
It will be interesting to see how they will fit the now-massive V12 in the "tiny" engine bay, not to mention the transmission ... sounds like a very exciting project !
I hope the car will be aimed as a relatively "lightweight" alternative to the Murciélago, along with less power and fine handling, for better all-round GT abilities.
Let's just hope it will not turn up as some Lamborghini cash-cow equivalent to the terrible Maranello cabrio.
The SV does not have eyelashes though. They were purely cosmetic features.
>> Edited by Thom on Saturday 7th January 12:54
I hope the car will be aimed as a relatively "lightweight" alternative to the Murciélago, along with less power and fine handling, for better all-round GT abilities.
Let's just hope it will not turn up as some Lamborghini cash-cow equivalent to the terrible Maranello cabrio.
lightningghost said:
I doesn't look as good without the eyelashes. What were they for anyway? Were they vents?
The SV does not have eyelashes though. They were purely cosmetic features.
>> Edited by Thom on Saturday 7th January 12:54
Lamborghini's designs have always been somewhat evolutionary in nature. Beginning with the Countach at least. It started out as a revolutionary, yet clean design, and then ended up as somewhat of a caricature of itself in the 25th anniversary car. The Diablo followed the same 'cab forward' design concept, but smoothed everything out, but was no less exotic looking, and it evolved into the somewhat vulgar looking SV models. The cycle continued with the latest generation. The Murcielago cleaned up the lines of the Diablo, but maintained the family resemblance. It's my opinion that a retro design is not what lamborghini needs to do.
Firstly, I don't think they've developed the Murcielago platform to its fullest. There's certainly room, as someone mentioned, to shave alot of weight off of the car, and probably some horsepower left to be tapped from that huge engine. Secondly, I don't think Lamborghini NEEDS to do anything retro. With the GT, restyled 'stang and what not else, Ford is (wisely) tapping into the "good ole days" mojo to hopefully save the company from financial ruin. Lamborghini, with VAG backing, has no such necessity. They don't need a knight in shining armor from the past to save a floundering company; and therefore should leave the legend...well, a legend.
I think that VAG needs to adopt a hands-off approach to lambo. Let the Italians do the designs and then provide them with bullet-proof mechanicals so they can execute the designs to the fullest. Also, in my opinion, it's bad news any time a concept is pushed to production by accountants (i.e. the new beetle, PT Cruiser, etc.) Lamborghini needs to begin all of its designs with a clean sheet of paper.
As for the concept: It certainly has some of the right curves, but it doesn't have the character of the original. The car is too chunky vertically, the visual length/height ratio is a bit off. The wheels are a weak attempt to pay hommage to the old style wheels, and who puts friggin' chrome on a performance car...do you know how much chrome wheels weigh compared to magnesium or alloy? also, the angles on the bonnet are a bit off.
I think doing this concept is going to be good for publicity, but I'll have to say that I'd be mildly put out if they actually built it. That's the allure of Lamborghini; the whole "what are they gonna do next" unpredictability that created the Countach. I don't want to see them do something they've already done.
>> Edited by wheelman_13 on Sunday 8th January 03:24
Firstly, I don't think they've developed the Murcielago platform to its fullest. There's certainly room, as someone mentioned, to shave alot of weight off of the car, and probably some horsepower left to be tapped from that huge engine. Secondly, I don't think Lamborghini NEEDS to do anything retro. With the GT, restyled 'stang and what not else, Ford is (wisely) tapping into the "good ole days" mojo to hopefully save the company from financial ruin. Lamborghini, with VAG backing, has no such necessity. They don't need a knight in shining armor from the past to save a floundering company; and therefore should leave the legend...well, a legend.
I think that VAG needs to adopt a hands-off approach to lambo. Let the Italians do the designs and then provide them with bullet-proof mechanicals so they can execute the designs to the fullest. Also, in my opinion, it's bad news any time a concept is pushed to production by accountants (i.e. the new beetle, PT Cruiser, etc.) Lamborghini needs to begin all of its designs with a clean sheet of paper.
As for the concept: It certainly has some of the right curves, but it doesn't have the character of the original. The car is too chunky vertically, the visual length/height ratio is a bit off. The wheels are a weak attempt to pay hommage to the old style wheels, and who puts friggin' chrome on a performance car...do you know how much chrome wheels weigh compared to magnesium or alloy? also, the angles on the bonnet are a bit off.
I think doing this concept is going to be good for publicity, but I'll have to say that I'd be mildly put out if they actually built it. That's the allure of Lamborghini; the whole "what are they gonna do next" unpredictability that created the Countach. I don't want to see them do something they've already done.
>> Edited by wheelman_13 on Sunday 8th January 03:24
dinkel said:
Isn't that the Miura of Miura's . . . SV Speciale Dry Sump . . .
It is... I'd buy it if I had enough cash...
dinkel said:
Jota anyone?
No, thanks. That's about as ugly as a Miura can get...
New Miura is great, but it made me realise what a great effort Ferrari has made with their cars.
Every time a new and sometimes even revolutionary design.
They only messed up with the F50 which I really didn't like, but beauty is in the eye... etc.
dinkel said:
I have to admit though that if it was my money then I would by an original Miura . . .
This one then please . . .
Let's just wait and see.
How much?!!!!!!!!!!
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