Miura

Lamborghini Miura II by Joan Ferci

It may look far off from the real thing, but this could be the next Lamborghini. But not the one made in Italy. This one's slated for production in Mexico.

Now Volkswagen, which owns Lamborghini, builds a lot of cars in Mexico, but this won't be one of them. It's the brainchild of one Joan Ferci, an Argentine entrepreneur who acquired the rights to use the Lamborghini name from the Indonesian investment firm that owned it back in 1995. Since then he's been making, on and off, his own line of super cars for the Latin American market based on the old Lamborghini Diablo.

Now Ferci is planning a new factory, where he hopes to built a new generation of Latino Lamborghinis, including the Miura II you see here and a sport-utility called the Gran Toro. All the while the Volkswagen Group – by now one of the largest automakers in the world – denies Ferci's rights to the name, and may have a thing or two to say about this latest re-boot...if it ever gets off the ground.

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Tags: Automóviles Lamborghini Latinoamérica SA, gran toro, joan ferci, lamborghini gran toro, Lamborghini Latinoamérica, Lamborghini Latinoamerica, lamborghini miura ii, miura, miura ii

The Classicist: The Holy Grail of Lamborghinis

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, The Classicist

Between 1966 and 1972, Lamborghini built what has come to be known as the "Holy Grail" of its many famous sportscars: the legendary Miura. Named after a Spanish ranch famed for its ferocious bulls, the Miura's (pronounced me-you-rra) flamboyance and engineering astounded the public when it was unveiled at the Turin Motor Show in 1965. It quickly became the supercar of choice for the coolest of the cool and richest of the rich - members of royal families and two of the world's most famous and stylish musicians owned one, for starters.

Miles Davis is said to have driven his Miura around with a .357 Magnum stashed under the seat and enjoyed outrunning police cars while terrified passengers like Jimi Hendrix held on for dear life. He crashed the car in 1972, breaking both ankles in the process, and immediately ordered another. Frank Sinatra arrived at the Lamborghini factory outside carrying a roll of specially tanned wild boar skin with which he instructed the workmen to upholster the interior. He chose orange metallic paint for the exterior and matching shag carpet within.

So why are we talking about the Miura now? Because Joe Sackey, the world's leading authority on the vehicle, has just published the definitive volume on it - aptly titled The Lamborghini Miura Bible - after 20 years of diligent research. Sackey makes the case that the Miura is nothing short of "The Most Beautiful Sports Car of The Postwar Era." Having himself himself owned, maintained and restored five Miuras, he knows whereof he speaks. "The Miura is not a car without its flaws," Sackey notes. "But, what a benchmark post-war classic! A special car, it is to be enjoyed and indeed put on a pedestal. In terms of reliability and utility, it may not be the ultimate example of a sports car, but for sheer charisma and emotion the Miura is hard to beat."

Gallery: Lamborghini Miura