The SV Is The Last Lamborghini Miura & Is 50 Years Old

Lamborghini Miura SV 50 Years Old

The Lamborghini Miura SV is now 50 years old. The last of the line for the Miura gained more power, wider tyres and arches, but still retained the beauty.

The P400 project was first displayed in March 1971 at the Geneva Motor Show on the Carrozzeria Bertone stand. This was the same show where the Countach LP500 Prototype was unveiled.

The V in SV stands for Veloce, or very fast in English. This final edition was developed to accompany the S version, but due to the success it actually replaced it. The Miura SV is now the most sought after of all the production cars made by Lamborghini and is considered to be the best version of the Miura. It was also considerd to be the supercar of its day.
The creators of the Muira SV, Lamborghini’s chief engineers Giampaolo Dallara and Paolo Stanzani, gave the SV all the benefits from the experience of the first five years of production.

The Lamborghini Miura SV is now 50 years old. The last of the line for the Miura gained more power, wider tyres and arches, but still retained the beauty.

The P400 project was first displayed in March 1971 at the Geneva Motor Show on the Carrozzeria Bertone stand. This was the same show where the Countach LP500 Prototype was unveiled.

The V in SV stands for Veloce, or very fast in English. This final edition was developed to accompany the S version, but due to the success it actually replaced it. The Miura SV is now the most sought after of all the production cars made by Lamborghini and is considered to be the best version of the Miura. It was also considerd to be the supercar of its day.

The creators of the Muira SV, Lamborghini’s chief engineers Giampaolo Dallara and Paolo Stanzani, gave the SV all the benefits from the experience of the first five years of production.
 

The engine in the SV produced more power, now 385 hp at 7850 rpm. The torque wa incresed to 40.7 kgm at 5750 rpm which improved the cars drivability. The four triple barrel type 40 Weber carburetors were tweaked too. The SV received a new separate lubrication syste, between the engine and gearbox. Not something you could really see, but quite an important technical improvement.

The Miura SV is quite differnet to other Miuras. the P 400 and P400 S both technically and styling. The general layout was the same, a 4 litre transversely mounted V12 engine. But the car had a stiffer chassis with reinforcements in certain places. The rear suspension was revised with different anchor points and arms and a nearly a 130mm wider track. The rear wheel increased in size too from 7 to 9 inches and came with 255 section tyres. The rim design was altered too and many people ordered them in gold, which does really suit the car, especially in red.

The engine in the SV produced more power, now 385 hp at 7850 rpm. The torque wa incresed to 40.7 kgm at 5750 rpm which improved the cars drivability. The four triple barrel type 40 Weber carburetors were tweaked too. The SV received a new separate lubrication syste, between the engine and gearbox. Not something you could really see, but quite an important technical improvement.

The Miura SV is quite differnet to other Miuras. the P 400 and P400 S both technically and styling. The general layout was the same, a 4 litre transversely mounted V12 engine. But the car had a stiffer chassis with reinforcements in certain places. The rear suspension was revised with different anchor points and arms and a nearly a 130mm wider track. The rear wheel increased in size too from 7 to 9 inches and came with 255 section tyres. The rim design was altered too and many people ordered them in gold, which does really suit the car, especially in red.

Lamborghini Miura SV 50 Years Old Paris Eiffel Tower


The body had to be altered to accommodate the changes and the SV features wider flared arches. All styling work was completed by Marcello Ghandini who oversaw the original. The tail lights were changed and the bonnet came with a new air intake for the radiator.

Lamborghini Miura SV 50 Years Old Paris Eiffel Tower
Lamborghini Miura SV 50 Years Old Paris Tuileries Garden

 The interior was also updated with more leather and chrome was added making it look and feel more modern. It didn’t detract from the original’s style though. The additional leather makes the car feel more luxurious and more expensive too.

Lamborghini Miura SV Interior

The most obvious change came at the front of the car. The famous eyelashes were no longer present. There is not technical reason for this, but Ferruccio Lamborghini was aware that the assembly and finishing was highly complex and time consuming. But, for his own personal Miura SV he asked for the eyelashes to remain. The interior was also updated with more leather and chrome was added making it look and feel more modern.

Lamborghini Miura SV
Lamborghini Miura SV
The performance was impressive, even today. The top speed of the Miura SV’s was officially over 290 km/h. From a from a standing start it covered one kilometer in a little under 24 seconds which was record performance at the time.
 
Back in 1973 after 150 had been produces, the Miura SV was taken out of production. Although two years later in 1975 a final special edition was built specially for Walter Wolf, which can now be found at MUDETEC the Lamborghini museum in Sant’Agata Bolognese
Lamborghini Miura SV

The end of the Miura production wa the end of an era. The Countach was radically different, while keeping the longitudinally mounted mid mounted V12, the car looked like it came from another planet.

The SV was created by a small group of men at Lamborghini whos passion and technical skills were able to create what has to be one of the most beautiful cars ever built.

Thanks to Lamborghini for the use of the images of the Miura SV at 50 years old.

Simon.

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