Ahead of the launch of the first hybrid in 2023, Lamborghini is carrying out various activities to celebrate the year’s most historic V12 engine.
Lamborghini’s V12 engine is installed as a horizontally arranged midship engine in the P400 Miura, which gave birth to the word “supercar”, and established itself as the best engine ever in 1996.
The beginning and end of the story of the V12 engine revolves around Miura. The Miura has been installed in Lamborghini’s iconic models for over 60 years, laying the foundation for Lamborghini’s DNA, which encompasses technological innovation, vision and expertise in engineering.
This engine will be mounted on the Aventador Ultimae and mark the end of a glorious era as it marks the start of Lamborghini’s hybridization before the launch of the first hybrid model in 2023.
■ Ferruccio Lamborghini: “Miura will give us the status of a legend”
In less than two years since its founding in 1963, Lamborghini, despite its small size, has firmly established itself at the forefront of the demanding grand tourer market, consistently producing the 350 GT. Despite initial skepticism, Ferruccio Lamborghini was very satisfied with the fact that he had achieved the technical goals he had set for himself. He didn’t stop there, he dreamed of making an even better car that would surprise people. And this became a reality with the release of Miura.
The two young engineers responsible for the technical part of the Miura were Giampaolo Dallara and Paolo Stanzani, who were then responsible for development and production at Lamborghini.
What is still considered to have played a major role in Miura’s success is its outstanding engine performance. Miura’s V12 engine with a displacement of 4.0 liters and a bank angle of 60 degrees is equipped with four 40 IDL 3L Weber Convulators that produce 350 horsepower, 370 horsepower, and 385 horsepower, respectively, in the P400, P400S, and P400SV models, respectively. This performance was enough to take the title of the world’s fastest mass-produced car at the time.
The outstanding design of the Carrozzeria Bertone was also a factor in the success of the Miura, and the Miura set the record for sales of Lamborghini models. The initial goal was to sell 50 units over three years, but total sales reached a total of 763 units over seven years from 1966 to 1973.
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■ Engineer Paolo Stanjani: A key figure in the Lamborghini V12 engine
Engineer Paolo Stanjani (1936-2017) was one of the first hired by Ferruccio Lamborghini. Recruited shortly following graduating from the University of Modena, he is also one of the most important people in the development of the V12 engine and Miura. Stanjani made the V12 engine developed by engineer Giotto Bizzarrini suitable for production cars on the road.
At the time, Stanjani was part of the youngest team in Lamborghini’s history, which developed the Miura and the advanced technology applied to it. At the time, the youngest designers in Lamborghini’s history, Marcello Gandini and test driver Bob Wallace, were only 28, while Zampaolo Dallara and Paolo Stanjani were 30.
Stanjani has held various roles at Lamborghini, from technical director to development director and general manager. In addition to Miura, he played a key role in the production of the Countach, Espada and his personal favorite model, the Urraco.
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■ Miura, an attractive icon not only in appearance but also in “sound”
Shortly following its launch, the Miura became the most popular car among film directors. Miura has appeared in a total of 43 films, often in the lead role. His most famous work is undoubtedly the 1969 film “The Italian Job”.
The Italian Job’s opening sequence, which ran for more than three minutes, features actor Rossano Brazzi driving a P400 Miura while singer Matt Monro’s song “On Days Like These” plays. In addition, the sound of Miura’s V12 engine accelerating in the sequence plays as background music. This scene later became an idol in the automotive industry.
Miura has also appeared on the covers of dozens of automotive magazines and publications. Miura first appeared in international articles in November 1966. The article was published in the weekly magazine Autocar as the work of Paul Frère, who turned from a Belgian racing driver to a journalist.
The most famous article is undoubtedly written by British journalist Leonard “LJK” Setright, published in the British monthly CAR. In the article, he described the joy of traveling in the P400 Miura from Lamborghini’s headquarters in Santa Gata Bologna to London.
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