Lamborghini will revive its most storied nameplate, the Miura, for a new range-topping supercar. "It's our answer to the Ferrari Enzo. It is a radical car in many ways, it is very light and powerful, and yet it's been engineered more for the road than for the track," says a highly placed insider.
Lamborghini will adapt the mid-engine chassis of corporate parent Audi's upcoming Le Mans coupe (pictured below) to make the limited-edition (300 to 400 units) Miura. Since the Audi itself uses an evolution of the Gallardo's spaceframe technology, it is relatively easy to reskin what is basically the same structure. To be assembled alongside the Audi, the Miura will be lower, wider, and shorter than the donor car and could look like our exclusive artist's rendering, seen in the November 2005 issue of Automobile. It also gets a unique interior with a minimalist cockpit and a period-look center console that eschews such modern conveniences as a navigation system.
The running gear, however, is totally contemporary and includes carbon-ceramic brakes and a paddle-shift transmission. Whereas the Le Mans is fitted with a 5.2-liter V-10, the Miura will boast an upgraded version of Lambo's 6.2-liter V-12.
The displacement increases to 6.5 liters, the power to 700 hp, and the torque peak to 553 lb-ft, sources say. The engineers would love to see this beast be rear-wheel-drive only, but they will more likely share a rear-bias version of Quattro all-wheel drive.
The car's design incorporates subtle overtones of the original Miura. While the proportions and some of the detailing hark back to the late 1960s, the surfaces, the greenhouse, and the stance are quite modern. We could see it in the flesh as early as next year.