Elite Traveler January-February 2017

elite traveler JAN/FEB 2017 93

and inspiration – we waited patiently as they fed us and explained the history and workings of a farm that has provided some of Spain’s most famous fighting bulls. We were all so focused on getting behind the wheel of that Miura that it would have been easy to miss it when the Miura family revealed that the Ferruccio Lamborghini myth may not be grounded entirely in fact. As well as the inspiration for the car, Lamborghini claimed that his “friend” Eduardo Miura inspired his choice of the bull logo for his new brand in 1962. But according to the Miuras, the pair didn’t meet until Lamborghini arrived on the farm with two early Miura cars later in the 1960s. He selected the bull logo because he was a Taurus and chose the Miura name thinking it was the name of a breed of impressive fighting bulls. The Miura legend undone. There may therefore be more than one version of the origin of the Miura name, but there is something that no one can dispute. Even 50 years after it first launched, there is a visceral thrill from driving a Miura. Yes, it is technically harder to drive than the new cars, and we didn’t have enough time in it to really get to know it, but it planted a grin on my face even more than the super fast Aventador. And rather like the pleasure of seeing the gathered fleet the previous morning, I again reflected that while it would be better to have one in my own garage, getting to drive someone else’s was not a bad substitute. ABOUT THE MIURA Often billed as “the world’s first supercar,” the Miura was arguably why Ferruccio Lamborghini launched his car company. He already ran a successful tractor business and in a classic case of an entrepreneur starting a business to solve his own problems, he decided the Ferraris of his day weren’t reliable enough. Meanwhile he had plenty of less than positive experiences with the company’s customer service department. Lamborghini maintained that having relentlessly pursued Enzo Ferrari, the two finally met to discuss these issues, only for Ferrari to dismiss his future rival as a maker of tractors who knew nothing about cars. After two attempts to hit the winning formula (although Ferruccio Lamborghini maintained the 350GT and 400GT2+2 were better than contemporary Ferraris), he launched the Miura in 1966. In an interview in 1984, Lamborghini described the Miura as “a car that left its mark on its age” and which, over a decade on from selling his car business, had yet to be bettered. Unsurprisingly he said: “for the rest of my life I'll feel happy whenever I look at my Miura.”

ABOUT THE CARS...

HURACAN Engine 5.2-liter, V10 Power 600bhp Acceleration 0-60mph in 3.2 secs Price $230,000

HURACAN SPYDER Engine 5.2-liter, V10 Power 600bhp Acceleration 0-60mph in 3.4 secs Price $220,000

HURACAN RWD Engine 5.2-liter, V10 Power 570bhp Acceleration 0-60mph in 3.4 secs Price $204,000

" F O R T H E R E S T O F MY L I F E I ' L L F E E L

AVENTADOR Engine 6.5-liter, V12 Power 691bhp Acceleration 0-60mph in 2.9 secs Price $330,000

AVENTADOR SUPERVELOCE Engine 6.5-liter, V12 Power 740bhp Acceleration 0-60mph in 2.8 secs Price $355,000

H A P P Y WH E N E V E R I L O O K AT MY M I U R A "

MIURA SUPERVELOCE Engine 4-liter, V12 Power 380bhp Acceleration 0-60mph in 6.7 secs Price $2,540,000

AVENTADOR SUPERVELOCE ROADSTER Engine 6.5-liter, V12 Power 740bhp Acceleration 0-60mph in 2.7 secs Price $370,000

Photographer: Ingo Barenschee