Honoring a Legend

Five decades ago, Lamborghini made automotive history and changed its own destiny when it unveiled the Miura. With its mid-engine design and otherworldly styling, the Miura was unlike any sports car that came before. It set the template for the modern supercar, and virtually every Lamborghini that followed.

To celebrate the Miura’s golden anniversary, Lamborghini unveiled the Aventador Miura Homage Special Edition at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Based on the Miura’s direct descendent, the Aventador LP700-4, the Miura Homage pays tribute to this classic car by showing how far Lamborghini has taken the concept it pioneered.

Performance

The Miura Homage honors what was arguably Lamborghini’s first supercar, and shows just how far Lambo has come since the original Miura debuted in 1966.

This special edition uses the same 6.5-liter V12 engine as the current Aventador LP700-4. It produces 700 horsepower and 507 pound-feet of torque. That power is sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed automated transmission. Lamborghini says the Miura Homage will do 0 to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds, and reach a top speed of 217 mph. Fuel economy should be identical to the Aventador LP700-4’s 13 mpg combined (11 mpg city, 18 mpg highway)*.

In addition to the powertrain, the Miura Homage benefits from the other technical bits that make the Aventador a great driver’s car. It starts with a lightweight carbon fiber monocoque chassis with aluminum sub frames. The bodywork that sits on top of the chassis was designed with aerodynamics in mind, with designers working to reduce drag while creating grip-enhancing downforce with features like a rear diffuser and a movable rear spoiler.

The suspension is a motorsport-inspired pushrod setup. Differing quite a bit from most suspension systems, it’s much more compact and helps reduce unsprung mass. This improves steering, while the packaging made it easier for Lamborghini engineers to integrate with the sleek, low-slung Aventador body.

Features

The Lamborghini Aventador Miura Homage is available as a coupe only, and the production run is limited to just 50 cars. All were sold out even before the Miura Homage made its debut at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K. The price for each car was not disclosed.

In addition to some special design elements (more on that later), the Miura Homage offers the same equipment as the Aventador LP700-4, including a multi-function leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters, full TFT instrument cluster, sport bucket seats, and more.

Design

To create the Miura Homage, Lamborghini took the already-striking Aventador and added new design elements that reference the original Miura supercars. This special edition was created by Lamborghini’s Ad Personam studio, which normally handles personalization work and special requests from customers.

The exterior design—including the two-tone paint scheme—is inspired by the specifications of the first run of Miura production models, many of which were personalized by individual customers. There are six available colors for the upper body, including the entertainingly named Rosso Arancio Miura, Verde Scandal, and Blue Tahiti.

Other special exterior elements include staggered 20-inch (front) and 21-inch (rear) Dione wheels in either matte silver or gold, and special badging. Each car gets a metallic Miura badge on the side, black Lamborghini logo on the rear, and a limited-edition plaque on the inside. The overall look gives the aggressive, modern design of the Aventador a new feel by going a little retro.

Speaking of the interior, the Aventador Miura Homage features full Nero Ade or Terra Emilia leather with tone-on-tone stitching and carbon fiber trim. The “Miura 50^th” logo is stitched into the upper parts of the seats in silver or gold, matching whatever the customer chooses for the car’s exterior. “Lamborghini” lettering is stitched onto the dashboard. These elements complement the standard Aventador interior, which already features cool touches such as a jet fighter-like flip cover for the starter button.

Safety

Safety equipment should carry over Aventador LP700-4, so features like anti-lock brakes, stability and traction controls, and a full array of airbags can be expected.

Verdict

The Lamborghini Aventador Miura Homage Special Edition is a fitting tribute to the car that started the Lamborghini legend.

*EPA estimates. Your mileage will vary depending on driving habits and conditions.

Image Credit: Lamborghini