Which car is widely considered the first mid-engine production car?

Which car is widely considered the first mid-engine production car? The answer is the Lamborghini Miura.

Lamborghini introduced the Miura in 1966, pioneering the transverse rear-mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout in a high-performance production road car. Its 3.9-liter V12 sat behind the cabin but ahead of the rear axle, improving weight distribution and giving the car its low, dramatic profile.

The concept began with Lamborghini engineers Giampaolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani, and Bob Wallace, who developed the P400 prototype in their spare time. Its rolling chassis appeared at the 1965 Turin Auto Show, while the finished Bertone-bodied car debuted at Geneva in 1966. Marcello Gandini designed its celebrated shape.

The wording matters: the Miura is generally credited as the first high-performance production road car with this layout, not necessarily the first production vehicle of any kind with a mid-mounted engine. It also preceded the later generation of mid-engine supercars, including the Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer.