Who designed the Lamborghini Miura?

Marcello Gandini designed the Lamborghini Miura. He created its striking bodywork for Bertone, turning Lamborghini’s experimental mid-engined chassis into one of the most influential sports cars ever built.

The Miura began with an engineering project developed by Gian Paolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani and test driver Bob Wallace. Their compact chassis placed Lamborghini’s V12 transversely behind the driver, an unusual arrangement for a road car at the time. Bertone was then asked to provide the styling.

Gandini had recently succeeded Giorgetto Giugiaro as Bertone’s chief designer. His Miura design featured a low nose, sweeping fenders, prominent “eyelash” headlamp surrounds and a tightly wrapped cabin. The rolling chassis appeared at the 1965 Turin Auto Show, followed by the completed P400 prototype at Geneva in 1966.

The Miura entered production in 1966 and remained in the lineup until 1973. A common mix-up is crediting the entire car to Gandini alone: he designed the body, while Lamborghini’s engineering team developed the revolutionary mechanical package. Its successor, the Countach, was also styled by Gandini.