An Unusual Lamborghini Miura

by Mike -

I have never seen a Lamborghini Miura in this state before.

I did not recognize this as a Miura but Charles Potts at California Classics assures me that it is a Miura.

Someday it will look like this again.

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The Past And The Future

by Mike -

I never tire of thinking about great events from the past and anticipating things to come. Here are some pictures from the recent Monterey Car Week and Hillsborough.

A Lamborghini Miura SV at Concorso Italiano.

I am going to a car show this weekend in Danville, California, although I am not showing a car, a friend and I will drive the Iso Grifo. It always draws a crowd in the parking lot.

The Iso Grifo, above, on the beach in Pacific Grove, near Pebble Beach.

Looking through the Iso Grifo dew covered windshield as we drive onto the field at Concorso Italiano.

I love the green color of this Maserati Ghibili at Concorso Italiano.

The new silver Jaguar super car on the lawn in front of The Lodge at Pebble Beach.

The red Alfa Romeo Zagato in front of The Lodge at Pebble Beach.

A Fisker sitting unattended in a back parking lot at The Lodge at Pebble Beach.

A picture of Paul Turek taking a picture of Valentino Balboni and me with the Bizzarrini at Concorso Italiano. (Photo by Rebecca Fuller).

Two Bugattis at the Hillsborough Concours d'Elegance. I think you all know that the Bizzarrini won the Owner's Choice Award at this event - beating out even these two magnificent Bugattis.

I am planning to take both the Bizzarrini and the Iso Grifo to the Niello Concours at Serrano on October 2. It is a long drive for me but they will have a display for Iso and Bizzarrini cars so I cannot miss that.

The Iso Grifo and the Bizzarrini GT 5300 waiting to go.

Please share your comments with me and other readers.

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Above is the view as I enter the Bizzarrini.

I never tire of this view.

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Lamborghini Miura – A Milestone Car

by Mike - 

Lamborghini beat out Ferrari in 1966 by producing the first mid-engine super car that was also a stunning design by Marcello Gandini of Bertone.

The transverse mid-mounted V12 engine required that the 5-speed manual transmission be mounted behind the engine and that the engine and transmission share the same oil.

In 1965 Lamborghini engineers Gian Paolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani, and Bob Wallace worked overtime on their own to develop the first version of the P400, which later was named the Miura.

The Miura P400 was introduced at the 1966 Geneva motor show and was received extremely well even though it was not a running car at the time of the show.

The P400 is a 4-liter V12 producing 350 hp. The P400S introduced in 1968 produced 370 hp and the P400SV introduced in 1971 made 380 hp. The SV version also separated the motor oil and the transmission oil, which improved reliability.

There were 465 P400 made between 1966 and 1969, 138 of the P400S variations were produced between 1969 and 1971 and finally 148 of the P400SV were made between 1971 and 1972.

A one-off racecar version called the Jota, which was destroyed in a crash, led to the creation of an SV upgrade model called the SV/J. Five SV/J versions were made by Lamborghini.

Bertone also created a one-off roadster (targa) as a show car that was first shown at the 1968 Brussels Auto Show.

Miuras have appreciated in value over the recent years and are very desirable collector cars and are one of the more beautiful cars ever produced.

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Lamborghini Miura Racing A Ferrari 250 GT

by Mike -

This looks like fun, well except for the bus crash.

Interesting Cars For Sale Today On The Internet

by Mike -

Here are three interesting cars for sale:


1962 GHIA L6.4

This was Dean Martin's car customized by George Barris. Only 26 Ghia L6.4s were made. The engine is a 335 hp Chrysler 383 cid V8 with a TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes and air conditioning. Italian style with American power, always great. Anyone would look good cruising down Sunset in this baby!

Available from Hyman Ltd. in St. Louis for $199,500.

1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV

This was Rod Stewart's car. The engine is a 4.0 Litre V12 with a 5-speed ZF transaxle. It has been restored by a marque expert and is reportedly in excellent condition. I would look good cruising in this anywhere!

Available from Fantasy Junction in California for $895,000.

1957 BMW Isetta 300

The engine is a 298cc, so the power is not much but these cars were designed by Iso to be easy and inexpensive city transportation. The driver parks front first into the curb and opens the door and steps out onto the sidewalk. This works because the steering wheel is attached to the door. Iso had to license this design to BMW, and other companies, because they did not sell well in the Italian market - maybe they were not cool enough for the Italian market. Times have changed and Isettas have become hip. I do not believe that any famous singer owned this car.

Available from Ooley and Blackburn in Indiana on eBay for $24,900 or make an offer.

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