When the Lamborghini Miura first broke cover in 1966, the car did not so much launch as land from another planet, bringing with it revolutionary design and styling that would impact the world of supercars for generations.

A glistening and sensual slip of a car, dripping with curves and organic lines, the low-slung Miura P400 became the talk of Geneva the instant the curtain fell.

It was a sensation not only for its otherworldly looks, but also its cutting-edge mid-engined chassis, which caused a similar stir when it made its debut in Turin one year earlier.

A perfect marriage of futuristic styling and borderline experimental engineering, the model began life as an after-hours exercise by Bob Wallace, Paolo Stanzani, and former Ferrari and 250 GTO wizard, Gian Paolo Dallara.

Within the space of a year the trio’s revolutionary chassis design was ready to be shown, featuring a transversely arranged, mid-mounted V-12 engine sharing its casting with a compact five-speed transaxle, neatl...