The original - and still our favorite - Autoextremist logo.
The AE Quote of the Century: Everybody loves The High-Octane Truth. Until they don't. -WG
SPECIAL EDITOR'S NOTE: We'd like to remind you that Peter's first work of fiction, St. Michael of Birmingham, is out now. Make no mistake, it doesn't resemble anything you've read from him before. In fact, it is quite a dramatic departure. It is mystical. It is sexy. It is funny. It's moving. And it is a flat-out wild ride unlike anything you've experienced. Having said that, it is definitely not for everyone, but then, it is from PMD, so that probably shouldn't come as a surprise! Check it out on Amazon Kindle here. -WG
(Lamborghini images)
Lamborghini is celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the fabulous Muira, one of PMD's all-time favorite cars. When Lamborghini debuted the Miura at the Geneva Motor Show on March 10, 1966, the company "did far more than introduce a new car. It redefined what a high-performance road vehicle could be" according to Lamborghini PR minions. The Miura featured a V12 engine that was mounted transversely behind the driver, a layout that was a radical architecture that broke with GT tradition. The Miura boasted performance figures that, for the time, seemed surreal. The shape of the car, created by the legendary designer Marcello Gandini at Bertone, was immediately iconic and remains so today.
The Miura was not simply another Lamborghini; it was a statement of intent for the young company. Launched just three years after the founding of Automobili Lamborghini, the Miura was the third model to be unveiled, and it established core values of the brand that lasted for decades to come. Courage over convention; innovation without compromise; design and engineering pushed to their limits.
More from the press release: Less than two years after the company was founded, Lamborghini was still a niche manufacturer, but the 350 GT had already demonstrated the company’s technical ambition. Ferruccio Lamborghini was proud of the first GT car, but dreamed of an even more powerful vehicle. The young team of engineers, led by Gian Paolo Dallara and Paolo Stanzani, took on the task of turning that dream into reality. At the heart of the Miura was a transversely mounted, 3929cc V12 engine with a 60-degree bank angle, equipped with four camshafts, V-shaped overhead valves, a seven-bearing crankshaft, and four Weber 40 IDL 3L carburetors (later IDL40 3C) with twelve throttle valves. Unusually, the crankshaft rotated counterclockwise.
Starting in 1964, Dallara, Stanzani and New Zealand test driver Bob Wallace jointly developed the idea for a new super sports car that drew inspiration from motorsport. They then built a ready-to-drive prototype chassis after work that was uncompromisingly calibrated for performance. Ferruccio Lamborghini immediately recognized the potential of the idea at the presentation and gave the green light for the further development of the 400 TP as Project L105.
On November 3rd, 1965, Lamborghini displayed the chassis in satin black at the Turin Motor Show, with the engine transversely mounted behind the driver. The model sat alongside the Lamborghini 350 GT and the 350 GTS. Never before or since has a bare chassis attracted such attention. The steel box, with a wall thickness of only 0.8 millimeters and numerous punch holes, weighed just 120 kilograms, and the four white exhaust pipes immediately caught the attention of visitors. It was a demonstration of power and a radical gesture by the young sports car brand from Sant'Agata Bolognese. Several design studios offered their support in cladding the chassis according to their ideas.
But Lamborghini hesitated. According to legend, Nuccio Bertone appeared at the Lamborghini stand towards the end of the Show and was the last coachbuilder to stop by. Bertone then examined the chassis on display and confidently said to Ferruccio Lamborghini that his studio would design “the perfect shoe for this wonderful foot.” Whether this dialogue actually took place cannot be proven today. What is undisputed, however, is that this anecdote impressively reflects the immediate mutual understanding and creative agreement between the two entrepreneurs.
The first collaboration with Carrozzeria Bertone, where Marcello Gandini served as Head of Design at the time, clothed the steel chassis, characterized by high and wide sills, with an exhilarating bodywork. Just a few weeks after the first meeting, at the beginning of January 1966, the Bertone design was finalized and the prototype completed by March with the support of 30 Bertone employees. It offered comfort and reliability along with very impressive performance numbers. The powerful V12 was paired with a lightweight body, while the wheel design was entirely new.
In March 1966, on Bertone’s stand at the Geneva Motor Show, Automobili Lamborghini presented an orange car that ignored existing conventions. The mid-engine concept fundamentally changed the weight distribution and provided a driving experience that was unmatched at the time. This was complemented by Bertone's incomparable, elegant design of breathtaking beauty.
The connection between Lamborghini and the symbolism of the bull is deeply rooted in the brand's history. With the Miura, Lamborghini deliberately used the name of a famous Spanish bull breed for the first time. The model is named after the powerful breed of bulls bred by Don Eduardo Miura Fernández. This history is directly reflected in Lamborghini's model nomenclature. Names such as Miura, Espada, Islero, and later Murciélago are deliberate references to legendary bulls and their characteristics.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: My first encounter with the Miura occurred in 1968, when Jerry Thompson, who was an engineer at Chevrolet Engineering and a partner in my brother Tony's Corvette racing team, brought one over to our racing shop. The car belonged to Chevy Engineering and was to be used for "evaluation" purposes. Needless to say, the bright orange machine was breathtaking at the time. We went for a ride but not before Tony pointed out that Chevy Engineering had put on less-than-ideal Firestone "wide oval" tires on the Miura, which were certainly not up to the high-performance capabilities of the machine. After duly noting that, we went for multiple rides anyway. The sound was fantastic and the performance was stunning. It was truly an entirely new dimension for high-performance sports cars. The memory is riveting to this day. -PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Our featured video corresponds with our "Fumes" column this week - the "1965 12 Hours of Sebring" was a triumph for Jim Hall's Chaparral team. Watch it here. -PMD
The AE Song of the Week:
Ain't got no regrets
I ain't losing track of
Which way I'm going
I ain't gonna double back, no
Editor-in-Chief's Note: My first encounter with the Miura occurred in 1968, when Jerry Thompson, who was an engineer at Chevrolet Engineering and a partner in my brother Tony's Corvette racing team, brought one over to our racing shop. The car belonged to Chevy Engineering and was to be used for "evaluation" purposes. Needless to say, the bright orange machine was breathtaking at the time. We went for a ride but not before Tony pointed out that Chevy Engineering had put on less-than-ideal Firestone "wide oval" tires on the Miura, which were certainly not up to the high-performance capabilities of the machine. After duly noting that, we went for multiple rides anyway. The sound was fantastic and the performance was stunning. It was truly an entirely new dimension for high-performance sports cars. The memory is riveting to this day. -PMD
Editor-in-Chief's Note: Our featured video corresponds with our "Fumes" column this week - the "1965 12 Hours of Sebring" was a triumph for Jim Hall's Chaparral team. Watch it here. -PMD
The AE Song of the Week:
Ain't got no regrets
I ain't losing track of
Which way I'm going
I ain't gonna double back, no
Don't want no misplay
Put on no display
An angel? No!
But I know my way, oh yeah, oh
Put on no display
An angel? No!
But I know my way, oh yeah, oh
I used to follow
Yeah, that's true
But my following days are over
Now I just gotta follow through
Yeah, that's true
But my following days are over
Now I just gotta follow through
I remember what my father said
He said, "Son, life is simple"
It's either cherry red or
He said, "Son, life is simple"
It's either cherry red or
Midnight blue, oh, oh
Midnight blue, oh, oh
Midnight blue, oh, oh
You were the restless one
And you did not care
I was the trouble boy
Lookin' for a double dare
I won't apologize for
The things I've done and said
When I win your heart
I'm gonna paint it cherry red
And you did not care
I was the trouble boy
Lookin' for a double dare
I won't apologize for
The things I've done and said
When I win your heart
I'm gonna paint it cherry red
I don't wanna talk about it
What you do to me, I can't live without it
And you might think that it's
Much too soon for us to go this far
What you do to me, I can't live without it
And you might think that it's
Much too soon for us to go this far
Into the midnight blue, oh, oh
It's midnight blue, oh, oh
Things could be different
That'd be a shame 'cause
I'm the one who can feel the sun
Right in the pouring rain
It's midnight blue, oh, oh
Things could be different
That'd be a shame 'cause
I'm the one who can feel the sun
Right in the pouring rain
I won't say where and
I don't know when
Soon there's gonna come a day, baby
I'll be back again
I don't know when
Soon there's gonna come a day, baby
I'll be back again
Yeah, I'll be back for you
You see, I'm saving up, my love
You see, I'm saving up, my love
Midnight blue, oh, oh
Into the midnight blue, oh, oh
Another midnight blue, oh, oh
The deepest midnight blue, oh, oh
Into the midnight blue, oh, oh
Another midnight blue, oh, oh
The deepest midnight blue, oh, oh
Into the midnight blue, oh, oh
Midnight blue, oh, oh
Midnight blue, oh, oh
The deepest midnight blue, oh, oh
"Midnight Blue" by Lou Graham from the album "Ready Or Not" (1987).* Written by Bruce Turgon and Lou Gramm. Midnight Blue lyrics © Wb Music Corp., Acara Music Ltd. Source: Musixmatch. Watch the Original Music Video here.
*In this song, Lou Gramm sings about how life is simple, really: it's either cherry red or midnight blue. In the Songfacts interview with Graham, he explained that cherry red is "everything going as best as it can," while midnight blue is "dark and mysterious." On this track, he makes it clear that he is the darker shade, letting the girl know that he's going to forge his own path, and while they are split at the moment, he'll be coming back for her. It's a very unapologetic love song, as Gramm makes it clear that he doesn't regret the way he treated her, but is confident that everything will be cherry red once he decides to win her back.
Midnight blue, oh, oh
Midnight blue, oh, oh
The deepest midnight blue, oh, oh
"Midnight Blue" by Lou Graham from the album "Ready Or Not" (1987).* Written by Bruce Turgon and Lou Gramm. Midnight Blue lyrics © Wb Music Corp., Acara Music Ltd. Source: Musixmatch. Watch the Original Music Video here.
*In this song, Lou Gramm sings about how life is simple, really: it's either cherry red or midnight blue. In the Songfacts interview with Graham, he explained that cherry red is "everything going as best as it can," while midnight blue is "dark and mysterious." On this track, he makes it clear that he is the darker shade, letting the girl know that he's going to forge his own path, and while they are split at the moment, he'll be coming back for her. It's a very unapologetic love song, as Gramm makes it clear that he doesn't regret the way he treated her, but is confident that everything will be cherry red once he decides to win her back.
This was Gramm's first single as a solo artist. He had staggering success as the lead singer of Foreigner, which in the previous ten years had become one of the biggest bands in America. Gramm, who co-wrote most of their songs with guitarist Mick Jones, was disheartened by the direction that band had taken, fearing that slick ballads like "Waiting For A Girl Like You" and "I Want To Know What Love Is" had gotten them away from their roots.
Looking to rediscover a raw, spontaneous sound, Gramm released the album Ready Or Not in early 1987, and by April, "Midnight Blue" reached #5 on the Hot 100. Later in 1987, Foreigner released another successful album (with Gramm on lead vocals), Inside Information, which contained the hits "Say You Will" and "I Don't Want to Live Without You." Gramm released another solo album in 1989 with contained the hit "Just Between You and Me." "Gramm wrote this song with Bruce Turgon, a longtime friend who was in an early band with Gramm called Black Sheep. In 1992, Turgon became the bass player in Foreigner, a position he held until Gramm left the band in 2003. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)
Looking to rediscover a raw, spontaneous sound, Gramm released the album Ready Or Not in early 1987, and by April, "Midnight Blue" reached #5 on the Hot 100. Later in 1987, Foreigner released another successful album (with Gramm on lead vocals), Inside Information, which contained the hits "Say You Will" and "I Don't Want to Live Without You." Gramm released another solo album in 1989 with contained the hit "Just Between You and Me." "Gramm wrote this song with Bruce Turgon, a longtime friend who was in an early band with Gramm called Black Sheep. In 1992, Turgon became the bass player in Foreigner, a position he held until Gramm left the band in 2003. (Knowledge courtesy of Songfacts.com)
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG