Some things are just beautiful. Oftentimes, no matter how quirky or dangerous their personalities or tendencies, their outward appearance redeems them in a way that makes the rest a formality. This is true in almost every area of life. Take the great white shark. The beauty of its form, as it cruises gracefully (and quickly) through the water, is awesome to behold. The fact that it might potentially be cruising toward Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider in an old fishing boat is almost forgivable. After all, it's a shark! They are beautiful, powerful killers (but hardly ever man-eaters).Now, there are exceptions to this beauty thing. Some things in this world are so offensive that beauty alone can not save them. It would be too easy to give human examples, so consider the DeLorean DMC-12 for a moment. Production began in 1980 on the car that would enjoy fame as "the Back to the Future car." After selling 8,900 units, it became obvious to the public that the car, although really cool looking with its stainless body and gullwing doors, was garbage. Its Renault V6 made about enough power for a large lawn mower, and the handling characteristics and reliability were horrid. So John DeLorean had beauty with his car, and squandered it.
The Italians don't make that mistake very often. In fact, most "car guys" would be hard pressed to name a Fiat, Ferrari or Lamborghini that was universally condemned as an unlovable car. At the very least, they are those beautiful creatures that might take some flexibility to live with , but are oh-so pleasant to look at and listen to. The Lamborghini Miura is no exception.
Actually, as far as older supercars go, the Miura is relatively easy to live with (chance of engine fire and high-speed front end lift). Those minor deficiencies were more than compensated for by a body that goes beyond stylish. Its beauty is timeless. Imagine yourself as a car stylist working with Lamborghini on a new version of the Miura. Then take a look at the following photos.
So what makes the Miura so desirable? Would it have sold as an expensive, beautiful piece of stationary art? No way, and one thing is for sure-- the legend and mystique of the Miura would be nonexistent without its mid-mounted transverse V12 engine. Producing 345hp in its early years, and graduating to 385hp by 1972, the engine was enough to compete with the best. It was part of the reason journalist L.J.K. Setright called the Miura a "supercar," which is widely regarded as the first time the word was used. Some have argued that another publication used the term in 1966 to describe the Chevy II. If so, big deal. The Chevy II may be a lot of things, but it will never go down in history as a supercar, because it isn't one. The Miura, however, will always be known as a supercar. It still holds the visual appeal to give pedestrians whiplash double-takes 50 years after it was made.
They say that architecture is the most fragile of mediums for an artist, with buildings slowly being fatigued and decomposed by the elements. I'll give it a close second to automotive styling. Not only do the elements eat away at your art, but it stands a good chance at being destroyed in a violent collision with another rolling masterpiece (or an old lady in a rusty Chevy II). Beyond those things, an automobile is subject to the fickle environmental trends and fashion "sense" that have screwed up entire decades (see American cars 1975-1985).
The fact that so many of these cars have survived 5 decades of those things and can still be called beautiful is a great accomplishment in this "medium." Besides, what painting makes a sound like this?
