| The Lamborghini Miura was the world's
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| | more extensive changes to the basic Miura
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| first true mass-production, mid-engine
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| | design. The interior was completely
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| super car when it was introduced for
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| | stripped, and the floor was made of
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| 1966. It was a striking blend, offering
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| | aluminum instead of steel. What's more,
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| the styling and mechanical configuration
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| | the suspension was modified to
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| of the era's wildest, all-out
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| | accommodate wide wheels and tires, the
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| endurance-racing machines, all rolled
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| | front-mounted fuel tank was replaced by a
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| into a package that was reasonably
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| | tank in each door sill, and the engine
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| streetable.But for all the Miura's
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| | got extensive modifications that
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| obvious race-car underpinnings,
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| | increased output of the Miura S's engine
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| Lamborghini never fielded a competition
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| | by 48 hp, to 418.Adding it all up, the
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| version of the car. Of course, it wasn't
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| | Jota was obviously a thrilling car, and
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| that the idea of putting its pioneering
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| | it stirred the imagination as to what was
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| exotic on the track hadn't occurred to
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| | possible with the basic Miura components.
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| anyone. Plenty of people within the
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| | But Wallace knew all along it would be a
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| company hoped they'd eventually be called
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| | waste of time to argue that the
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| on to prepare a Miura for such
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| | cash-strapped manufacturer should go
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| use.Foremost among those competition
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| | racing with it.Soon after the only Jota
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| proponents was Lamborghini's chief
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| | was built, Lamborghini put the car up for
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| development driver Bob Wallace. From the
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| | sale. The floundering automaker simply
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| beginning, he'd been championing the
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| | couldn't afford to have assets tied up in
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| idea. But resources within Lamborghini
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| | what was considered an esoteric
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| were chronically limited in those early
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| | experiment. According to Wallace, the
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| days -- the former tractor manufacturer
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| | Jota was purchased by a rich
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| had built its first production automobile
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| | industrialist in Brescia.Shortly
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| just three years before the Miura's
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| | thereafter, the wealthy owner's mechanic
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| introduction.Throughout the Miura's
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| | destroyed the car in a fiery crash. And
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| production run, Wallace played with the
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| | thus in one quick flash ended the short,
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| idea of a racing version. In 1970, this
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| | bright life of the ultimate
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| culminated in the Jota, a company-funded,
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| | Miura.Fortunately, super-car fans can
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| one-off "toy" he built in the Lamborghini
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| | draw some consolation from the fact that
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| shop. The car differed from stock Miuras
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| | the Jota legend was perpetuated in a
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| most obviously in styling revisions that
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| | number of Miura-based replicas -- several
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| included broader fenders, a prominent
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| | of which were reportedly built by
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| front spoiler, air vents behind the front
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| | Lamborghini itself at the request of
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| wheel wells, and fixed instead of pop-up
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| | customers.
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| headlights.Beneath the surface were even
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