LAMBORGHINI MIURA P400 174MPH

Inspired by the competition success of the Ford GT40, Lamborghini was persuaded to steal a march on Ferrari with a mid-engined production car, and by 1965 a rolling chassis was revealed with a Giotto Bizzarrini-designed 3929cc 60deg V12 mounted transversely behind the cabin. Marcello Gandini sculpted a body that would make Enzo Ferrari weep with envy while allowing the car to spear through the air quicker than anything else on the road.

Even now, the Miura is a radical shape to behold, with its ultra-low stance, sharply raked windscreen and standout features like the slatted rear screen and eyelashed pop-up headlights.

Dropping into the cabin, I’ve barely enough head room and my arms need be fully extended to reach the wheel. But it’s worth it as soon as I fire up the V12 to be surrounded by a soundtrack straight out of the film Grand Prix.

Accelerating hard along our test track’s main straight, any ergonomic failings fade away. Gear noise fights with the V12’s roar as I clip the ton, before I heel-and-toe down through the precise, mechanical shift for the right-hander at the end, the Miura feeling rock-solid and stable and surprisingly flat in the faster bends.

If we were handing out awards for intensity today, it would win outright.