Top Gear has turned its attention to one of Lamborghini's most storied badges, running down the full history of the brand's "SV" cars — the high-performance variants that have appeared across the Italian marque's lineage. The feature opens, fittingly, with the car that started it all: the Miura SV.
Produced between 1971 and 1973, the Miura SV carried a price tag of £9,500 when new — a serious sum at the time, reflecting its status as one of the most desirable cars on the planet. Under the engine cover sat a 3.9-litre V12 producing 385bhp and 295lb ft of torque, sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. That combination was enough to propel the car from 0–60mph in 5.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 180mph, all while weighing a relatively featherweight 1,245kg.
Top Gear doesn't hold back on the car's mystique, joking that the Miura SV is "so cool that if you touch one your finger snaps off" — a nod to its untouchable status among collectors and enthusiasts alike.
Beyond the numbers, the Miura SV holds a deeper significance in automotive history: it's widely regarded as the world's first true supercar. The original Miura debuted at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show, dazzling onlookers with its radical layout — a transverse-mounted V12 engine positioned behind the cabin, a configuration that would go on to define the supercar template for decades to come. The car's shape, penned by Bertone, remains one of the most celebrated designs in Lamborghini's history.
The SV version sharpened the formula further. Lamborghini's engineers extracted more power from the V12, fitted wider tyres, and widened the rear track to improve stability at speed. Revised rear suspension geometry was also introduced to help the car cope with its newfound performance. Visually, the SV distinguished itself by dropping the distinctive 'eyelashes' that framed the headlights on earlier Miura models, giving the car a cleaner, more purposeful face.
As the first entry in Top Gear's rundown of every Lamborghini SV, the Miura SV sets a formidable benchmark — a car that didn't just carry the SV name, but helped define what a supercar could be in the first place.
Source: Top Gear
Our last article on this: Flat Out in the Lamborghini Revuelto SV: A Fairground Ride With a Steering Wheel
