1960s supercars

Thu, 10 Jul 2008

By Tim Pollard and Ben Oliver

10 July 2008 16:00

Supercars in the Sixties

The swinging ’60s spawned many joyous things – and its spirit of liberalisation applied equally to the motor car. So we shouldn’t be surprised that it was the fun-filled decade that begat the supercar. The Lamborghini Miura was arguably first – and CAR’s own wizard of words, LJK Setright, penned the phrase that defined the breed: he called it the supercar.
Browse our GBU-style pick of the decade's landmarks below – and vote for your favourite supercar decade in our poll

Make and model

Year

Price

Engine

0-60mph

Top speed

1967

£8050

3929cc V12, 350bhp, 286lb ft

6.3sec

163mph

For

Gandini's styling... arguably the most beautiful car ever made

Against

Ergonomics and reliability: this will become a theme

Verdict

Its engineering was as impressive as its looks: the Miura changed the motoring world

The Miura's steel monocoque chassis with its tranverse, mid-mounted V12 got the 1965 Turin motor show so excited that the reluctant Ferruccio was persuaded to put a body on it and build it. The supercar was born...

Related Articles: Other Lamborghini stories

Make and model

Year

Price

Engine

0-60mph

Top speed

1965

£6700

4763cc V8, 306bhp, 329lb ft

4.0sec

154mph

For

Do you really care that it was a racer first?

Against

Dynamics and ergonomics betray those race-car roots

Verdict

Looks more at home in Gulf colours than a plain road paint job

The original GT40 was mid-engined, low, fast and rare. But it wasn't the first supercar; it was a race car developed with the sole intention of beating Ferrari at Le Mans, which it did four times. The road versions were an afterthought.