The Miura Sport was the first car built by Miura, the Brazilian sports-car maker founded in Porto Alegre in 1976. A fibreglass coupé on a tubular chassis with Volkswagen mechanicals, it was lavishly equipped for its time, with air conditioning and an AM/FM radio, and it was made until 1979.
Miura Sport at a glance
| Maker | Miura, Porto Alegre, Brazil |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1976, by Aldo Besson and Itelmar Gobbi |
| Production | 1976–1979 |
| Body | fibreglass on a tubular chassis |
| Mechanics | Volkswagen |
| Equipment | air conditioning, AM/FM radio |
| Colours | red, yellow, silver, white, dark green |
| Orders before production | more than 100 |
| Successor | Sport II (1980) |
| Marque output | about 3,500 cars, 1976–1992 |
The Sport has no article of its own; this page is based on one source, the Portuguese Wikipedia article on the Miura marque.
History of the Miura Sport
A prototype becomes a car
Miura began at the end of 1976, founded by Aldo Besson and Itelmar Gobbi in Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul. The two men owned a large upholstery company, Aldo Auto Capas, and together they built a prototype following what Puma had been doing since the 1960s: a fibreglass body over Volkswagen running gear. The name of the marque came from a Lamborghini model, the Miura.
The first Miura
The first car, which was later named the Miura Sport, was a bold-looking vehicle with the greatest luxuries available in cars of its time, including air conditioning and an AM/FM radio. It was series-produced in red, yellow, silver, white and dark green. Success was immediate: before series production had even started there were more than 100 orders for the model, and it was manufactured until 1979.
Sport II
In 1980 Miura presented its new projects, the Sport II and the MTS. The Sport II was very similar to its predecessor and brought only a few improvements, but it carried the formula of the first car into the 1980s while the front-wheel-drive MTS, later renamed Targa, opened a new chapter for the marque.
Design and features
- Fibreglass body: a light, hand-laid shell on a tubular chassis, in the Brazilian speciality tradition.
- Volkswagen mechanicals: proven running gear and parts availability instead of a bespoke engine.
- Air conditioning and AM/FM radio: luxury equipment for a small-series Brazilian sports car in the 1970s.
- Five series colours: red, yellow, silver, white and dark green.
- Immediate demand: more than 100 orders were placed before series production began.
Miura Sport versions
- Prototype (1976): the first car, later named the Sport.
- Sport (1976–1979): the series-produced coupé.
- Sport II (1980): a very similar car with a few improvements.
The Sport was followed by the Targa and by the Saga; more cars from the marque are in the Miura collection.
Sources
- Miura (automóveis), Portuguese Wikipedia: founding, first model, equipment, colours, Sport II
