When the Lamborghini Miura was launched in 1966 the critics declared it to be "the most beautiful car in the world." Even today it receives the same accolodes. And deservedly so, since every line and form is flawless. Is it any wonder, then, that a moderately redesigned Miura would appear at the Detroit Show as a concept?

Actually, the show car is just that: all "show" and no running gear. Which is rather interesting, for the original made its first appearance in 1965 as a naked chassis with no body! A hugely impressed Nuccio Bertone proposed to clothe it in suitable bodywork and completed the job in time for the Geneva Auto Show the following March. Hopefully the reverse will happen in 2006, with Lamborghini dropping in one of its powerful V-10 or V-12 engines to make the new Miura a reality.

The designer, Walter da Silva, refined the contours and details of the car to modernize it, but said that the original "was and still is the most beautiful car in the world." The writer of a New York Times article about the new Miura opined that "at the age of 40, a car is a little old for a facelift. Better let the Muira name rest until there's a more modern version." I don't agree. Nobody said that about the retro Ford GT40 and it's already a desireable collector car.