Although Countach may have epitomized it, Lamborghini Miura is often credited with defining the modern concept of the exotic car. Exotic cars are dream machines with very low pragmatic value, but still, they are something to dream of. Created to test the abilities of a company’s engineers and show off the talent of its designers, they are expensive, unnecessary, but inspiring.

All of these characteristics are on full display in Lamborghini Miura. The sleek and swoopy mid-engine two-seater was produced from 1966 through 1973. Its exterior design – which many rank among the most beautiful of all time — was penned by famed Italian designer Marcello Gandini. Lamborghini’s later Countach and Diablo models, as well as many other well-known vehicles, were also Gandini’s work. At the time of its release in the mid-1960s,  V-12-powered Miura was the fastest road-going car in the world.