Farewell To Paolo Stanzani, The Genius Behind The Miura & Countach

The motoring industry bids a sad farewell to an engineering great – Paolo Stanzani, one of the visionaries behind the iconic Miura and Countach supercars

Paolo Stanzani played a major role in the history of the brand from Sant’Agata Bolognese: he created the Lamborghini Miura in 1966 – along with Giampaolo Dallara and designer Marcello Gandini – and subsequently other legendary models. His vision, his creative genius and innovative approach to projects are still a source of inspiration for Lamborghini.

Paolo Stanzani was born in Bologna, Italy, on 20 July 1936. After graduating in Mechanical Engineering in 1961 at the University of Bologna, he was hired in Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.a.S. on 30 September 1963 as the assistant to Dallara, the company’s Technical Director at the time. This was the era of the 350 GT, the 400 GT, the Islero, but above all the legendary Miura.

Becuase of his contribution to the brand’s technical development, Stanzani is considered to be one of the fathers of two of the most revolutionary cars in the history of supercars, the Miura and the Countach. In 1967 he accepted the role of General Manager and Technical Director from his former boss, Giampaolo Dallara. During the years under Paolo, many legendary vehicles were produced, including the Espada, the Jarama, the Miura S, the Miura SV, the Urraco and of course, the Countach.