Lamborghini introduced the Miura in 1966, seizing the opportunity to become the first automobile manufacturer to offer a streetable mid-engine automobile worthy of supercar status. Featuring a chassis designed by Giampaolo Dallara and inspired by the cutting-edge mid-engine race cars of the era, the Miura had one of the lowest profiles of any production car built up to that point. The ultra-sleek coupe body designed by Marcello Gandini for Bertone helped redefine the look of supercars, with other manufacturers later emulating Lamborghini’s mid-engine layout and aggressive design. The Miura was the first production vehicle to utilize a transversely mounted (perpendicular to the car's length) mid-engine V-12. This configuration—at the time used only by racing cars—was the most significant factor in the Miura becoming the car most often credited as the first “Supercar.”