Lamborghini Murciélago - Introduction
A far cry from Ferruccio Lamborghini’s first foray into things automotive - making tractors - the latest model to sport the famous badge, the 200mph+ Murciélago, is a sports car formidable.
Although there are bound to be comments about the Murciélago being little more than an upgraded Diablo, Lamborghini’s newest release has a few tricks up its sleeves to subdue any doubters. Or as the case may be, stop them completely in their tracks.
The engine has been lowered by 50mm in its setting, decreasing the overall centre of gravity, and the noise is the stuff that dreams are made of...
The steel roof (which makes up an essential part of the chassis) aside, most of the body shell is made from extremely strong and light carbon fibre panels helping to keep the weight down – and there’s no Diablo style wing to the rear.
Kitted out with a quad-cam 48-valve V12, the Murciélago might be slightly tubbier than the Diablo, but it’s more powerful, lower and even boasts an extra gear over its schoolboy pin-up sibling.
Those concerned that Audi’s influence on proceedings may have Germanised Lamborghini needn’t worry. If there has been any dulling of the fervour, it’s been remarkably well hidden; spirit, passion and sheer aggressiveness are still intact.
Lamborghini Murciélago - Styling
They’re not really a shy retiring lot at Lamborghini – and the Murciélago is certainly no shrinking violet either; every inch of its powerful body screams LOOK AT ME from the top of its lungs.
Less angular than the Diablo, or that ultimate accessory of 80s decadence the Testarossa, the Murciélago styling comes from the pen of Luke Donckerwolke, whose other designs of notable interest include the distinctly un-sporty Audi A2. Go on, look to the right of the screen...
When compared to earlier designs from the Italian stable, the Murciélago is a distinctly curvaceous little number for a car sporting the Lamborghini badge. But this new-found roundedness for the new millennium has in no way compromised the squat aggressiveness of the silhouette. If anything, the smoother front and rear overhangs and wheel arches accentuate the feeling of sheer power exuding from the Murciélago.
As you’d expect on a Lamborghini the beetle wing doors, if you let them, dominate the silhouette of the Italian muscle car, but why you’d want to stop, unless it's for petrol, we’ve no idea...
A speed sensitive rear spoiler protrudes 50 degrees from the otherwise smooth rear bodylines when the Murciélago reaches 81mph, and slides completely open to 70 degrees when the car reaches 137mph. Not a car to hammer past the traffic police in, then (not that we’re condoning such behaviour you understand)...
Lamborghini Murciélago - VACS
Packed full of clever features, the variable airflow cooling system is just one of the ideas that makes the Murciélago stand out from the pack. Oh, and it just happens to be a first on any production car...
Rather than the huge vents necessary to keep the 6.2-litre V12 beast of an engine cool, (which add a mere 15 percent of actual usefulness to be offset against their aerodynamic inefficiency) Lamborghini has gone for a rather clever little alternative – VACS (Variable Air-flow Cooling System).
VACS adjusts the intake apertures electronically to take in huge gulps of air for optimum engine performance, negating the need for huge and unsightly (in this day and age) vents.
As a happy by-product of this process, the open vents also look rather cool, and there’s a button on the centre console allowing the driver to flap at will!
Lamborghini Murciélago - Mechanicals
Buy a Lamborghini and you’re going to be expecting something fairly special. Be rest assured, the Murciélago is special.
Although slightly heavier than its Diablo sibling, (thanks to a couple more horses stashed under the bonnet) the Murciélago's power to weight ratio is slightly up on that of the Diablo 6.0 VT. If you want to own the most powerful Lamborghini road car ever made, you’ll need to scour those small ads for the limited edition Diablo GT. If you’re happy knowing you’re sitting in front of the most powerful Lamborghini road car engine ever, the Murciélago fits the bill.
The aluminium (hmmm must be the Audi influence showing through) mid-mounted 6.2-litre V12 engine pumps out 571bhp at 7,500rpm (21bhp more than the Diablo at 7,100rpm) with a peak torque output of 479lb ft at 5,400rpm.
It’s good for a top speed of over 205mph, which should embarrass the majority of drivers not armed with an F1 car, and takes 3.8 seconds to reach 62mph from a standstill.
Lamborghini Murciélago - Specifications
Engine:
6.2-litre petrol V12:
571bhp@7500rpm
479lb ft@5400rpm
Transmission: permanent four-wheel drive
Length: 4580mm
Width: 2045mm
Height: 1135mm
Wheelbase: 2665mm
Weight: 1650kg