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The Lamborghini Murciélago is a GT and supercar automobile made by Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. and designed by Luc Donckerwolke. It was introduced in 2002 as the successor to the Diablo. The body style is a two door, two seat coupé. To celebrate Lamborghini's 40th birthday, 50 special edition Murciélagos were built up during the autumn of 2003. An open-top version called the Murciélago roadster was introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year. The roadster features similar performance to the coupe with a more aggressive rear flank, as well as a considerably higher price tag. The Murciélago sports a 6.2 L version of the legendary Lamborghini V12 engine, a six speed manual or six speed sequential gearbox and All Wheel Drive. It also has a rear spoiler that can be raised to an angle of 70 degrees, the side mirrors fold in to increase aerodynamics and side scoops that automatically open to the needed size to let in just the right amount of air needed to cool its engine. The name Murciélago comes from a bull that survived 24 sword strokes in an 1879 fight at the arena of Cordoba, and fought with such passion and spirit that the matador chose to spare its life, a rare honor. In another Lamborghini tie-in, the bull was later presented as a gift to Don Antonio Miura, a noted breeder, and went on to sire a line of famous fighting bulls. Murciélago also means bat in Spanish, and a Murciélago roadster is featured briefly in the movie Batman Begins. The coupe's base price is US$ 273,000, which is US$90,000 more than its smaller sibling, the Lamborghini Gallardo . Lamborghini have announced two more powerful models, the XTR, a track-only car with a 700 bhp version of the V12, and the LP640 with 640 bhp. Although the XTR is not street legal the LP640 met the standards and is expected to be introduced in March of 2007. (link), going on sale spring this year.
LP640 The LP640 version was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March of 2006, as a facelift for the coupé version. It features a 6.5 L engine, now producing 640 bhp, improving performance substantially. Like the base Murciélago, the engine is mounted "backwards", with the gearbox at the very back of the car. It also, like the base spec. car features rear-biased All wheel drive. There were also a few minor external changes, primarily to the low air intakes. The front and rear bumpers have been reshaped to channel air more efficiently and the new exhaust has been shaped into the rear diffuser to minimize aerodynamic lift. The air intake on the left side has been enlarged to accommodate the feeding of the oil cooler. The car's body is made up of steel and carbon fiber, while underneath a revised suspension has been added to keep up with the car's exceptional performance. It also has a four-wheel-drive system that normally distributes 70% of the torque to the back, but can allocate up to 100% to either end depending on where the grip is running out. There are also new 18-inch Hermera alloy wheels running huge 335/30 tires at the rear. The LP640 retains the original car's scissor-opening doors. Inside the LP640, the seating has been reshaped to accommodate greater headroom, while an upgraded instrument panel is flanked by an improved stereo system. The LP640's optional equipment includes ceramic brakes for swifter braking and a glass engine cover which shows off the LP640's 6.5-liter V12 engine. A special edition version of the LP640 Murciélago was introduced at Paris Motor Show. The Versace edition features a customized all-white exterior and a matching white interior. Engine LP stands for Longitudinale Posteriore, referring to the lengthways mounted, 6.5-liter V12 engine, capable of producing up to 640 bhp at 8,000 rpm. Along with a new six-speed gearbox, which can come in Lamborghini's optional paddle shift "E-gear" package, the LP640 can go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds: 0.4 seconds quicker than the normal Murciélago. The LP640 is accommodated by an electronic launch-control device called "Thrust". The LP640 was released on March 1, 2006, and has a set price tag of $350,000 Specifications Source: Lamborghini Press Release Motorsport The Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT is a race-only version of the Murciélago, developed jointly with Reiter Engineering and Audi Sport. It has rear-wheel drive unlike the standard Murciélago to comply with the FIA, ACO as well JAF rules and an airflow-restricted 5998 cc engine. Its acceleration and top speed are highly dependent on the gearing selected for a particular race track. In March 2006 at the Super GT Suzuka 300 kms, the Murcielago R-GT recorded the first win ever for a Murcielago when the number 88 AKTIO Murcielago R-GT run by the Japan Lamborghini Owners Club garnered an in class win in the GT300 class. Trivia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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