IntroductionThe Murcielago is the most recent of the line of mid-engine, V12 sports cars from Lamborghini that began in the 1960s with the Miura, followed in succession by the Countach and the Diablo. Lamborghinis first vehicles were tractors, as company founder Ferrucio Lamborghini filled the acute needs of Italian farmers recovering from World War II. The first Lamborghini sports car was the 350GTV which debuted in 1963. After passing through several hands, the company is now solely owned by Audi AG.
Whats With The Name?
Although it was originally a tractor maker, founder Ferruccio Lamborghini started making super-luxury gran tourismo automobiles in 1963. Lamborghini himself was born under the sign of Taurus and not only is the bull the symbol of the car company, but all Lamborghinis have always been named for some aspect of the bull-fighting tradition, either for great fighting bulls, matadors or even for the swords used during the battle.
Hence, Murciélago is also the name of a great bull, one which lived more than a century ago and whose life was spared because he showed such verve and fighting spirit. Interestingly, the Murciélago bull was given to Don Antonio Miura Antonio Miurato breed, and the Miura was the name of what some people call the best Lamborghini ever.
The Murcielago (pronounced "Mercy-ell-ah-go") is Lamborghinis flagship and as such is essentially an evolution of the previous Diablo. Its 6.2-liter, V12 engine, mounted amidships, has numerous high-tech engineering features to help both maximum power and overall smoothness and tractability. Power is sent to all four wheels through a viscous all-wheel-drive system with limited-slip differentials at both ends. Underneath the carbon-fiber body panels (the roof and doors are still steel) is a tubular steel space frame. Last year, Lamborghini introduced a Murcielago roadster. It has additional structural bracing and auto-deploying rollover bars to compensate for the loss of the fixed roof.
Whats Audi Got To Do With It?
Lamborghini was purchased by Volkswagen AG in 1998 and is now essentially under Audi management. So what Audi brought to the table was car-making know-how that eluded Lamborghini before, which mainly pays off in areas like interior fit quality, ergonomics, sound management and of course quality control. Berd Heiden believes that for the first time ever, many Lambo buyers may drive these latest cars as often as weekly -- and for that to be possible, much of Audis expertise had to come into play to make this a much more mechanically sound car than any Lamborghini in history.
And by the way, you can feel this -- everything mechanical sounded pure with each startup, even while crawling through traffic; the Murciélago doesnt buck or get hot the way some exotics can. Ah, and Audi of course has brought precious cash to the equation, knowing that an investment in Lamborghini R&D in certain areas like engine and chassis design will benefit many core operations of the company.
Interior Design and Special Features:
The Audi influence is obvious inside the Murcielago, with plenty of properly fitting leather and soft-touch materials. The roomy cockpit features comfortable seating that wont leave you reaching for the painkillers. Though not as flamboyant as the exterior, the interior styling is still befitting a vehicle that commands such a high price of admission. The convertibles removable canvas top is rather fussy to install or stow, and works better as an emergency shower cap rather than a truly functional top.
Body Styles, Trim Levels and Options:
The exotic Lamborghini Murcielago is available as a coupe or a convertible. Both models come fully loaded with all the typical supercar trappings. Major standard equipment includes effective air conditioning, a tilt and telescoping steering wheel, power windows and locks, and a CD audio system. The suspensions damping can be adjusted, and one can also electronically raise the cars front suspension 45mm to avoid scraping the Murcielagos (normally) low-slung chin on driveway aprons. Optional upgrades include carbon-ceramic brakes, a navigation system, a carbon-fiber interior trim package, and various other ways to customize the interior trim and exterior paint.
Powertrains and Performance:
A 6.2-liter, V12 engine fills the Murcielagos engine bay, and it makes 580 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 479 pound-feet of torque at 5,400. All that brute force is fed through a six-speed manual transmission and a full-time all-wheel-drive system. A paddle-shifted sequential gearbox, dubbed e-gear, is also available. Zero to 60 mph happens in about 3.8 seconds, and the car will run up to about 205 mph if given the room.
Safety:
Huge ventilated disc brakes with antilock control bring this beast to a stop, and a sophisticated traction-control system helps keep it on the road.
Pros: fuel is great, gps is perfect.
Cons: A bit on the portly side, sexy body lines make for poor visibility, balky convertible top.
Its the best car there is. Also could brng the price to $298,878. You guys are awesome at cars.