Lamborghini Murciélago

Lamborghini Murciélago

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Lamborghini Murciélago

Manufacturer: Lamborghini
Parent company: Volkswagen Group
Production 2001–present
3,066 built (2001–2007) 
Assembly Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy
Predecessor Lamborghini Diablo
Class Sports car
Body style(s) 2-door coupé 2-door roadster
Layout Mid-engine, four-wheel drive
Engine(s) 6.2 L V12 426 kW (579 PS; 571 bhp)
6.5 L V12 471 kW (640 PS; 632 bhp)
Transmission(s) 6-speed manual
6-speed E-Gear semi-automatic
Wheelbase 104.9 in (2,664.5 mm)
Length 2002-06: 180.3 in (4,579.6 mm)
2007-Present: 181.5 in (4,610.1 mm)
Width 2002-06: 80.5 in (2,044.7 mm)
2007-Present: 81.0 in (2,057.4 mm)
Height 44.7 in (1,135.4 mm)
2007-Present Roadster: 44.6 in (1,132.8 mm)
Curb weight 1,650 kg (3,638 lb)
Related Lamborghini Reventon
Designer Luc Donckerwolke

The Lamborghini Murciélago is a high performance sports car produced by Italian automaker Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. and designed by Luc Donckerwolke. It was introduced in 2001 as the successor to the Diablo. The Murciélago is a two-door, two-seat coupé. To celebrate the company's 40 years in operation, 50 special edition Murciélagos were built 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 coupé with a more aggressive rear flank, as well as a considerably higher price tag.

The Murciélago sports a 6.2-litre version of the Lamborghini V12 engine, a six-speed manual or 6-speed sequential automatic transmission, and four-wheel drive. It also has a rear spoiler that can be raised to an angle of 70 degrees, side mirrors that fold in to improve 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 2008 car's fuel economy is 8 miles per US gallon (29 L/100 km; 9.6 mpg-imp) city and 13 miles per US gallon (18 L/100 km; 16 mpg-imp) freeway, making it the least efficient 2008 car for city and highway driving, according to the EPA. 

The coupé's base price is US $313,000, which is US $107,000 more than its smaller sibling, the Lamborghini Gallardo.

In 2006 the Murciélago's engine was replaced by a stronger 6.5-liter engine and the car's name was changed to Murciélago LP640. For the 2007 model year Lamborghini did the same with the roadster model, which is now called Murciélago LP640 Roadster. Both versions received a minor facelift.

The name

The name Murciélago (pronounced moor-thee-EH-la-go in traditional Castilian Spanish and moor-see-EH-la-goh in Spanish of Latin America) means "bat" in Spanish. A bull by this name survived 24 sword strokes in an 1879 fight at the arena of Córdoba, 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, who was a noted breeder and whose bull ranch the Lamborghini Miura was named after, and went on to sire a line of famous fighting bulls.

 
40th Anniversary Edition

Lamborghini Murciélago 40th Anniversary Edition

In late 2003, Lamborghini announced a special 40th Anniversary Edition of the Murciélago, following in the footsteps of their Countach and Diablo Anniversary Editions. The limited production run of 50 vehicles featured enhancements including a limited-edition body color, carbon-fiber exterior detailing, upgraded wheels , a new revamped exhaust system, and a 40th Anniversary numbered plaque displayed along the side. The interior featured a new leather trim and additional electronic features.

 
LP640

The LP640 version was first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2006, as a facelift for the coupé version. It features a 6.5 Litre engine, now producing 640 PS (631 hp/471 kW), improving performance substantially. Like the base Murciélago, the engine is mounted "backwards", with the transmission in front of the engine and the differential behind it, instead of a transaxle normally seen on mid-engine cars. There were also a few minor external changes, primarily to the low air intakes.

LP640 Roadster at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show

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 fibre, while underneath a revised suspension has been added to keep up with the car's performance. It also has an all-wheel-drive system that normally distributes 70% of the torque to the rear wheels, but can allocate up to 100% to the rear, or up to 70% to the front, depending on where the available grip is. There are also new 18-inch (460 mm) Hermera alloy wheels running huge 335/30 tyres at the rear. The LP640 retains the original car's scissor-opening doors. The LP640 coupè U.S. MSRP rests at $318,800.

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 Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide (C/SiC) ceramic composite brakes for swifter braking, chrome paddle shifters and a glass engine cover which shows off the LP640's engine.

A special edition version of the Murciélago LP640 was introduced at the Paris Motor Show. The Versace edition features a customized all-white exterior and a matching white interior. However, a one-of-a-kind black LP640 Versace and LP640 Roadster Versace were also presented by the factory.[3]

Lamborghini announced the LP640 Roadster version at the 2006 LA Auto Show.[4]

 
Engine

LP stands for Longitudinale Posteriore, referring to the longitudinally-mounted, 6.5L V12 engine, capable of producing up to 640 PS (631 hp/471 kW) @ 8000rpm. Along with a new six-speed manual transmission, which can come in Lamborghini's optional paddle shift "E-gear" package, the LP640 can reach a top speed of 219+ mph. The LP640 is accommodated by an electronic Launch control device called "Thrust."

 
LP640 Roadster

The new Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Roadster was presented on the 2006 Los Angeles Autoshow. It features the same engine as the LP640 coupé and replaces the 6.2 Litre Murciélago Roadster. The only design changes were oil cooling vents behind the air intakes, interior changes, and a reinforced body.

 
LP640 Versace
 
Presented at the 2008 Paris International Autoshow, the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Versace is a special edition version of the Lamborghini LP640 Coupé, with all the same performance features. The only difference is the two tone white-black trim, shown on both the exterior and interior of the car. However, Lamborghini de Spa have also built 1 black LP640 & LP640 Roadster. It also features custom Versace leather seating and a Gianni Versace logo plaque inside the vehicle.[5] The Versace material costs $10,000 per seat. Lamborghini have also announced that they will only produce 20 units of this model.

LP 650-4 Roadster

It is a limited production (50 units) model. Engine is rated 650 PS (641 hp/478 kW) at and 660 N·m (487 lb·ft) torque. Exterior changes include Grigio Telesto exterior that combines grey bodywork with a special bright orange Arancio LP 650-4 featured on the front spoiler and sills, orange brake calipers and a transparent V12-engine cover. Interior changes include black Alcantara Nera on the driver's side (including door panel and central tunnel), and black leather Nero Perseus on the passenger's side. 


LP 670-4 SuperVeloce

The Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce is the latest and most extreme variant of the Murcielago models. Engine power was increased to 670 PS (661 hp/493 kW) at 8000 rpm and 660 N·m (487 lb·ft) at 6500 rpm torque through engine airflow enhancements and improved valve timing.

The vehicle is 100 kilograms (220 lb) lighter than predecessor via new super high-strength sectional steel on chassis (-20 kg (44 lb)); carbon fiber based front fenders, rear side panels/fenders and the casing for the third brake light, removing drive for moveable spoiler (-13 kg (29 lb)); carbon fiber door panels, cockpit, roof lining, Alcantara upholstered seat (leather seat available as option), omission of the radio-navigation system (available as option) (-34 kg (75 lb)); lighter single disc clutch, lighter exhaust system (-26 kg (57 lb)); ceramic disc with carbon ceramic brakes, "Ares" alloy-forged wheels (-7 kg (15 lb)). The car now has a dry weight of 3,450 lb (1,560 kg).

The e.gear transmission became standard, which includes "Corsa" and a "Low adherence" modes; while 6-speed manual transmission became a no-cost option.

Handling is improved via stiffened chassis, enlarged front spoiler and the twin rear diffuser, the new fixed rear spoiler. Buyer can choose between small rear spoiler or the optional larger Aeropack Wing (a large, fixed, carbon-fiber wing mounted on two carbon-fiber brackets) for improved downforce. Suspension is the same as the LP640.

Lamborghini estimated 0-100 km/h acceleration of 3.2 seconds, with top speed of 342 kilometres per hour (213 mph) (337 km/h (209 mph) with Aeropack Wing).

The car was unveiled in 2009 Geneva Motor Show.

SpecificationsModel Engine Power Torque Acceleration Top Speed
0-62 mph 0-100 mph 0-150 mph Quarter Mile
Murciélago 6.2 L V12 579 PS (571 hp/426 kW) 649 N·m (479 lb·ft) 3.8 sec 9.5 sec 21.4 sec 12.6 sec @ 116 mph official: 330 km/h (205 mph)
Murciélago LP 640 6.5 L V12 640 PS (631 hp/471 kW) 660 N·m (487 lb·ft) 3.5 sec 8.1 sec 16.1 sec 11.8 sec @ 126 mph official: 357 km/h (222 mph)
Murciélago LP 650-4 Roadster[9] 650 PS (641 hp/478 kW) 660 N·m (487 lb·ft) 3.4 sec - - - official: 330 km/h (205 mph)
Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce 670 PS (661 hp/493 kW) 660 N·m (487 lb·ft) 3.2 sec - - - official: 342 km/h (213 mph),
337 km/h (209 mph) with Aeropack Wing

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, and JAF rules. The car retains the standard Murciélago V12, but has air restrictors to manage power. 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 500 km, a Murcielago R-GT specifically built for Super GT (and rebadged RG-1) for the Japanese Lamborghini Owners Club (JLOC) recorded the first win ever for a Murcielago when they earned a win in the GT300 class. In March 2007 in the FIA GT Championship, the All-Inkl.com Racing Murciélago won the Zhuhai 2 Hours.

In December 2006, Reiter Engineering tested an upgraded Murcielago R-GT LM, featuring redesigned body work and a new rear wing with less drag.

Cars based on the Murciélago
 
A Lamborghini Miura concept car was presented at the Museum of Television & Radio on January 5, 2006 alongside the Los Angeles Auto Show, though it was not present at the show itself. Instead, the Miura officially debuted at the North American International Auto Show two weeks later. It was the first design by new Lamborghini chief, Walter de'Silva, and commemorates the 1966 introduction of the original Miura in Geneva.

Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann has denied the concept will return the Miura to production, saying “The Miura was a celebration of our history, but Lamborghini is about the future. Retro design is not what we are here for. So we won’t do the Miura.

Lamborghini Reventón

Lamborghini's own Reventón is a mid-engined sports car that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show.[11] The official press release states that only 20 will be built. The exterior styling was inspired by the F-22 Raptor. Although the exterior is partially new, almost the entire mechanics (including the engine) are taken directly from the Murciélago LP640.

new pic

Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera 2007

Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640

Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640

Lamborghini

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini, is an Italian manufacturer of sports cars, based in the small Italian village of Sant'Agata Bolognese, near Bologna. The company was founded in 1963 by businessman Ferruccio Lamborghini, who owned a successful tractor factory, Lamborghini Trattori.

In 1998, Lamborghini became a subsidiary of the German car manufacturer Audi AG, which is in turn a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group, which is in turn a subsidiary of Porsche.

History


Origin

Founded by Ferruccio Lamborghini, Lamborghini started out as a tractor-building company in the Italian village of Sant'Agata Bolognese, between Bologna and Modena. However, Ferruccio Lamborghini's priorities changed when he went to meet Enzo Ferrari at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy, to complain about the quality of the clutch in his Ferrari 250[2]. Ferruccio received a dismissive answer from Ferrari, who said to Lamborghini that "the problem is not with the car, but rather, the driver," and suggested he look after his tractors leaving sport cars to others. A resentful Lamborghini returned to his factory, and after dismounting the transmission from the defective Ferrari, discovered that it was built with the very same transmission used in his own tractors. Encouraged by the discovery, Ferruccio Lamborghini called upon the talents of Giotto Bizzarrini, Gian Paolo Dallara, Franco Scaglione and Bob Wallace, who worked on what Ferruccio envisioned as his grand tourer to rival Ferrari. The result would eventual become the GTV prototype. The following year, Lamborghini would debut the 350GT.


Under Ferruccio Lamborghini
 
Lamborghini 400GT

The 350GT was followed by the 400GT. Profits from the 400GT and its predecessor gave the company ample capital to design its first sports car, the Lamborghini Miura. The chassis of the new Miura was introduced by Ferruccio himself at the November 1965 Turin Auto Show. The car's engine was transversely mounted. The styling was executed by Marcello Gandini in less than a year. The completed car was displayed at the March 1966 Geneva Auto Show. The car's name was taken from the famed fighting-bull trainer, Don Eduardo Miura. One hundred and eleven Miuras were sold in 1967. Seven hundred and sixty-one were made in total. The Miura propelled the company into the small world of exotic car manufacturers.

The Espada, a four-seat car based on the Marzal concept car, was developed alongside of the Miura. The name Espada means sword in Spanish, and referred to the sword used by the matador in bullfighting. Using the 4-litre V12 in a conventional front engine layout, the low-slung touring car could attain a top speed of approximately 150 mph (240 km/h). An interesting feature of the Espada was a glass taillight panel that used the same taillights as the contemporary Fiat 124 Coupé. The Espada received minor improvements over its production, resulting in three distinct series.
 
Lamborghini tractor

In 1971, Lamborghini produced the LP500 Countach prototype. The Countach was named after an Italian dialect term uttered in surprise by Nuccio Bertone upon seeing the car for the first time. The production LP400 Countach was introduced three years later. The prototype was the first car to sport Lamborghini's now-traditional scissor doors, along with vertically mounted rear air intakes. The Countach's V12 engine initially had the same 4-litre capacity as the Miura, but this was enlarged to five litres upon the introduction of the LP500S Countach in 1982. The Countach was one of the first cars to use the Pirelli "P-Zero" tires. Lamborghini's test driver would often demonstrate the Countach's abilities to journalists. A detail noted by journalists was the manner in which a Countach was reversed; the driver would raise the door and sit on the door sill.

The company suffered a major setback in 1972 when a massive tractor order from a South American nation was canceled. In preparation of the order, Lamborghini had made upgrades to its factories to accommodate the increase in demand. Financial complications forced Ferruccio to sell part of his share of the tractor factory to Fiat. The tractor business was eventually acquired by SAME (now Same Deutz-Fahr). Lamborghini tractors are still sold today, as part of the SAME Deutz-Fahr Group.

Eventually, the automobile division became self-sufficient and profitable. Lamborghini, however, sold all his remaining stock in the company to a Swiss investor and left the automotive industry.


Bankruptcy, Mimran, and Chrysler This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references (ideally, using inline citations). Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)


The 1970s oil crisis plagued sales of high performance cars. In 1978, Lamborghini declared bankruptcy. An Italian court was appointed to find a buyer, and the Swiss-based Mimran brothers took over the company in 1984, after managing the company for four years while it was in receivership. The company remained solvent under Mimran's control, selling the Countach, the Jalpa, and the LM002 during this time.

In a surprise move, the company was bought by the Chrysler Corporation in 1987 with the acquisition being driven by Lee Iacocca, Chrysler's chairman at the time. Lamborghini was then working on the Countach's successor, the Diablo. The basic design of the Diablo was by Marcello Gandini, who designed the Miura and the Countach while at Bertone. The design was further developed by Chrysler, which brought its resources, including design input, pollution controls, and new manufacturing techniques, into this development. Chrysler's experience with the design of mass market vehicles improved areas of practicality and comfort that had been neglected earlier, including noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), engineering, and ergonomics


Post-Chrysler: Megatech and Audi

In January 1994, poor economic circumstances and the political climate at Chrysler forced them to sell[citation needed] Lamborghini to Megatech, an Indonesian investment group headed by Tommy Suharto, the youngest son of Indonesian President Suharto. A new management team was installed at the company headquarters headed by ex-Lotus Group Chief Executive Mike Kimberley and including ex-McLaren Cars head of sales, Nigel Gordon-Stewart who became International Sales and Marketing Director. Kimberley was, at the time, the only candidate acceptable to Chrysler as the new President of Lamborghini under the Megatech ownership as he was well known to senior Chrysler management from his previous senior roles at Lotus and General Motors.

Under the new management, Lamborghini began a renaissance in the world markets, with a complete revision of its international dealer network and the implementation of highly proactive marketing strategies. Sales increased from 101 in 1993 to 301 in 1994 and 414 in 1995. Large stocks of cars held by the dealers were sold through aggressive marketing programmes and new models introduced to create a shortage of product in the market reinforcing the exclusive image and premium value of Lamborghini product.

The Lamborghini Diablo SV (Sport Veloce) was launched in 1995. Inspired by the Lamborghini Miura SV, the Diablo SV featured a more powerful 525bhp V12 engine featuring variable cam timing technology (MMEC) developed by Lamborghini. The Diablo SV became the best selling version of the Diablo.

The Lamborghini Diablo SVR was also introduced in 1996 and used to compete in the one-make racing series developed by Stephane Rattel and sponsored by Lease Plan.

Megatech sold the company in 1997 as a result of changing circumstances in Indonesia and therefore an inability to fund the future business plan produced by Kimberley's team.

Lamborghini was bought by Audi AG, who had gained interest in the Italian company after being one of several major manufacturers approached as possible technical suppliers for major components for future Lamborghini models. After a complex series of transactions, Audi AG became the sole owner of Automobili Lamborghini.
 
Lamborghini Showroom display

Lamborghini's latest owner once again greatly influenced the design of its cars, including the Murcielago. Audi's vast technical resources helped produce one of Lamborghini's most sophisticated cars to date.

Sales under Audi AG ownershipYear Sales
  500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500
1996[4] 211  
Audi Takeover in 1998
2002[4] 424  
2003[4] 1,305  
2004[4] 1,592  
2005[5] 1,600  
2006[5] 2,087  
2007[6] 2,406
2008[7] 2,430



Badge licensing

The Lamborghini badge, with its connotations of exotic motoring, has been licensed for use on unrelated products such as mountain bikes, watches, cigar lighters, humidors, sunglasses, coffee machines[8] and notebook computers[9].

Racing models


Ferruccio Lamborghini had set a rule that Lamborghini would not be involved in motor racing. He saw such a program as too expensive and too demanding in company resources.[citation needed] Consequently, no Lamborghini racing car was fabricated under his management. The closest the company came to building racing cars at that time was when the company's test driver Bob Wallace made a few highly modified prototypes based on existing models. Notable among these are the Miura SV based Jota and the Jarama S based Bob Wallace Special.

Under the management of Rosetti, Lamborghini entered into an agreement with BMW to build a production racing car in sufficient quantity for homologation. However, Lamborghini was unable to fulfill its part of the agreement. The car was eventually developed in-house by the BMW Motorsport Division, and was manufactured and sold as the BMW M1

Lamborghini developed the QVX for the 1986 Group C championship season. One car was built, but lack of sponsorship caused it to miss the season. The QVX competed in only one race, the non-championship 1986 Southern Suns 500 km race at Kyalami in South Africa, driven by Tiff Needell. Despite the car finishing better than it started, sponsorship could not be found and the program was

Lamborghini was an engine supplier in Formula One between the 1989 and 1993 Formula One seasons. It supplied engines to Larrousse, Ligier, Lotus, Minardi, and to a 'Lamborghini' team, although this last was not viewed as a works team by the car company. The 1992 Larrousse/Lamborghini was largely uncompetitive but noteworthy in its tendency to spew oil from its exhaust system. Cars following closely behind the Larrousse were commonly colored yellowish-brown by the end of the race.

Late in 1991, a Lamborghini Formula One motor would be used in the Konrad KM-011 Group C sports car, but the car would only last a few races before the project was canceled. The same engine, badged as a Chrysler, by Lamborghini's then parent company, was tested by McLaren towards the end of the 1993 season, with a view to its use during the 1994 season. Although driver Ayrton Senna was reportedly impressed with the engine's performance, McLaren pulled out of negotiations, choosing a Peugeot engine instead, and Chrysler ended the project.

Two racing versions of the Diablo were built for the Diablo Supertrophy, a single-model racing series held annually from 1996 to 1999. In the first year, the model used in the series was the Diablo SVR, while the Diablo 6.0 GTR was used for the remaining three years.

Lamborghini developed the Murciélago R-GT as a production racing car to compete in the FIA GT Championship, the Super GT Championship and the American Le Mans Series in 2004. Their highest placing in any race that year was the opening round of the FIA GT Championship at Valencia, where the car entered by Reiter Engineering finished third from a fifth-place start.In 2006 during the opening round of the Super GT championship at Suzuka, a car run by the Japan Lamborghini Owners Club garnered the first victory (in class) by an R-GT.

A GT3 version of the Gallardo has been developed by Reiter Engineering.[19]

A Murciélago R-GT entered by All-Inkl.com racing, driven by Christophe Bouchut and Stefan Mücke, won the opening round of the FIA GT Championship held at Zhuhai International Circuit, achieving the first major international race victory for Lamborghini.[20]


Marine engines

Lamborghini has for some years produced a larger V12 marine engine block for use in powerboat racing, notably the World Offshore Series Class 1. This engine is produced with a typical displacement of around 8200cc/500ci with an output of around 940 hp (700 kW).[21]

Ownership

Lamborghini has had a number of owners:
Ferruccio Lamborghini 1963–1972
Georges-Henri Rossetti and René Leimer 1972–1977
bankrupt 1977–1984 
managed by Patrick Mimran 1980–1984
Patrick Mimran 1984–1987
Chrysler Corporation 1987–1994
Megatech 1994–1995 (Permission granted for the creation of Automóviles Lamborghini Latinoamérica)
V'Power, Mycom 1995–1998
Audi AG 1998-present