Lamborghini Murcielago

Following On From The Countach And The Diablo Was Never Going To Be Easy. Andy Enright Runs The Rule Over The Murcielagos Credentials

Luc Donckerwolke has totally redeemed himself. Guilty of producing one of the oddest looking cars of recent years in the Audi A2, when news filtered through that the young Dutchman had been let loose on Lamborghinis Diablo replacement, shudders of horror passed through more than a few fans of the SantAgata marque. It was worse than letting Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen loose on Clarence House. They neednt have worried.

Donckerwolke has, in the stunning shape of the Murcielago, penned a shape that works on many levels.

Build
Comfort
Depreciation
Economy
Equipment
Handling
Insurance
Performance
Styling
Value

Viewed side-on, you have to look twice to differentiate the two cars, leading many to wonder whether this was an all-new model or merely the Diablo in disguise. From straight ahead it appears that the Diablos face has been slightly overinflated and then etched with geometric precision, neat cuts and slashes marking the lights, bonnet and indicators. Walk round to the back and end and youre greeted by more amalgams of soft curves and sharp creases wit two huge honeycomb vents sitting beneath the trapezoidal rear lights. The success of this design has subsequently been replicated with the mini-me Lamborghini Gallardo, their V10-engined answer to Ferraris 360 Modena.

"An exhibitionist behind the wheel of a Murcielago? As if!"

The Audi connection isnt coincidental, as most will know that Lamborghini is now owned by the Ingolstadt company and the Murcielago is the first fruit of that union. Despite having had more bedfellows over the years than Warren Beatty, Lamborghini finally seems to have found a partner thats prepared to understand what the customer expects of the marque rather than trying to graft its own personality onto it. In developing the Murcielago, the first thing Audi did was deny Lamborghini use of any Audi engines, recognising that the heart of the car should be and would be Italian. So it is that the Murcielago uses a development of the mighty V12 that weve become used to battering the bulkhead behind the cabin.

Now expanded to 6.2 litres and capable of generating an obscene 575bhp, the engine features so many modifications and enhancements that to all intents and purposes it can be called a new engine. An e-gear sequential manual box is available for those who dont fancy the muscular gated manual transmission. But what of that name? Apprarently its a Spanish word for bat dredged up by ex-Lamborghini CEO Giuseppe Greco.

Murcielago was apparently a Spanish fighting bull that fought in Cordoba in 1879. Despite being punched with more holes than a Jeffrey Archer alibi, the brave bull stayed on his feet and was granted mercy and a long life out to stud at Don Antonio Miuras bull factory. Many will argue that both bullfighting and the Murcielago are throwbacks, out of touch with the mores of a post-millennial world. Whilst an argument can certainly be made for doing away with the blood sport, the Murcielago deserves a second stay of execution.

Although some still cling to the old chestnut that this is the last of the hairy-chested supercars, its hard to square this assertion with reality after stepping white-knuckled from the cabin of a TVR Tuscan S and into the urbane sophistication of the Murcielagos cabin. Although its difficult to spot any obvious parts bin plundering, the sheer fit and finish of the interior and the restrained use of colours and textures shouts Audi. Although many wont feel the need for a chromed script on the fascia reminding them what marque theyre behind the wheel of, much of the early eighties vulgarity that plagued Lamborghini has been excised. Performance is suitably ridiculous, the Murcielago making 60mph in 3.

8 seconds on the way to 205mph, thanks to a power to weight ratio of 346bhp per ton. This is brought about in no small part by Lamborghinis reliance on carbon fibre construction. All body panels bar the roof and the doors are baked in the giant autoclave at SantAgata although its illuminating to note that its all-up weight has crept up to 1650kg. Whilst lighter than a Ferrari 575M, this is still considerably heavier than Porsches 911 Turbo.

One of the key design features is whats known as VACS (Variable Airflow Cooling System). Those of you who remember the Countach will recall the gaping intakes on its flanks that fed air into the engine and which contributed to a drag coefficient only marginally better than a portakabin. The Murcielago takes a novel approach to airflow. Realising that at part throttle a gaping maw was both unnecessary and undesirable, the car has a pair of motorised flaps that adjust the aperture of the intakes in line with the demand placed on the engine.

Its a trick piece of kit and those lamenting the death of pop up headlamps will no doubt be overjoyed at the fact that theres a button on the dash that controls the flaps manually. True exhibitionists, however, will prefer to wait for the Murcielago Roadster. The active aerodynamics dont end there, however. Perched atop the trailing edge of the stub tail is a spoiler that rises to a fifty-degree angle of attack at 81mph and then arcs up to a seventy-degree angle when 137mph comes and goes.

Those snapped on a GATSO with their rear wing at maximum attack should start ringing around companies offering attractive yearly rates on dehumidified garaging services. Although first impressions look good, wed really need the car on long-term loan to accurately form an opinion as to the Murcielagos worth as a Diablo replacement. StRangely, Lamborghini dont seem red hot on the idea.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Lamborghini Murcielago
PRICE: £168,000
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 539g/km ENGINE: V12 6192cc 575bhp
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 205mph / 0-60mph 3.8s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 17mpg WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ?: Length/Width/Height 4580/2045/1135mm