Lamborghini Murciélago

The Lamborghini Murciélago is a sports car produced by Italian automaker Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. and designed by Luc Donckerwolke. It was introduced in 2002 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-liter version of the legendary Lamborghini V12 engine, a six-speed manual or six-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 mpg (U.S.) (29 l/100 km) city and 13 mpg (U.S.) (18 l/100 km) freeway, making it the least efficient 2008 car for city driving, according to the EPA.[2]

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-goh in traditional Castilian Spanish and moor-see-EH-la-goh in Spanish of Latin America), means "bat" in Spanish, comes from a bull that 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.



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 Liter engine, now producing 472 kW (642 PS/633 bhp), 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.

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 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 either end depending on where the grip is running out. There are also new 18-inch (460 mm) Hermera alloy wheels running huge 335/30 tires 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 ceramic brakes for swifter braking, chrome paddle shifters,[1] and a glass engine cover which shows off the LP640's 6.5 Liter V12 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]





LP stands for Longitudinale Posteriore, referring to the longitudinally-mounted, 6.5 L V12 engine, capable of producing up to 472 kW (642 PS/633 bhp) at 8000 rpm. Along with a new six-speed manual transmission, 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 of a second quicker than the previous Murciélago. The LP640 is accommodated by an electronic Launch control device called "Thrust"]