Seeing the 330 km/h Lamborghini Murciélago, arguably the fastest road car at Auto Africa, is an experience to savour.
Seeing the 330 km/h Lamborghini Murciélago, arguably the fastest road car at Auto Africa, is an experience to savour.
Imported by Lamborghini Johannesburg and yours for the eye-watering price of R4,5 million, the Murciélago is charged with restoring the Sant’Agata-based firm’s reputation as Italy’s most exciting supercar builder.
The car features a monstrous 6,2-litre V12 engine, four-wheel drive and active aerodynamics. And according to Lamborghini Johannnesburg marketing manager Grant Anderson, four of the supercars have already been sold to South Africans.
The new car’s body structure and chassis are based heavily on the Diablo. More a major evolution of the current car than an all-new replacement, it continues to be built around a tubular steel frame reinforced with carbon fibre.
The Murciélago’s engine is based on the six-litre unit used in the Diablo, but besides the extra 200 cm3, the powerplant also offers a variable-geometry intake system (VIS), variable valve timing (VVT), and a drive-by-wire throttle.
Producing 427 kW at 7 500 r/min, it develops 650 N.m of torque from 5 400 r/min. In a full-throttle charge through the six-speed ‘box, the car is capable of sprinting from zero to 100 km/h in a staggering 3,8 seconds.
According to reports, the Murciélago “oozes road presence – with scissor-opening doors, huge wing mirrors and ground-hugging spoilers; it’s unashamedly brash”. In addition, the car has pop-out air intakes that open like wings so the engine can suck in more air at speed.
Comparing the Murciélago with the Diablo at the stand in Auto Africa, the new car’s door openings are much larger and the cockpit has been given contemporary looks and a higher specification. Buyers are also offered the options of satellite-navigation and a low-ratio gearbox for insatiable (and very rich) road racers. An external noise controller to mute the protruding twin exhausts on longer journeys is also available.
The car’s centre of gravity will be lower than ever and weight distribution has been adjusted to 42 per cent front front, 58 per cent rear. The uprated double-wishbone suspension features electronic shock absorbers that can be manually adjusted from the cockpit, while brakes have been upgraded with improved power-assistance.
Four-pot calipers have been specially developed for the car’s set-up, which is further enhanced by drilled and vented brake discs. The Murciélago has 18-inch alloy wheels shod with massive 335-section tyres at the rear.
”Driver aids are plentiful: traction control is to be standard, along with a four-channel ABS, complete with electronic brake-force distribution. At higher speeds, those pop-out air intakes are complemented by a height-adjusting rear wing that reduces lift on the rear axle, improving maximum-speed stability,” a Lamborghini spokesman said.
To view more pictures of the Lamborghini Murciélago, click here.
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