Lamborghini Murcielago

Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster

Lamborghini Murciélago

The Lamborghini Murciélago is a GT and supercar automobile made by Lamborghini and designed by Luc Donckerwolke. It was introduced in 2002 as the successor to the Diablo. The body style is a two door, two seat coupé.

An open-top version called the Murciélago roadster was introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year. The roadster features similar performance to the coupe with a more aggressive rear flank, as well as a considerably higher price tag.

The Murciélago has a 6.2 L V12 engine, a six speed manual gearbox and All Wheel Drive. It also has a rear spoiler that can be raised to an angle of 70 degrees, the side mirrors fold in to increase 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 name Murciélago comes from a bull that survived 24 sword strokes in an 1879 fight, 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, a noted breeder, and went on to sire a line of famous fighting bulls. Murciélago also means bat in Spanish, and a Murciélago roadster is featured briefly in the movie Batman Begins. The coupe's base price is US$273,000, which is US$90,000 more than its smaller sibling, the Lamborghini Gallardo.

Specifications

Engine

• Configuration: 60 degree V12
• Engine displacement: 6192 cc
• Maximum power: 580 bhp (433 kW) at 7500 rpm
• Maximum torque: 650.0 Nm (479.4 ft·lbf) at 5400 rpm

Performance

• Top speed: 430 km/h or 205 mph
• 0-100 km/h: 3.3 seconds
• 0-200 km/h: 11.4 seconds
• 0-300 km/h: 34.2 seconds
• Quarter Mile: ~12 seconds

Dimensions and weight

• Length: 4580 mm
• Width: 2045 mm
• Height: 1135 mm
• Wheelbase: 2665 mm
• Weight: 1650 kg

Trivia

While the Murciélago is no doubt an impressive machine, it was humiliated on Top Gear's test track when piloted by a British Touring Car Championship driver who could not pull away from a Mitsubishi Evo VIII FQ-400, a 4-door saloon with a 2.0L I4 Turbo engine, being driven by Jeremy Clarkson. In the hands of the "The Stig" it beat the Murciélago time around the track.

Another interesting fact with the convertible version of the car it is not supposed to go faster than 100mph when the roof is on, lest damage occur to the soft-top. However, if weather conditions require use of the removable roof, then the driver should probably not exceed 100mph anyway.

External links

• Lamborghini Murcielago High Resolution Images