The Murcielago can in many ways be considered not only the greatest Lamborghini ever made, but also the last of the ‘Real’ Lambos. Just like Lamborghinis of old, it is still as mad as a hatter, but that madness is tempered by a dose of Audi build quality and common sense. Conceived before Audi bought Lamborghini, it retained much of the ‘Soul’ of the Lamborghini heritage, something that is a little lacking in its younger sibling, the Gallardo.
The Murcielago has gone through a few iterations in its life, culminating in the outrageously expensive Lamborghini Reventon. In reality, the Reventon was just an LP 640 with a bodykit and a trick dash, but Lamborghini managed to move the 20 cars made at a massive €1,000,000 + tax. And they are still holding their money. Prices have come down from a peak of around €1.5M to a slightly more reasonable €1.25M. But still, that’s an awful lot of money for a car with no more power than the donor LP 640.
The Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SV will début at Geneva in March
But Lamborghini are planning on going out on a high with the Murcielago (which will be replaced by a new model next year – The Lamborghini Jota?) and are launching the ultimate Murcielago – the LP 670-4 SV at Geneva next month.
The LP 670 will carry the legendary SV (Superveloce) tag, which Lamborghini aficionados will remember from the Diablo. Think of it as the Murcielago Superleggera and you’ll get the idea. More power and less weight sums it up quite nicely.
The LP 670 will get a power boost to around 670bhp (you’d never have guessed) and will almost certainly retain the 4WD system of the LP640 (Lamborghini won’t want dead customers littering the roads by using 2WD on this car). The inside will be stripped out and filled with carbon fibre. New, lighter wheels will cut the weight as well, which should make the LP 670 around 200lbs lighter than the LP640.
With a nod to the Countach the LP670 will also get a big wing on the back instead of the auto spoilers on the LP 640, which should be good for poster sales to teenage boys. E-Gear will be retained, but with a crisper and quicker change. All this should shave a few tenths of the 0-60 time, dropping close to the 3 second mark.
The LP 640 is a blast to drive, with huge amounts of grip and power (even if it does let-go when it runs out of grip in a quite alarming fashion), and the LP 670 should be really mad. The last true Lamborghini?
Have your say - leave a comment