Supercars: Lamborghini Murcielago

Engineering:

We have to thank Audi for bringing us the Murcielago – and sparing us the ugly replacement for the Diablo that Lamborghini’s previous management had almost finished developing. When Audi took control in 1998 the earlier project was immediately cancelled and work begun on the car that would become the Murcielago. It is constructed around a tubular steel spaceframe chassis with mostly carbonfibre bodywork (only the roof and doors are made from steel). Power comes from an evolved version of the 6.0 litre V12 engine that powered the last versions of the Diablo, now displacing 6.2 litres and producing 572 bhp and 479 lb/ft of torque (increases of 22 bhp and 21 lb/ft respectively). Drive passes to all four corners via an advanced all-wheel drive system, buyers getting to choose between a conventional six-speed manual gearbox and a robotised version (similar to Ferrari’s F1) which is branded as E-Gear. All versions of the Murcielago are fitted with electronically adjustable dampers and active aerodynamic devices, including flaps that open at high engine temperatures to increase the flow of cooling air.

Design:

The Murcielago is the first Lamborghini not to have been designed by an Italian – its aggressive lines sketched by Luc Donckerwolke, the Belgian brought in to head up Lamborghini’s design team after the Audi takeover. Yet few would dispute that the end result is one of the company’s best looking bits of design – a contemporary take on the familiar ‘wedge’ profile made famous by the Countach. Many of the company’s trademark design features have been cleverly integrated, including the progressive change in the angle of the car’s ‘glasshouse’, which becomes almost horizontal by the time your eye gets to the back of the car. Audi placed far greater emphasis on cabin space and usability, meaning that the Murcielago has a noticeably roomier interior than the Diablo, and a multi-adjustable seating position. Access is made through upward opening gullwing doors, another Lambo tradition.

Handling:

Nowhere is Audi’s influence more clearly felt than in the way the Murcielago handles. The frequently snappy behaviour that made the Diablo such a demanding car to drive has been almost entirely tamed – the Murcielago responding to driver inputs with a calm, measured confidence. Grip levels are massively high, but the Murcielago feels far better balanced in corners than its frequently skittish predecessors. High-speed stability is very impressive too – on derestricted sections of the Autobahn the Lamborghini will cruise happily at well over 150 mph. The brakes offer massive retardation, although they do without the carbon ceramic discs that Porsche and Ferrari are both now offering. And the gearshift of the manual-transmission car has also been vastly improved over the agricultural action of old-fashioned Lambos, although the semi-automatic “E-Gear” makes it easier still.

Performance:

The Murcielago isn’t the fastest or quickest of the current crop of supercars. Yet if you factor cost into the equation it’s still a mightily impressive machine, capable of delivering genuine 200 mph performance for considerably less outlay than its vastly more expensive ‘hypercar’ rivals. Four-wheel drive and the rear-biased weight distribution helps to give the Murcielago blistering pace off-the-line, with 60 mph coming up from rest in just 3.8 seconds. Acceleration stays strong until well serious speeds are reached, 0-100 mph takes just 8.6 seconds, with 0-200 km/h (124.5 mph) achieved in just 11.4 seconds. Only at higher speeds does the Murcielago really lose out to cars like the Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari Enzo and – of course – the McLaren F1 – with a 0-300 km/h (186 mph) time of 34.2 seconds. Yet considering the Murcielago is less than half the price of any of those rivals, that’s still highly impressive.

Practicality:

By the standards of extreme supercars the Murcielago offers a comfortable place in which to spend time. Audi invested serious effort to ensure that the Murcielago’s cabin is both more spacious and more usable than that of the cramped Diablo. That means more leg and head-room (taller drivers no longer need to sit with their necks at an angle) – and also a seating position that adjusts through a far wider range of movement. Equipment levels are good, including powerful air conditioning and a high-quality stereo – and there’s even a modest amount of luggage space to be found under the bonnet. However, the roadster version is another matter – the roof takes up most of the luggage space, assuming you can face the Herculean task of removing it and then replacing it later.

Ultimate supercar rating:

Lamborghini gave birth to the supercar – and almost forty years on, the company is still right at the forefront of this rarefied segment. The best news about the Murcielago is that it’s by far the best car to wear the Lamborghini badge for a generation – with the notable exception of its cheaper, smaller Gallardo sister. The Murcielago doesn’t have quite the pace to match cars like the McLaren SLR, Ferrari Enzo or Porsche Carrera GT, but on the plus side it’s cheaper, more practical and just as ‘pure’ to drive. Lamborghini also has a long, honourable tradition of bringing out higher performance versions of their cars over time – something that is likely to enhance the Murcielago’s case further in the future.