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The
Murciélago,
(pronounced murthy largo) is named after a bull which had its life spared in 1879 by the famous matador Rafael Molina "Lagartijo" for showing exceptional courage and spirit in the arena. And its one of the fastest and most expensive sets of wheels on the
planet, built with one primary objective, to make it's prancing horse
bedecked arch enemy eat dust!
 For many, the fighting bull has always been a symbol of power, aggression and courage, characteristics that are shared by all cars of the Lamborghini marque. In depictions of bullfights, bull and matador together form an emblematic unit, an antithetic combination of brute force and elegance. Hence Lamborghini's latest supercar is named after that bull which in 1879 showed such courage and was spared to father a formidable line of fighting bulls that extends right down to the present day - Murciélago, a name that expresses the dynamism, elegance and power of this Italian marque's latest thoroughbred.
Each of Lamborghini's creations are classics in their own right and in
planning their latest offering, Lamborghini's
brief to the designer was simple: “We'll make the engine, you design the
body to fit”. The “mission” was to design a worthy successor to the
Lamborghini Diablo: the new car had to be exciting, unmistakable, but also
safe and ergonomic. Now, under the guidance of Audi, the companies new
owners, a new finesse and lack of some of the marques previous tendency
towards gaucheness has launched the marque to new levels of exoticism
which has ensured chock-a-block full order books. The result is a creation
in steel and carbon fibre precisely tailored to suit the engine, that
enhances the performance of its twelve cylinders. The
Murciélago has a strong athletic stance, achieved by reducing the front
and rear overhangs and by visual emphasis of the muscular contours above
and around the wheels. The complex interplay of the body curves as they
flow seamlessly into one another creates a subtle tension.
 The Murciélago follows in the footsteps of the immortal Miura, Countach and Diablo, and is a 2-seater, 2-door coupé based on the traditional Lamborghini layout: a mid-mounted V12 engine with the gearbox mounted in front of the engine and the rear differential integrated into the engine unit,
a layout that has successfully been used by Lamborghini engineers for more than 30 years
affording optimal weight distribution (42% front and 58% rear) with conspicuous advantages for traction, braking and handling.
The central concepts of the Murciélago's design are purity of line, muscularity, aeronautical influence and efficiency - and it is still unmistakably a Lamborghini.
Tradition is kept steadfast by the use of a single-arm windscreen wiper and gull-wing doors. Because of the low seating position, drivers have limited rearward visibility, but this is aided by long support arms for the foldable exterior mirror.
External body panels are made from carbon
fibre, with the exception of the roof and door panels which are of steel
construction. Styling features that are also functional, include two "active" intakes
to aid in engine cooling which Lamborgini calls VACS (Variable Air-flow Cooling System). Depending on speed and ambient temperatures, the aperture of these air intakes can be varied to allow the engine to gulp less or more air into the engine as its needs dictate for cooling and combustion.
Correct aerodynamic equilibrium at all speeds, is assisted by the angle of the rear spoiler
that can be altered from a closed position (from 0 to130 km/h) to partially open (130 to 220 km/h) and fully open (above 220 km/h).
 The heart of any supercar is its engine. In the case of the Murciélago, it is a firebomb, while still complying with the strictest emission standards in the world, including those of the United States, Japan and Europe - 12 cylinders of raw DOHC power with a displacement of 6192 cc, it is made entirely from aluminium alloy and produces 426 kW at 7500 rpm and 650 Nm torque at 5400 rpm, enough for a top speed in excess of 330 km/h and a 0 to 100 km/h sprint time of 3.8 seconds.
Power is delivered to the road via a new 6-speed Lamborghini gearbox with
internally mounted pump to force lubrication. Use of the latest generation double and triple-cone synchronizers and
optimization of the control linkage have allowed for an appreciable reduction in the effort required to change
gears. The clutch control system has been optimized by the fitting of a slave cylinder on the axis of the clutch release bearing, the result being a significant reduction in the force required to operate the clutch pedal.
According to Lamborghini, torque delivery is optimized across the entire engine operating band thanks to the adoption of a variable-geometry intake system
(VIS), variable valve timing (VVT) on both inlet and exhaust camshafts, and a "drive-by-wire" electronic throttle control, which makes for reduced emissions, improved idle speed control and improved
driveability. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that at just 2000 rpm, the Murciélago produces more torque than the maximum value attained by the majority of Granturismo cars in today's market.
 The Murciélago, like its predecessor the Diablo, is equipped with permanent four-wheel drive and a central viscous coupling (Viscous Traction System), with
45% limited slip and the front with 25% limited slip. This solution represents an active traction control system: excess torque on the primary axle (rear) is automatically transferred to the secondary axle (front) to maintain ideal traction at all times. And to meet the demands of extreme driving, the Murciélago is equipped with an
additional system that acts on the engine itself to reduce power in the case of loss of traction.
The independent front and rear double wishbone
suspension, with steel arms and
automatic or manually adjustable hydraulic shock absorbers with electronic damping control,
optimize handling and straight-line stability. Front "Antidive" and rear
"Antisquat" systems guarantee perfect suspension behavior during acceleration and braking.
The Murciélago sits on 245/35 ZR 18 tyres up front and 335/30 ZR 18
gumballs at the rear. The new PIRELLI P Zero “ROSSO” tyres allow for a
more comfortable ride, reduce road noise and improve handling.
All that power and performance requires some pretty sophisticated
deceleration equipment and lets face it, a parachute might be all the rage
at drag strips, but a rather inelegant solution on the M1 North. So, the Murciélago is equipped with a braking system consisting of four
disc brakes, each with 4 hydraulic cylinders per caliper, fed by separate independent hydraulic circuits
for the front and rear axles. The system includes a tandem master cylinder, a vacuum servo brake, an emergency brake and a parking brake. There is also a 4-channel ABS system with DRP (Dynamic Rear Proportioning) and
TCS. The TRW antilock braking system, which forms an integral part of the basic braking system, consists of an electro-hydraulic control unit and 4 wheel-speed sensors.
Newly designed wheel rims aid in cooling the brakes.
 Occupant safety is ensured by the use of airbags, while the car complies with all
EU, Japanese and US safety standards in terms of interior passenger protection, occupant crash protection, side impact protection, fuel system integrity, inflammability of interior materials, and frontal
or pole impact.
The driver information system includes an instrument panel with trip computer that displays average and maximum speed, maximum acceleration, distance to empty, a chronometer and a voltmeter.
Among the other driver's aids are an electric control to fold the electrically-heated wing mirrors, the non-reflective rearview mirror, and the axle lifting system that, at low speeds, allows the car's front axle to be raised by 45 mm.
Bi-xenon headlights provide the appropriate lighting power for a machine
this fast.
The interior features leather upholstery, 3-spoke sports steering wheel (also in leather) and a steel gear lever and selector gate. Numerous storage compartments are provided, and the radio and CD autochanger are tailor-made to Lamborghini's specifications.
Indications
are that six of these beautiful beasts are headed for our shores next
year, all of which are spoken for and at around R3.8 million a piece I
suspect that if you should happen to come across one, the rather smug
owner is likely to impolitely request that you look but don't touch!
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