Lamborghini Murciélago

The Lamborghini Murcielago is a sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 2001 and 2010. Successor to the Diablo and flagship of the automaker's lineup, the Murciélago was introduced as a coupé in 2001. The Murcielago was first available in North America for the 2002 model year. The automaker's first new design in eleven years, the car was also the brand's first new model under the ownership of German parent company Audi, which is owned by Volkswagen. It is styled by Peruvian-born Belgian Luc Donckerwolke, Lamborghini's head of design from 1998 to 2005.

A roadster version was introduced in 2004, followed by the updated LP 640 coupé and roadster and limited edition LP 650–4 Roadster. The final variation to wear the Murciélago nameplate was the LP 670–4 SuperVeloce, powered by the largest and final evolution of the Lamborghini V12 engine. Production of the Murciélago ended on November 5, 2010, with a total run of 4,099 cars. Its successor, the Aventador, was released at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

The Murciélago is an all-wheel drive, mid-engined supersports car. With an angular design and an exceptionally low slung body, the highest point of the roof is just under 4 feet above the ground. One of the vehicle's most distinguishing features are its scissor doors. which lends to the extreme image. First-generation Murciélagos, produced between 2001 and 2006, were powered by a Lamborghini V12 that traces its roots back to the company's beginnings in the 1960s. The rear differential is integrated with the engine itself, with a viscous coupling center differential providing drive to the front wheels. Power is delivered through a 6-speed manual transmission. The Murciélago suspension uses an independent double-wishbone design, and bodywork features carbon fiber, steel and aluminum parts. The rear spoiler and the active air intakes integrated into the car's shoulders are electromechanically controlled, deploying automatically only at high speeds in an effort to maximize both aerodynamic and cooling efficiency.

The first generation cars were produced between 2001 and 2006, and known simply as Murciélago, sometimes Murciélago VT. Their V12 engines produced just under 580 PS, and powered the car to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. Subsequent versions incorporated an alphanumeric designation to the name Murciélago, which indicated their engine configuration and output. However, the original cars are never referred to as "LP 580s". A first generation Murciélago Roadster was used in the 2005 movie Batman Begins.

In 2004, Lamborghini celebrated its 40th anniversary by releasing a limited run of 50 40th-Anniversary Edition Murciélagos. Enhancements over the standard vehicle included a limited-edition blue body color that was labeled "Jade-Green", carbon-fiber exterior detailing, upgraded wheels, a revamped exhaust system, and a numbered plaque on the inside of the rear window. The interior also featured unique leather trim.

In May 2010 in the United States, Lamborghini recalled 428 of its 2007–2008 Murciélago coupés and roadsters because of the possibility of weld failure on the fuel pump support inside the fuel tank, potentially leading to a fuel leak and possible fire.

The Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT is the racing version of the Murciélago, developed jointly with Reiter Engineering and Audi Sport. Unlike the standard car, the R-GT is rear-wheel drive only and only 9 were produced, in order to comply with the FIA, ACO, and JAF rules. The car retains the standard V12 engine, but air restrictors are used to manage power. Acceleration and top speed performance are dependent on gearing, as different ratios are used for different tracks. Some specifications. In March 2007, the All-Inkl.com Racing Murciélago won the Zhuhai 2 Hours.

A Murciélago R-GT was entered into the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, but was not classified.

In April 2009, beating a Corvette C6-R, and Saleen S7-R, a Murciélago R-GT of the Russian IPB Spartak Racing Team won the GT1 class in the 1000 km de Catalunya, a LMS race. The drivers of the IPB Spartak Racing car were Russian, Roman Rusinov, and Dutch, Peter Kox. The Lamborghini made pole position, but was moved to the end of the grid due to some technical irregularities. They finished 2 laps ahead of the lead Corvette to take the second international win for a Ragin' Bull GT car.

A version of the R-GT built for the Japanese Lamborghini Owners Club to compete in Japanese Super GT series. In March 2006, an RG-1 recorded the first victory ever for a Lamborghini when they earned a win in the GT300 class at the Super GT Suzuka 500 km.

The development of a successor to the Murciélago was widely speculated in the motoring press as the supercar approached the end of its first decade in production. Spy photos published on the internet in January 2010 showed a camouflaged Lamborghini prototype undergoing winter testing. In December 2010, Autocar published a test drive of the new prototype, however, very little was released. Even the name was a mystery up until it was reported that Lamborghini registered the name "Aventador" with the U.S. trademark office.

At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, Lamborghini revealed their new V12 flagship and Murciélago successor, the Aventador LP 700–4. This new sports car utilizes a 6.5 liter V12 engine, newly designed specially for this car by Lamborghini, producing 691 hp. 0–62 mph takes 2.9 seconds. Top speed has been stated to exceed 217 mph. The Aventador will also be considerably lighter than the outgoing Murciélago, with a dry weight of 3,470 lb.

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