2 generations apart..countach 5000 QV vs murcielago roadster
Discussion
I have had remarkably little seat-time in the 2005 murcielago roadster for a variety of reasons, but there are some striking similarities and differences between this car and the 5000 QV which I find interesting
I have been hooked onto lambos since I saw the marzal concept car at a tiny motor show in Malaysia in 1971.
in fact I cannot remember a single other car at that show , but the image of the marzal is seared inti my memory bank like I saw it yesterday
inevitably the countach became my poster car, and I was lucky enough to get a 88 1/2 5000 QV siviglia red car with a tan (or as the factory describe it more accurately , a ''champagne '') interior with red piping in 2001
the buying process was unexpectedly long-drawn out , as I specifically wanted a 1 previous owner car , and other than this the only criterion was condition, condition, condition
I was hugely lucky to have Jason barker , who was then the sales agent for Lamborghini London , on my side , but even so it took more than 2 years for him to find F920 OYR
I bought the car through Jason and HR OWEN , and the car was as described , and the whole affair was very straight forward
the car had about 18,000 km 0n it then , and as of yesterday the car now has 33404 km on it
Roberto grimaldi and mike pullen have been great in looking after the car
it is still on its original factory clutch, and when mike saw it for its service last Friday , he made no comment as to the bite-point of the clutch which I took as a temporary good sign
for me the bizzarrini engine and the spaceframe chassis are what make a very special marque even more special
so it was essential that the new car had both these , but as this was a very big purchase for me, the new car also had to be sufficiently different to the 5000QV to justify itself
I had attended the murcie launch at the factory in late 2001, and had lusted after one ever since.
every magazine article was diligently read , every relevant forum thread absorbed , and every penny assiduously collected
I sold my loved 355 gtb (fortunately on the rising crest , if not the apex)which I had bought privately (again that was a thoroughly enjoyable transaction---thanks Richard and bob houghtons)in 2006 , to free up funds and garage space for a V12 scissor door lambo
the 355 was great except that I found that the steering (PAS level was rpm related)was overlight , and the berlinetta meant that I wasn't able to enjoy all of the sound-track
so a soft-top had been on my mind for some time , and a roadster version of the murcie fitted this bill.
the next question was whether to go for a e gear or a manual roadster ?
there aren't that many manual roadsters around , and I also wanted something significantly different from the countach , so a 4WD E GEAR again seemed to fit the bill
so , a 2005 e gear murcielago roadster in arancio atlas it was
these cars , (and I'm not just talking about the clocked ones !!!) have so little mileage recorded on their odometers for the simple reason that they are just so impractical
I'm sure we'll have someone shortly who will say that they are great DD's , but the reality is just not so
the countach has a 1 mm thick aluminium hand beaten and hand rolled skin that is so easily dented.
both cars are hugely wide (2000mm countach) (don't believe the oft quoted 2045 mm for the murcie, its actually more like 2245mm with the mirrors extended), especially in the real world where your eye-line is level with a lorry's wheel hub centre.
rear vision with the murcie roadster is actually worse than it is with the 5000 QV , despite the latter having the pillar-box type bulge for the carbs on the rear deck
both are thirsty , the murcie more so than the countach
and most importantly both do not like low rpm's / low speeds
so, whats the joy in trundling around in these cars in traffic at 10 am on a Monday or Saturday?
the cars wont like it, and neither will you , believe me
the point that I am trying to make is that these are cars to be enjoyed under special conditions----and for that ,you have to make those conditions become available -----almost always by arranging for the right roads to be free of traffic, through the help of your alarm clock
in my mind and in my hands , both these cars are a bit like Cinderella who has been given a late pass---they should be back in the garage by 6.30 AM
HAVE TO GO NOW--- I'LL BE BACK LATER WITH MORE ON BUYING PROCESS/ INTERIOR/EXTERIOR/E GEAR VS MANUAL /4WD VS REAR / DINOSAURS ETC,ETC---IF THERE IS A CALL FOR IT
I have been hooked onto lambos since I saw the marzal concept car at a tiny motor show in Malaysia in 1971.
in fact I cannot remember a single other car at that show , but the image of the marzal is seared inti my memory bank like I saw it yesterday
inevitably the countach became my poster car, and I was lucky enough to get a 88 1/2 5000 QV siviglia red car with a tan (or as the factory describe it more accurately , a ''champagne '') interior with red piping in 2001
the buying process was unexpectedly long-drawn out , as I specifically wanted a 1 previous owner car , and other than this the only criterion was condition, condition, condition
I was hugely lucky to have Jason barker , who was then the sales agent for Lamborghini London , on my side , but even so it took more than 2 years for him to find F920 OYR
I bought the car through Jason and HR OWEN , and the car was as described , and the whole affair was very straight forward
the car had about 18,000 km 0n it then , and as of yesterday the car now has 33404 km on it
Roberto grimaldi and mike pullen have been great in looking after the car
it is still on its original factory clutch, and when mike saw it for its service last Friday , he made no comment as to the bite-point of the clutch which I took as a temporary good sign
for me the bizzarrini engine and the spaceframe chassis are what make a very special marque even more special
so it was essential that the new car had both these , but as this was a very big purchase for me, the new car also had to be sufficiently different to the 5000QV to justify itself
I had attended the murcie launch at the factory in late 2001, and had lusted after one ever since.
every magazine article was diligently read , every relevant forum thread absorbed , and every penny assiduously collected
I sold my loved 355 gtb (fortunately on the rising crest , if not the apex)which I had bought privately (again that was a thoroughly enjoyable transaction---thanks Richard and bob houghtons)in 2006 , to free up funds and garage space for a V12 scissor door lambo
the 355 was great except that I found that the steering (PAS level was rpm related)was overlight , and the berlinetta meant that I wasn't able to enjoy all of the sound-track
so a soft-top had been on my mind for some time , and a roadster version of the murcie fitted this bill.
the next question was whether to go for a e gear or a manual roadster ?
there aren't that many manual roadsters around , and I also wanted something significantly different from the countach , so a 4WD E GEAR again seemed to fit the bill
so , a 2005 e gear murcielago roadster in arancio atlas it was
these cars , (and I'm not just talking about the clocked ones !!!) have so little mileage recorded on their odometers for the simple reason that they are just so impractical
I'm sure we'll have someone shortly who will say that they are great DD's , but the reality is just not so
the countach has a 1 mm thick aluminium hand beaten and hand rolled skin that is so easily dented.
both cars are hugely wide (2000mm countach) (don't believe the oft quoted 2045 mm for the murcie, its actually more like 2245mm with the mirrors extended), especially in the real world where your eye-line is level with a lorry's wheel hub centre.
rear vision with the murcie roadster is actually worse than it is with the 5000 QV , despite the latter having the pillar-box type bulge for the carbs on the rear deck
both are thirsty , the murcie more so than the countach
and most importantly both do not like low rpm's / low speeds
so, whats the joy in trundling around in these cars in traffic at 10 am on a Monday or Saturday?
the cars wont like it, and neither will you , believe me
the point that I am trying to make is that these are cars to be enjoyed under special conditions----and for that ,you have to make those conditions become available -----almost always by arranging for the right roads to be free of traffic, through the help of your alarm clock
in my mind and in my hands , both these cars are a bit like Cinderella who has been given a late pass---they should be back in the garage by 6.30 AM
HAVE TO GO NOW--- I'LL BE BACK LATER WITH MORE ON BUYING PROCESS/ INTERIOR/EXTERIOR/E GEAR VS MANUAL /4WD VS REAR / DINOSAURS ETC,ETC---IF THERE IS A CALL FOR IT
hi
I saw the new beast at Wilton House. Congrats - I thought I recognised your plate off your f355. well done, looks amazing. Im too beginning to think of when you way up all that Ferrari has to offer, performance , noise and looks wise versus entry price, the Murcie seems to be a natural winner...
I saw the new beast at Wilton House. Congrats - I thought I recognised your plate off your f355. well done, looks amazing. Im too beginning to think of when you way up all that Ferrari has to offer, performance , noise and looks wise versus entry price, the Murcie seems to be a natural winner...
Ferruccio said:
I'm 6ft. Never noticed it as an issue in any Lambo, inc a Countach.,
You must be more flexible than Paddy and I. I'm 6'2" and found an early car a bit too snug as well.
Dealer offered to take the seat off the runners to get extra room and said it was not uncommon to do that for folks with a less than Italian build.
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