Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
Ben Whitworth tames Lambo's latest fearsome 640bhp monster
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
Intimidation. There’s not much of it about these days. Twist-and-go supercars are everywhere. Get in, turn on, max out. Easy – when you have a dozen three-lettered safety acronyms keeping you well away from the scenery.
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If that’s your thing, you’ll be scared witless of Lamborghini’s new Murcielago LP640. It’s a proper supercar. Intimidating dynamics, rabid performance, trouser-tenting looks.
And a bit of a bargain, to boot. When it arrives this autumn, the LP640’s £190,000 price tag gives it an almost unbeatable performance-to-pound ratio. A Pagani Zonda is well over £300,000 remember, and even the plain-Jane Ascari KZ1 is £45,000 dearer. But be quick - the 300 scheduled for production this year are already sold out and the order books for the 35 or so coming to the UK next year are rapidly filling up.
Madness: 640bhp
The LP640 is not a special edition – it replaces the existing Murcielago. The LP640 derives its name from longitudinale posteriore – the in-line rear position of the engine – and the 640bhp output of the V12 engine. Yup – 640bhp. Madness. From cam cover to crankcase, the Lamborghini’s 60-degree V12 engine has undergone an extensive reworking by Gabriele Gabrielli, the LP640’s lead engineer, and his team.
Both bore and stroke have been increased to boost capacity from 6.2 to 6.5-litres. ‘The cylinder head and inlet manifold has been redesigned,’ explains Gabrielli, ‘and the engine now features variable valve timing on both inlet and outlet camshafts as well as a new drive-by wire system.’ The result is a truly frightening 640bhp at 8,000rpm and 487lb-ft of torque at 6,000rpm. ‘And the best bit is that 80 per cent of that torque is available from 2,000rpm onwards,’ says Gabrielli. Amazingly, the engine meets Euro IV emission regulations, and needs four Orwellian electronic management systems keeping everything in check.
Even lower and wedgier
The LP640 looks even wedgier, lower and meaner than the outgoing Murcielago. Redesigned front and rear bumpers, aerodynamically tuned side skirts and a massive new rear diffuser are complemented some beautiful detailing – check out the three-dimensional starfish brake lights, the (optional) glass cover for the engine bay and arguably the world’s biggest exhaust pipe. From every angle, the LP640 exudes a satanic menace.
Slam the scissor door down behind you, and after the visual intensity of the exterior, the cabin is, well, a bit of a letdown. Flair-free backlit instruments, truly nasty indicator stalks - Fiat Punto or Marea, I think – and an unsightly after-market stereo system. Not good. But they can’t detract from the superb low-slung driving position, the wide range of wheel and seat adjustment and the sumptuousness of the diamond-stitched leather.
Fire up the engine – a shrill three-second whine of starter motor followed by an eruption of violent noise just behind your head. The engine settles down to a busy and rumbling 1,000rpm idle. Pull the right handle paddle-shift towards me – you can opt for the standard six-speed manual but the majority of UK buyers are expected to opt for the paddleshift transmission - and the Lambo leaps away.
Anger and aggression
Even at low speeds, the LP460 bristles with anger and aggression. It feels edgy and alive, straining to be unmuzzled. Deep breath, and sqeeeeeze the throttle. Sweet Jesus. That 640bhp is unleashed in a relentless and all-enveloping flood. It fires its way through first, second and third with a savageness that’s terrifyingly addictive.
There’s a synapse-sparking immediacy to the way the car hurls the road towards you. It makes you look far further ahead than normal because the slightest touch of throttle has the car ripping forward at speeds that seem to have a cavalier disregard for the laws of physics. You simply arrive where you want to be.
To unleash all that power is like getting a short and sharp stick and jabbing a bull where you shouldn’t. Explosive and immediate action. It’s just so quick – it rips through to 100mph in the time most muscle cars can reach 60mph – and even above 150mph, acceleration is veracious. And what a noise - a three-dimensional wall of sound that ranges from guttural rumble to ear-bleeding wail.
Instant deceleration
Your biggest allies are the (optional) ceramic brakes. They offer just the kind of action and response to rein in a rampaging LP640. Although the first inch of pedal travel results in little more than a sphincter-puckeringly small drop in speed, push deeper and it’s like deploying a chute – instant, shoulder-bruising deceleration. And the brakes will do it over and over without the slightest sign of fade. They’re worth every penny of their anticipated £8,000 price tag.
The Lambo rides and handles in a way you just don’t expect from a powerful and heavy supercar. The steering is a delight. Chunky, feelsome and unerringly accurate it allows you to pour the big Lamborghini into corners with real confidence – you can really feel the torque transfer between front to rear axle as it rockets you into, through and out of corners. Body control is also first class – roll, pitch and dive are all superbly contained, effectively keeping to tight grip on the physics of a fast-moving 1665kg car.
But there’s no getting away from the fact that this is a big, heavy and powerful car, and it demands utter respect. Up to a very well defined point, the chatty steering, exceptional body control and superbly damped ride quality do a fine job of camouflaging this size and weight.
It's a monster
After that point – the moment you realise you are travelling 40mph faster than you thought, the corner is tightening and your will isn’t up to date – the Murcielago is a monster. It’s violent and vicious. Unforgiving. If you have a shunt in this car, it will be a very big one. It always feels edgy and on the attack. It’s a hugely intimidating car, one with long sharp teeth that are constantly bared and ready to take a chunk out of your driving ego.
The LP640 is a car that combines fear and addiction – think of it as a fast-moving reminder of your own mortality. It’s unfeasibly quick, very tricky, brutish, loud, and jaw-slackeningly good looking. Think of it as a fast-moving reminder of your own mortality. Intimidation is back.
Job done by Lamborghini then. Nice write up, Ben.
* it's amazing how much we come to expect stability control on cars and the lack of it on the LP640 reins you back that final few per cent. Especially when it's not your car.
* Drive the Gallardo and the Murci back to back and despite there only being three years between their respective launches, it's apparent how old school the Murcielago is
* I never really got that feeling that the car was shrinking around me. The car has the power to occasionally render that bulk weightless but it never feels compact
* the styling changes are all well-judged with the exception of that tailpipe. Subjective, I guess
* It's hard to think of a colour this car wouldn't work well in. Dark blue maybe
* Rapid direction changes in the LP640 give me the willies. Jinky it is not
* That engine note is to die for. Less melodic than a Ferrari V12 but even more purposeful and guttural
If you're trading up from a 6.2 to a 6.5-litre Murci, the changes will feel incremental. Nevertheless, this engine propels Lamborghini back into the top tier of supercar performance. They claim it's quicker than an Enzo but perhaps that's just the 4wd giving it an advantage off the line in certain conditions.
* it's amazing how much we come to expect stability control on cars and the lack of it on the LP640 reins you back that final few per cent. Especially when it's not your car.
And if there's a car which could benefit from it (other than a Ford GT
) then this surely is it. Still, I rather like its non-existance. * Drive the Gallardo and the Murci back to back and despite there only being three years between their respective launches, it's apparent how old school the Murcielago is
For me the Murcielago represents the last of the true supercars, warts and all - and this, surely is the point.... I applaud Lamborghini for producing a 2 tier model range nominally similar in appearance, yet hugely diverse in character. You pay your money.....
* I never really got that feeling that the car was shrinking around me. The car has the power to occasionally render that bulk weightless but it never feels compact
This is surely because they wanted it this way - by all accounts the Veyron is relatively chuckable despite its 2000kg bulk, and a 430 Spider at just 120kg less can be thrown around with some abandon.....
* the styling changes are all well-judged with the exception of that tailpipe. Subjective, I guess
Agreed, except for the exhaust which I love. The Murcielago is the most perfectly resolved supercar shape around.
* It's hard to think of a colour this car wouldn't work well in. Dark blue maybe
& the Geneva show car looked sublime in flat grey.
* Rapid direction changes in the LP640 give me the willies. Jinky it is not
I'll bear that in mind (I'll be driving one quite soon, and I dont mind admitting I'm a little scared
) * That engine note is to die for. Less melodic than a Ferrari V12 but even more purposeful and guttural
Cant wait!
* it's amazing how much we come to expect stability control on cars and the lack of it on the LP640 reins you back that final few per cent. Especially when it's not your car.
* Drive the Gallardo and the Murci back to back and despite there only being three years between their respective launches, it's apparent how old school the Murcielago is
* I never really got that feeling that the car was shrinking around me. The car has the power to occasionally render that bulk weightless but it never feels compact
* the styling changes are all well-judged with the exception of that tailpipe. Subjective, I guess
* It's hard to think of a colour this car wouldn't work well in. Dark blue maybe
* Rapid direction changes in the LP640 give me the willies. Jinky it is not
* That engine note is to die for. Less melodic than a Ferrari V12 but even more purposeful and guttural
If you're trading up from a 6.2 to a 6.5-litre Murci, the changes will feel incremental. Nevertheless, this engine propels Lamborghini back into the top tier of supercar performance. They claim it's quicker than an Enzo but perhaps that's just the 4wd giving it an advantage off the line in certain conditions.
Good write up but I don't agree with the Murcielago being 'old school'unless you mean more raw which is exactly what it is. Having just covered 37000 miles in my Murcie and driven the Gallardo many times back to back, they are chalk and cheese. The G car is defo more 'sterile' but more agile, the Murcie you feel much more communication. As for shrinking around you it does, but it took a year and 20,000 miles before I was totally confident of its extremities and even now I still reverse into the odd obstacle. But on the road it gets chucked around like a go kart, but you always know there is some real weight around you. The wheels shown are a 2k option but my LP640 is coming with the standard 'roadster' type wheels which I prefer.I've never owned any car that has endeared itself to me as my Murcie has. Despite owning all the V8 Ferrari's the big Lambo has oodles of character, is totally bombproof reliability wise, and looks that still have me stop in my tracks 20 months later..
I'll be frank and state that I don't think I have the cojones to run a Murcielago. I'd gladly own a Gallardo and put up with the more obvious Audi bits in the name of accessibility.
totally agree - endless reviews of wide lamborghinis by people who have done a grand total of twenty miles in em....one of the most irritating features of the 'standard' road tests has always been a cast iron 'fact opinion' from someone who has only just learnt how the doors open!
That thing is divine, it's God made from metal and composites......Ali.
I agree that £190K is a bargain. I haven't got £190K, but I still think it's a bargain!
Despite Simon's protestations, the Murci has needed a little something since the G came along IMO (
). The Gallardo was restricted to 500hp (no, really) because the 'old warrior' was at the limit of what he could do. Proof that evolution is in the design, the LP will set a new standard and the Gallardo can finally be allowed to breath a bit more. There's an easy 550bhp in that motor. I like the fact that the LP has already established itself as a bit of a 'bad boy'. Not least because of the accidents that have already happened! The Murci was hardly lacking in character put the LP seems to be heading back towards the Diablo SV/SE way of thinking. I think this a good strategy. Keep the Gallardo for those of us who want something ballistic but sublime. Have the LP for those truly unhinged (Mssrs Cummings and George, take a bow!).
Anyway, thanks again for a credible review.
). ????
So not true in my opinion!!
When ever i've parked up behind a murci...mainly simons with or without the union jack chuffing flag making things worse...in either the coupe or the spyder;
A) You always feel that Gallardo is missing something special....park up next to a cs or 430 & the feeling is reversed back in your favour...hard to explain but the visual impact of the Murci sets it apart from anything else.
B) Gallardo is an awesome car but for the event...nothing out smarts the Murci, the 640 is just an evolution of that design, its not hugely different in style or form but those that need to know...know etc
Ps Mikey ...you have 2 much time on your hands...weigh bridge etc..!!! Can i come & work for you ...day on...day off?
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