2010/2011 Lamborghini’s
2010 Lamborghini Murcielago
2012 Lamborghini Murcielago Details
The 2012 Lamborghini Murciélago’s design builds on that of the outgoing model. The 2010 Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce is shown here.
On the technical side, the 2012 Lamborghini Murciélago will definitely reprise V12 power, but it’s unclear whether the engine will be new or evolved from the existing four-cam, 48-valve 6.5-liter unit. Either way, updates should involve direct fuel injection (replacing indirect multiport), more-precise variable valve timing, less-restrictive intake and exhaust plumbing, and perhaps even an idle-stop function with an eye to the European Union’s lower CO2 emissions limits that take effect starting in 2011. Various sources estimate horsepower at 650 to 680, versus 661 U.S. for the Murciélago SV and 632 for the LP640. We’d be surprised if the new car doesn’t make at least 675, meaning it could be designated LP680. No Bullshit Just the straight facts! Whatever the final engine specs, the 2012 Lamborghini Murciélago is expected to retain the current model’s “e-gear” automated-manual transmission, a Lamborghini invention that’s also available in the junior mid-V10 Gallardo series. But because this is an older design that shifts via electrohydraulic controls, there’s talk that a modern dual-clutch automated-manual will be standard instead, or at least available. There’s also talk that a straight manual might not be offered for various reasons, which would be a major break with Lambo tradition. We’ll see. It’s a pretty safe bet the 2012 Lamborghini Murciélago will stick with the current model’s chassis engineering, but with new and probably lighter hardware. The suspension should thus retain classic four-wheel double-wishbone geometry with a coil spring and strut at each front corner, two such at each rear wheel, and a stout anti-roll bar front and rear. Height-adjustable shock absorbers may return, but could be supplanted by parent Audi’s “magnetic ride” shocks. These are filled with a special “magnetorheological” fluid that can instantly change viscosity and thus alter firmness to match speed and road surface. It’s basically the same thing as the Magnetic Selective Ride Control available on Chevrolet Corvettes and other General Motors cars, and will doubtless offer two or three driver-selectable settings. High-tech four-wheel disc brakes with carbon-ceramic rotors and ABS should again be standard, and could be larger than the outgoing Murci’s jumbo 15-inch stoppers. Rack-and-pinion steering will certainly carry over too, but the booster could switch from hydraulic to gas-saving electric or electrohydraulic operation. Current Murciélagos, including the SV, come on 18-inch rolling stock, but the Road & Track illustration suggests the new version will substitute 20s or even 21s. Remaining encore chassis features should include front and rear limited-slip differentials set to furnish a rear-biased torque split, and a stability system with traction control that can be deactivated as conditions and/or driver prudence allow.
Our moles haven’t yet said much about comfort and convenience features, but the 2012 Lamborghini Murciélago should reprise most all current-model equipment, with perhaps a few items added. At a minimum, look for standards to include side airbags, automatic climate control, lightweight sport bucket seats, and cockpit trim mixing leather and suede-like Alcantara cloth with genuine aluminum and carbon-fiber accents. Options should again be fairly limited–as well they should be for a likely list price near $500,000. A navigation system should again be available, if not standard, and new extras could include obstacle detection, a head-up windshield data display, and a rearview camera to compensate for the awful aft visibility that so often goes with fighter-jet styling.
In all, the 2012 Lamborghini Murciélago shapes up as another over-the-top supercar designed on the credo of too much is never enough. Wretched excess, especially in a recession? Maybe. Impractical? No doubt. (Trunk space, for one thing, should remain a literal shortcoming.) But the automotive world would be a much duller place without charismatic cars like this, so we may as well enjoy the ride while we can. Besides, a few more Lambos won’t have much impact on global warming or fossil-fuel reserves.
Performance & Efficiency Standard Features: Whats New: One goes topless, the other is faster: New LP 650-4 Roadster is a limited edition of V-12 rocket. Lambo cooked up a 641-hp engine and will make 50 only, all in gray with orange accents. New LP 670-4 SuperVeloce got more horses from same size with improved valve timing and reworked intake.6,496 cc 6.5 liters V 12 mid engine with 88.0 mm bore, 89.0 mm stroke, 11.0 compression ratio, double overhead cam, variable valve timing/camshaft and four valves per cylinder L537 Premium unleaded fuel 91 and petrol Multi-point injection fuel system 26.4 gallon main premium unleaded fuel tank 22.0 Power: 477 kW , 640 HP SAE @ 8,000 rpm; 487 ft lb , 660 Nm @ 6,000 rpm.Here at New Car Guild the facts speak for themselves.No Bullshit that this is one hot car! Go ahead and see if that cop can keep up with you!
Attention teenagers and wealthy speed-freaks: Lamborghini is about to unleash an even faster, sexier top-line supercar. But the redesigned Murciélago also promises to be lighter, cleaner, and roomier.So it’s more practical, right? Ha!What We Know About the 2012 Lamborghini Murciélago
Lamborghini Reventon vs. Tornado
Holy crap!
Lamborghini Murcielago vs. Ford GT
Now, just in time for its golden anniversary, Lamborghini is preparing a redesigned replacement for its uplevel supercar, the Murciélago, which has been around since 2002. The new version is expected as a 2012 model arriving in calendar 2011, with the March Geneva Auto Salon in Switzerland rumored as the coming-out venue. Britain’s Autocar magazine, citing a company source, says the name will likely be Jota. The late Ferruccio Lamborghini was fond of bullfighting, and most Lamborghini model names have been drawn from that sport (however obscure the connections to non-aficionados). But until the name change is official, we’ll refer to the “Jota” as the 2012 Lamborghini Murciélago.
Like the car it replaces, the 2012 Lamborghini Murciélago will be a burly, low-slung two-seat coupe and Spyder convertible (the latter due a year or two into the program) with a big-power V12 lurking behind the cockpit and driving all four wheels. The AWD reflects the influence of Volkswagen Group’s Audi Division, which has owned the legendary Sant’ Agata-based sportscar maker since 1998 (the latest of several proprietors that includes the former Chrysler Corporation).
In other respects, this is a clean-sheet design, though it builds on the final iteration of the outgoing Murciélago, the recently announced LP670-4 SV (for SuperVeloce, “super fast”), slated for just 350 copies at around $450,000 a pop. Key goals for the SV were less weight and more power for enhanced performance, high-speed stability, and handling prowess. The 2012 Lamborghini Murciélago will doubtless take these measures a few steps further.
The changes begin with the structure, which goes from a steel-tube latticework with carbon-fiber addenda to an Audi-style aluminum spaceframe paneled in alloy and carbon fiber. We estimate this and other weight-saving measures will make the new Murciélago some 200 pounds lighter than the SV, which itself scales 220 pounds below the “standard” LP640 coupe.
A speculative computer graphic published by Road & Track suggests the new architecture will also bring markedly altered proportions, with a shorter nose, a longer tail, a definite “cab-forward” profile, and a roof sharply peaked just aft of the windshield. Styling, too, should mark a clean break from today’s Murciélago, with a crisp, stealth-fighter look a la the recent limited-edition Murciélago-based Reventon coupe, especially in front. Pivot-up “scissor” doors, a big-Lambo trademark since the Countach, are certain to continue. The added rear body length implies a possible speed-linked motorized spoiler as a new feature. Wheelbase looks to be stretched some 3 inches, judging by R&T’s illustration, which would jibe with the magazine’s forecast of a roomier cockpit. (Some find today’s Murciélago rather limited for head- and legroom.) R&T also predicts broader axle tracks, which could add 2 inches or more to the current car’s formidable 81-inch overall width.
For more inside information on hundreds of new cars of today and tomorrow, check out:
- 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo Review and Photos
- 2009 Consumer Guide Best Buy and Recommended Award Winners: Check out which cars won our Best Buy and Recommended awards for 2009.
- Future Cars: Step into the automotive showroom of tomorrow with reviews, analysis, pictures, prices, and preliminary specifications on scores of vehicles that will be appearing next year and beyond.
NEW CAR GUILD 