Guide: a New Era & a New Standard - a Historical & Technical Appraisal of the Lamborghini Murcielago
Background
Lamborghini’s fourth generation flagship supercar, the Murcielago, was unveiled at a Sant’Agata press conference on September 8th 2001. It was then publicly introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show three days later.
Significantly, the Murcielago was the first model developed entirely under the direction of the Volkswagen Audi Group (VAG).
At the instigation of company chairman, Ferdinand Piech, VAG had purchased Automobili Lamborghini in July 1998. That same year, VAG also acquired Bugatti and Bentley.
After previous owners Chrysler and Megatech had proven less than perfect custodians, VAG brought much-needed stability to Lamborghini. A large financial injection followed and Lamborghini were also given full access to VAG’s mighty technical resources.
The result was perhaps the most highly developed Lamborghini ever put into production.
When VAG acquired Lamborghini, they were informed that the Diablo’s replacement was nearly ready for production. Dubbed Canto, the Zagato-bodied car had been in development since 1995, but VAG instantly rejected the ungainly machine as not fit for purpose.
VAG commissioned their internal design studio along with Zagato, IDEA and Bertone to come up with new styling proposals for the Canto. However, these were all ultimately rejected.
Instead, VAG decided to offer a revamped last-of-the-line Diablo until a clean sheet replacement was ready. The resultant Diablo 6.0 was given a facelift and fitted with a new six-litre engine.
Two years later, the Diablo’s successor was ready and the Murcielago ushered in a new dawn for Lamborghini.
It continued the company tradition of offering an outrageous mid-engined flagship, a legacy started by the Miura in the late 1960s and continued by the Countach in the early 1970s.
Chassis
The Murcielago was built around a tubular steel spaceframe reinforced with a carbonfibre honeycomb centre section and underbody. This arrangement was reputedly 60% stiffer than the outgoing Diablo.
At 2665mm, the Murcielgao’s wheelbase was 15mm longer than its predecessor which allowed the designers to create a more spacious cockpit.
A permanent four-wheel drive system utilised a rear differential integrated with the engine and a viscous coupling centre differential that transferred power to the front wheels. Torque distribution was 70% rear and 30% front.
The 42 / 58 weight distribution was ideal for traction, handling and braking.
Power steering was standard along with an advanced traction control system.
Suspension was via double wishbones with coil springs and electronic self-adjusting shock absorbers that offered both manual and automatic control. Anti-roll bars were fitted at either end.
Drilled and ventilated 335mm brake discs along with four-piston calipers were installed all round. Four channel ABS was utilised along with electronic brake-force distribution.
New three-piece 18-inch Speedline wheels measured 8.5-inches wide at the front and 13-inches wide at the rear. They originally came shod with Pirelli P Zero Rosso ZR18 tyres.
Track was 25mm wider than the Diablo 6.0 at both ends.
A 100-litre fuel tank was located to the right of the engine, up against the rear bulkhead.
Engine / Gearbox
The Murcielago’s 6.2-litre engine was another evolution of Lamborghini’s venerable 60° V12 that could trace its roots all the way back to the 1960s. Ferruccio Lamborghini originally commissioned Giotto Bizzarrini to create the state-of-the-art all-alloy, dual overhead camshaft power unit.
The result was arguably the most advanced V12 in production at the time.
Over the years, the Bizzarrini engine was enlarged to four, 4.8 and 5.2-litres, at which point four valve cylinder heads were added. The Diablo initially used a fuel-injected 5.7-litre variant that was eventually taken out to six-litres at the turn of the century.
For this latest application, displacement was increased from 5992cc to 6192cc. Bore was kept at 87mm and stroke was extended from 84mm to 86.8mm.
By switching to a dry-sump lubrication system, Lamborghini were able to mount the engine 50mm lower than before.
Other new equipment included a variable-geometry intake system, variable valve timing for both inlet and exhaust camshafts, a variable air-flow cooling system and drive-by-wire throttle.
As before, a 10.7:1 compression ratio was employed along with Lamborghini’s LIE engine management that incorporated multipoint sequential fuel-injection.
Peak output was 572bhp at 7500rpm and 479lb-ft at 5400rpm. By comparison, the outgoing Diablo 6.0 produced 543bhp at 7100rpm and 457lb-ft at 5500rpm.
The Murcielago was initially produced with a six-speed manual gearbox that offered a lighter, faster shift action than before. Transmission was via a dry single-plate clutch and the aforementioned all-wheel drive system.
Bodywork
Bodywork was designed by VAG’s Luc Donckerwolke which made the Murcielago the first Lamborghini not styled by an Italian.
It was 110mm longer, 5mm wider and 30mm taller than the Diablo.
Carbonfibre panels were used throughout with the exception of the roof (steel) and doors (aluminium).
At the front, gaping air intakes were located either side of the front apron and above a jutting chin spoiler.
Bi-Xenon headlights were mounted underneath clear trapezoidal covers.
As per the Countach and Diablo, scissor doors were fitted.
The tail fascia was home to custom light clusters positioned above enormous meshed cooling grilles. A third grille was located between the two tail light clusters and above the licence plate recess.
Twin exhausts exited centrally from underneath the body.
Several electronic body devices were adopted.
The sail panel intakes opened according to road speed and engine temperature. They were hinged towards the centre of the car and when opened, nearly doubled the potential airflow to the rear-mounted radiators. These flaps could also be activated manually from the cockpit.
At the back of the car was a retractable spoiler. This automatically adjusted to reduce lift on the rear axle and improve stability. The first step was a 50° angle which was activated at 130kmh. At 220kmh, the rake was increased to 70°.
Another electronic feature was headlight washers that appeared from under small hinged flaps.
Interior
The cockpit was more comfortable and practical than any of its predecessors. The ergonomics were also considerably improved as was access to the cabin. Once inside, the Murcielago offered 40mm more headroom and 30mm more shoulder room than the Diablo.
Fortunately, only a handful of components were sourced from the VAG parts bin.
A Momo steering wheel was adjustable for height and reach. Behind it was a curvaceous instrument binnacle that housed six analogue gauges and myriad warning lights. The rev counter and speedometer were flanked by two smaller instruments on either side: to the left were gauges for fuel and water temperature, to the right were read outs for oil pressure and oil temperature.
The switchgear was variously located along the knee roll and on the centre console.
For the first time, bucket seats with adjustable backs were fitted.
Leather covered practically every surface.
Standard equipment included air-conditioning, electric windows, electric mirrors, an audio system and multiple airbags.
Options
Optional extras were offered in the shape of a satellite-navigation system, two-tone upholstery, contrast stitching, electronic front axle lift and a close ratio gearbox with shorter third, fourth, fifth and sixth gears.
Weight / Performance
At 1650kg, the Murcielago was 25kg heavier than its predecessor.
Top speed dropped from 208mph to 207mph. The 0-62mph time was 3.8 seconds compared to four seconds flat for the Diablo 6.0.
Production Begins
Production of left-hand drive cars began in October 2001.
The first right-hand drive cars were dispatched from the factory in March 2002.
E-Gear Transmission
At the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2003, Lamborghini introduced an F1-style semi-automatic transmission with shift paddles mounted on the steering column. Dubbed E-Gear, it offered three different modes: Normal (the default setting), Sport (which offered the fastest possible shift times) and Low Adherence (for adverse conditions).
Murcielago 40th Anniversary
At the same time, a special edition was launched to celebrate Lamborghini’s 40th anniversary as an auto maker. The Murcielago 40th Anniversary was a limited run of 50 cars, all of which were painted pearl effect Verde Artemis with grey anthracite wheels.
Mechanically these cars were standard apart from a reworked sports exhaust system.
Other special equipment included silver brake calipers plus exposed carbonfibre sail panels and upper door mouldings.
Inside, the driver’s seat bolsters were trimmed in Grigio Syrus perforated leather while the passenger side had smooth black leather.
The steering wheel came with an embossed logo and each car had a numbered plaque inside the rear three quarter window. 40th Anniversary floor mats, a personalised certificate and a signed carbon fibre suitcase for the luggage compartment were also included.
Murcielago Roadster
Back in January 2003, Lamborghini had presented a Murcielago Barchetta Concept at the Detroit Motor Show. A production version that looked very close to the original was then unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2004.
The Murcielago Roadster was created primarily for open top motoring and its flimsy canvas roof was not designed to be erected at speeds beyond 100mph. Once removed, the fabric roof could be folded away into a leather storage bag and stowed underneath the front lid.
The Roadster featured a cut-down windscreen with black A-pillars, revised rear pillars and a custom engine cover that was hinged at the trailing edge. A leather covered roll hoop was located behind each seat. As per the 40th Anniversary, the driver’s seat bolsters were often perforated leather while the passenger’s were smooth.
New single piece five-spoke wheels were standard and became an option on the Coupe.
As a result of various chassis reinforcements plus an additional brace mounted over the engine, the Roadster weighed 29kg more than the fixed-head variant (1679kg).
Production Changes
During 2005, the more effective brake calipers from the Gallardo were phased in on both Murcielago body styles.
End of Production
Production was discontinued in early 2006 to make was for the more powerful and cosmetically updated LP640 derivative which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
By this time, 2223 first generation Murcielagos had been built.
1788 of these were Coupes and the remaining 435 were Roadsters.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Lamborghini - https://www.lamborghini.com
