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Murcielago LP640 - The Devil Returns Be afraid Ferrari, be very afraid. . .
Four and a half years after the launch of the Murcielago, Lamborghini has unwrapped a rather sinister looking 6.5-liter V12-powered LP640 version of its range topping model that’s capable of blasting from 0-62 mph in just 3.4 seconds. And unlike its last show car, the highly contrived remake of the Miura displayed at the Detroit motor show back in January, this 640 hp beast is headed into production.
Set to make its public debut at next week’s Geneva motor show, the new car harkens back to some of the Italian supercar maker's most celebrated performance models, including the iconic Countach LP500 QV launched in 1982, and is planned to go on sale in North America by the middle of the year.
The price of such rabid performance will likely place a $33,000 premium on the standard Murcielago’s $328,150 stricker. However, Lamborghini is confident the LP640 will help further boost its production numbers, which hit a total of 1592 in 2005 thanks largely to the continued popularity of the Gallardo.
The LP640 (the LP designating ‘longitudinale posteriore’ – Italian for longitudinally, rear mounted) may be based on the Murcielago but Lamborghini insists nothing has been left to chance. At its heart is a new evolution of Lamborghini’s long serving four-valve-per-cylinder V12 engine. Based on the Murcielago’s 6192cm3 unit, it receives increased bore and stroke measurements for an overall capacity of 6496cm3 – making it the largest engine the Italian car maker has ever applied to a road going model, along with heavily revised cylinder heads and intake system.
Further modifications include a revised variable valve timing system, reworked engine management system and a new drive-by-wire electronic throttle mechanism that are claimed to bring about a perceptible improvement in the car’s low speed characteristics, with a smoother and more linear delivery according to Lamborghini.
Power climbs by 60bhp over the Murcielago to 640bhp at a soaring 8000rpm – 500bhp beyond Lamborghini’s standard V12 powerplant. Torque also increases by 10Nm, hitting a peak of 660Nm at 6000rpm. It’s all channelled via an upgraded six-speed manual gearbox, which can also be ordered with Lamborghini’s E-gear sequential paddle shift system, to Lamborghini’s VT (viscous traction) four wheel drive system that nominally apportions 70 per cent of the LP640’s colossal reserves to the rear wheels and the remaining 30 per cent to the front wheels. Depending on the available grip, it’s also capable of sending 100 per cent to either end.
Official performance claims put the LP640’s 0-62mph time at a sizzling 3.4sec – 0.4sec inside the time of the standard Murcielago and, in an apparent indication of just where Lamborghini's priorities were focused during development of its new model, a scant 0.1sec quicker than the 650bhp 6.0-litre V12 Ferrari Enzo. Helping it achieve this figure is a new electronic launch control device incorporated in the E-gear gearbox that goes under the wonderfully descriptive name of ‘Thrust’. Sant’Agata officials are yet to put forward any top speed claim, although the new car’s gearing suggests it should top 210mph flat out.
Accompanying the Murcielago’s wholesale bump in performance is a modified aerodynamic package. Aimed at introducing greater stability and downforce, it includes a lightly re-profiled bumper with integrated splitter element up front, reworked exterior mirror housing, larger air intakes for the mid-mounted engine’s ancillaries – including the oil cooler mounted in the rear left-hand side wheel arch and a new industrial sized central mounted tailpipe that’s incorporated into central tunnel of the diffuser at the rear for more efficient air flow. There’s also an optional glass cover within the rear buttresses to showcase the LP640’s engine.
Underneath the steel and honeycombed carbon fibre body with its characteristic wedge shaped profile and dramatic scissor action doors, a revised double wishbone suspension featuring unique spring rates and beefed up roll bars as well as a reprogrammed electronically-controlled damper system help cope with the increased performance. Placing power to the ground are 18-inch Hermera alloy wheels – 8.5-inches wide up front and 13-inches at the rear - shod with 245/35 and 335/30 Pirelli P Zero Rosso tyres. Also available are Pirelli P Zero Corsa track tyres. Alongside the standard 380mm and 355mm steel discs brakes Lamborghini will also offer optional carbon ceramic units measuring 380mm all round and operated via six piston callipers. Backing it up is a four channel ABS (anti-lock) system with DRP (electronic brake control) and TCS (traction control).
Inside, the LP640’s snug two seat cockpit features redesigned seats that are claimed to offer greater comfort than those in the Murcielago, while the instrument panel has been reworked with altered graphics and, should the soundtrack of the 6.5-litre V12 behind your shoulders fail to offer up the sort of acoustic entertainment you’re seeking, there’s also a new Kenwood sound system with a 6.5-inch wide monitor and DVD, MP3 and WMA compatibility. Passive safety features include twin front airbags.
The first North American deliveries of the LP640 are due this summer. The price, expected to touch $360,000, will be confirmed at the Geneva show – as will the new car’s final specification. Not that the new Lamborghini can expect to steal all of the limelight. With Pagani, Koenigsegg, Ferrari and Porsche all set to unleash new models in Switzerland next week, it appears high end supercars are very much back in vogue.
Source: http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060222/FREE/60222001/1061
