Filed under: Spy Photos, Supercars, Lamborghini

Our mates across the pond at PistonHeads say they’ve got it on good authority that Lamborghini is indeed producing a Superleggera version of the too-hot-to-handle Murcielago.

Eyebrows were raised when spy photogs snapped a Murcielago test mule running test laps around the Nurburgring’s venerable Nordschleiff in Germany, sporting a big ol’ wing on the back and what looks like carbon fiber body panels. If the reports are correct - and we hope they are - the Murcielago Superleggera will get the same treatment as its little brother, the Gallardo Superleggera, which was unveiled at the Geneva show. That means carbon fiber and composite components will help bring the weight down, while some tweaks to the engine will bring power up, resulting in a delicious increase to the supercar’s power-to-weight ratio. It’s too early to tell how much extra juice the stripped-down Lambo will get, but it should be a daunting task considering that the engine’s output was already augmented for the LP640. Could we be seeing a 700 horsepower figure?

The report suggests an official unveiling of the Murcielago Superleggera in March 2008, but with Lamborghini’s pledge to have a new attraction at every major auto show, we wouldn’t be surprised - delighted, mind you, but not surprised - to see it take its first bow earlier than that.

[Source: PistonHeads]

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Filed under: Tuner Tuesdays, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Lamborghini

Click image for photo gallery

Hamann, the German tuning firm known for turning out everything from amped-up MINIs to flamboyant, Batmobile-ish Ferraris, has presented its latest upgrade subject: the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640. The Murcielago is a car that is amply menacing as is — or so we thought. You see, Hamann decided that there was still room to make it look more evil, and success was achieved.

A full set of aero upgrades is now available. This includes a new front spoiler, rear wing, side sills, a roof-mounted intake, and new covers for both the lower and shoulder-mounted air intakes. The aero bits are available in both carbon fiber and fiberglass. Adding to the car’s more pronounced visuals are a Hamann sport exhaust that features dual 120mm (4.72″) tips poking out of the Murcielago’s center exit. The effect borders on the cartoonish (see the attached gallery), but it’s all business, as the new exhaust barks out a note with even more ferocity than the stock car’s. Hamann’s own “Edition Race” wheels finish things off nicely, and inside, the customization options are almost limitless. Hamann’s trademark Lambo doors are not needed here. The Murcielago comes with the real thing, of course.

Full details are available in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Hamann]
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PRESS RELEASE:
Stealth-Bomber for the race track:
HAMANN Lamborghini Murciélago LP640

o. Aerodynamic-components provide impressions of racing motor sports
o. double-pipe stainless steel rear silencer
o. Wheels „Edition Race” in 20 inch
o. Carbon-look interior set
o. Complete interior kits to customer preferences on individual basis

It looks like a Stealth-Bomber on four wheels. It is one of the most masculine looking sports car and it is fast. The Lamborghini LP640 through its appearance gives a clear impression it’s not just for show. HAMANN decisively set its goal to send a clear message and sharpened the Italian steer’s horns. HAMANNs modifications through look, driving dynamics and sound create a distinct difference.

Maintenance of road contact is most essential when one is pushing a super sports car to the limit. To achieve greater downforce on the front and rear axle HAMANN offers a front spoiler as well as a rear wing. Whoever prefers to show their affiliation to motor sports can order the parts in Carbon-Kevlar instead of the fiberglass version. Where’s the starting grid?

HAMANN applies further aerodynamic components in form of a two-part rear diffuser with additional air hoses for the extendable side air intakes, side sills as well as a two-part front wing and Carbon-pendants for the original side intakes in the sills in front of the rear wheels. Furthermore, a central running air box on the roof brings back memories of past Lamborghini Diablo GT-R days. Naturally, these parts are also available in Carbon-Kevlar or fiberglass.

Impressive sound and stunning rims

The HAMANN double-pipe stainless sports rear silencer (2×120mm end pipes) emits a sound similar to that generated from race tracks announcing the arrival of the blood-curdling steer. Positive side effect; an even sportier rear look. Export customers can extend their exhaust system with a HAMANN sport metallic catalytic converter.

Also for individualization of vehicles within this high performance calibre, a choice of new wheel design is inherent. HAMANN suggests its own creation „Edition Race”. This multi-pieced, forged light alloy metal wheel with black wheel spider, “Y” spoke design, Titan bolts and high polished rim flange utilized for Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 comes in the combination 8,5Jx20″ front and 13,0Jx20″ rear. As expected, HAMANN also offers here a complete wheel set with typical tires sizes 235/30 ZR 20 (FA) und 325/25 ZR20 (RA).

HAMANN prepares the cockpit of the Super-Lambo providing even more sports racing atmosphere. For this, the tuners from Laupheim, Germany offer an 8-part carbon-look interior set. The race car look is established through instrument cockpit bordure, the air bleed jet, the gear shifting panel as well as the cigarette ashtray console. Naturally, HAMANN offers each Lamborghini customer preferred alterations on an individual basis. For instance, extravagant leather furnishing in a variety of colours is possible or additional of multi-media articles.

Further information to the complete HAMANN tuning program can be found on the website www.HAMANN-MOTORSPORT.de .

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuner Tuesdays, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Lamborghini

Click image for high-res gallery

The Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 is a rolling monument to automotive badassedness. It’s as if the Italians captured the mojos of Darth Vader, John Shaft, Jules from Pulp Fiction, Chow Yun Fat, Snake Plissken, Lawrence Taylor, Boba Fett and Dirty Harry Callahan and somehow turned them into a car.

Edo Competition found a way to make it better badder.

Think of it as adding a little Lee Van Cleef to the mixture, coaxing out an additional 23 horses for a grand total of 663. Zero to 60 mph runs should should take 3.4 seconds or less, and the Lambo tops out at 216 mph. The boost comes as a result of a reprogrammed ECU, high-flow air filters, performance cats, a new muffler with a stainless tip, and an exhaust butterfly valve that can be controlled remotely by the driver. The Murci’s menacing bodywork is left largely undisturbed, save for a new rear wing with an adjustable lip on its trailing edge. Perhaps the best modification is the simplest: a Calvin sticker, shown at right, that communicates how the car’s owner feels about the raging bull’s competition from Maranello. And you thought those things only came in Ford and Chevy versions…

[Source: Edo Competition]

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Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Sports/GTs, Euro, Supercars, Lamborghini

Click image for high-res gallery

The Volkswagen Group threw a major shindig in Frankfurt earlier tonight at which it showed off all the new wares its introducing to the public at the Frankfurt show beginning tomorrow. The car that has most assuredly generated the most heavy breathing this evening is the holy-crap-that-thing’s-effing-badass Lamborghini Reventon. Named for the bull that killed toreador Felix Guzman in 1943, the Reventon is basically the ultimate Murcielago in all resprects, not the least of which being price. The super-limited (only twenty cars are being built) supercar costs a cool $1,000,000, and all of them are already sold. Power from its V12 is up around 20 horses over the regular Murcielago LP640, so you get a little extra juice for the added dough.

Follow the jump for more.

[Source: Lamborghini via Motor Authority, Jalopnik, Straightline]

Continue reading Frankfurt Motor Show: Lamborghini Reventon revealed!

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Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Lamborghini

click above image for more high-res shots of the Lamborghini Reventón

It’s finally here, arrived in secrecy just like the airplane from which it takes its cues: the 2008 Lamborghini Reventón. It lurked between three women dressed in beige overalls and work boots. The beige tarp that covered it fell in a mess of sharp points and acute angles, as if someone had stuck a chunk of quartz underneath it. Before Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini, came out and spoke, there was a video presentation shown on the screen behind the car. It was probably the same video shown to the lucky few given advance notice of the car, a waterfall of quick cuts that gave tasty glimpses of the car at the center of the hubbub.

Thankfully, the first thing Stephan did before speaking was unveil the car. He spoke of the success of Lamborghini, how 2007 would be another record year, and that this car was a tribute to the continuing success of the raging bull. He let us know that it’s a 6.5-liter V12 with 650 horsepower, that it has 4-wheel drive, that it is named after the bull that killed Felix Guzman in 1943, and that it costs one million euros before taxes. Then he introduced the team that was responsible for the car. And then he said goodbye. That was it. No mention of the dashboard. No mention of why they’re only making 20 of them. No mention of… why? Sure, Lamborghini’s doing well, and to celebrate you make 20 — twenty?! — of a car that is the most terrific piece of sculpture to breath God’s oxygen in years.

Continue reading Frankfurt 2007: 2008 Lamborghini Reventón - 1,000,000 Euro to own

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Lamborghini

Click image for photo gallery

Nobody knows what this Lamborghini is, other than “really, really, hot.” It’s an LP640 with a fighter jet-style camo paint job, complete with rivets and warnings like an arrow reading “HEAT” that points to the exhaust. There’s also a red star painted on the hood, which is intriguing because that was used to signify the Russian “Migs” way back when in Top Gun.

A VW Vortex poster claims it’s a one-off paint job done on a Lambo in Singapore. The car is right-hand-drive, has a license plate that could be from Singapore, and looks to be sitting in a garage with a couple of Lotuses. Unfortunately, whoever took the pictures seems to have had full access to the car yet neglected to take one pic of the interior. The car even has a call sign written just above its rocker panels. It is, of course: LP640. Can anyone fill in the blanks?

[Source: VW Vortex]

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Filed under: Videos, Supercars, Lamborghini

click above image to view video

The Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 is a pretty incredible piece of machinery. A road car capable of speeds one would normally associate with an open-wheel racer will always be impressive, especially when you consider it’s laden with government-mandated safety equipment, plus niceties like a stereo and air conditioning. Only a fool would explore the car’s outer performance limits on public roadways, however. That’s best saved for a closed course, and if you can afford an LP640, you should be able to buy yourself some track time to see what it can really do.

The driver (and owner?) of the car in the video above was apparently too foolish to do that, and embarked on a quest to set the “world speed record” for an LP640 on Arizona public highways. Sure, the sound the car makes as it flies past static camera points at some 200 mph is nothing short of incredible, but the act itself is disturbing, because no matter how late at night this film was taken, there are other drivers out, and at 200 miles per hour, the margin for error is exactly zero. Make a mistake, and people are going to die.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Idiot drives Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 219 MPH on public road

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Filed under: Motorsports, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Lamborghini

Click image for a gallery of the record-setting LP640

You see, this is how it’s done. Real top speed records are set by teams of professionals in controlled environments, and they’re verified by precision instrumentation. That’s why Edo Competition’s mark of 214 mph in a lightly-modified Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 at Nardo counts, and the YouTube-ified “219 mph” trip computer banzai run on an Arizona freeway by a former dentist and his buddies does not.

Edo’s LP640 was fitted with a rear wing and sported a reprogrammed ECU, high-flow air filters, and high-performance catalytic converters. Engine output in that guise was bumped up to 663 horsepower. According to the GPS-based measuring system used on all the cars at the Nardo high-speed event, Edo’s machine (complete with Calvin sticker) topped out at 214.8 mph. That is the official fastest top speed ever recorded by a Lamborghini. They’re going back next year, too, with 700 horses behind the driver and a goal of 224+ mph.

[Source: Edo Competition]

Continue reading Fastest Lambo Ever: Edo Competition hits 214 MPH with LP640 at Nardo

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Filed under: Euro, Supercars, Lamborghini

Lamborghini’s pushing to ring up 3,000 sales per year, about 500 more than they currently move. Were they to drop a new Miura, revived LM002, or some other new model, they’d likely reach that target without any problem. Lambo Capo Rupert Stadler isn’t in favor of spending the considerable development dollars it would take to bring a new model to market. Before coming out with a new car, it’s more prudent for Lamborghini to sell its capacity of Murcielagos and Gallardos first.

So, if you’re not coming out with a new car, but you want to move more units, what’s an automaker to do? We somehow doubt that LP640s and Reventons will be showing up in rental fleets, and there’s no such thing as incentives when it comes to supercars, so that strategy’s out, too. Extra-special editions of the already special Italian cars, like the Murcielago SV and Superleggera versions of both vehicles should entice more buyers to pony up. If that doesn’t work, they could always have a “push, pull or tow” event.

Follow the read link for a Google-translated version of the original story.

[Source: Caradisiac]

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