2003 Lamborghini Murciélago Coupe

The fabulous Lamborghini Murciélago made its public debut at the 2001 Frankfurt Motor Show with the first examples coming to America in 2002. The low-slung V12 flagship Lamborghini featured an all wheel drive layout and more creature comforts than predecessor Diablo but kept Lamborghini’s famous scissor doors which has become the company’s most recognizable signature design touch.

The Murciélago was the first model introduced under the corporate ownership of parent company Audi AG (Volkswagen Group) and was designed by Luc Donckerwolke whom also penned final SE versions of the Diablo and serviced as Lamborghini’s chief designer from 1998 to 2005.

Murciélago was a continuation of the Lamborghini tradition of naming their cars after famous fighting bulls, Murciélago in particular was a bull which survived 24 sword strokes in a fight against Rafael “El Lagartijo” Molina Sanchez in 1879. The matador chose the spare of the life
of Murciélago and thus began the famous line of Miura fighting bulls.

The Murciélago is an all-wheel drive car featuring a 6.2 liter normally aspirated V12, 48 valve
engine with maximum power of 572BHP with performance of 0 to 62MPH (100KMH) in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 207MPH (330KMH). While Lamborghini may trace it’s V12 roots to the company’s very beginnings, the engines themselves evolved with modern technology as in the case with the Murciélago’s high tech V12 fuel injected engine integrated to the differential with the “Viscous Traction” (VT) system which transmits 70% of its power to the rear wheels and 30% to the front wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.

The Murciélago suspension utilizes race proven independent double wishbone design layout while the body is mostly carbon fiber with steel roof and retaining the signature aluminum scissor doors to maintain light weight. The active aspects of the Murciélago feature an integrated rear wing and air intakes atop the rear wheels which are electromechanically controlled and deploy automatically in order to aide cooling to the massive engine and keep the car stable at high speeds. The dramatic air intakes lift from the rest of the body creating a huge air intake effectively aiding cooling as well as an aero foil with a bit more drag.

The interior is a simple layout, nothing too over the top but a very modern update from the Diablo with a comfortable design which envelopes driver and passenger in full leather comfort in a very simple and clean look with all of the major controls and gated shift lever is integrated into the central console.