Here is the all-new 360kph replacement for the Lamborghini Murcielago, which will go on sale early next year.
Beneath the heavily disguised bodywork, the new car features a bespoke carbon composite chassis and a brand new 7.0-litre V12 engine, rumoured to have between 700-720bhp. The car is known inside Lamborghini as the “New V12”.
As ever, the new range-topper will be four-wheel drive, but because the chassis is made from carbonfibre, it will also be unusually light for such a big car.
Sources indicate that Lamborghini has achieved a kerb weight of less than 1500kg, making the car more than 150kg lighter than the current model. That will help give the new range-topper outrageous acceleration, thanks to a power-to-weight ratio of around 470bhp per tonne. If the rumours are true then 3.0sec for 0-100kph and 6.0sec for 0-160kph are entirely feasible, with a top speed beyond 350kph.
Unlike some rivals, the new Lamborghini will not feature a DSG dual-clutch transmission because it would be “too complex and too expensive” to engineer, according to an insider. Instead the car is likely to come with a seven-speed paddle-shift robotised manual as standard, and the option of a sequential seven-speed unit. A traditional open gate manual will almost certainly not be available.
Inside, the driving position will no longer be offset towards the centre of the car because, at long last, Lamborghini has been able to start with a clean sheet design, meaning there will be no architectural compromises to work around. The design of the cabin itself will represent as big a step forwards as the carbon chassis and new V12 engine, and will be ‘totally cutting edge’ in the technology it offers.
But it will still look like a Lamborghini, despite the big changes to the mechanicals and the aerodynamics, which have been described as pushing the boundaries of current technology as far as possible.