Autoblog

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]

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.

UPDATE: Videos added after the jump. (H/T to OneEightTurbo)

[Source: Edo Competition]

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]

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]

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.

UPDATE: Check out the live reveal here!

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 assuredly generated the most heavy breathing this evening is the holy-crap-that-thing's-effing-badass Lamborghini Reventon (click for Engadget's perspective). Named for the bull that killed toreador Felix Guzman in 1943, the Reventon is basically the ultimate Murcielago in all respects, including 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]

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]

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]

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]

It's only cool when Lamborghini does it. Other carmakers can try, but it's only cool when Lamborghini does it. It may amount to chopping off the roof, cranking up the engine or simply slapping some decals on the side, but when the Raging Bull rolls out a special edition, it's show-stopping.

When Lamborghini teamed up with Versace to produce a special edition Murcielago LP640, they only built ten of the ultra-exclusive fashion accessory to beat all other fashion accessories. But now they've topped it with a one-off open-air version. Based on the new LP640 Roadster, Lamborghini painted this one black (the ten hard-tops were white) for Versace, who auctioned it off at a star-studded event in Beverly Hills to honor the late founder Gianni Versace. The one-of-a-kind Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Versace Roadster raised $500,000 for the Elton John AIDS foundation.

Click below for more pics.

[Source: Motor Authority]