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It’s rare, very rare, that we get the chance to get behind the wheel of the old stuff. Yet, somehow I found myself leaving Lamborghini’s factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese behind the wheel of a 1-of-20 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640-4 ‘Versace Edition’ late last year. Finally, I had the chance to drive my poster car.
I flew over for a guided tour of the Lamborghini factory, and you can read about my all-access experience right here. However, a few hours were also put aside for a small group of us to experience the best of Lamborghini both new and old. That meant we had the unique chance to drive a first-generation Lamborghini Gallardo (chassis #126), Revuelto, Urus SE, and 1-of-20 Murcielago LP640-4 ‘Versace Edition’.
Stepping out of a Gallardo into a Murcielago and then into a Revuelto is one of the highlights of my career, and in this article, I’ll be sharing exactly how this experience went!
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640-4 Quick Facts:
- Engine: 6,496cc DOHC 48-valve V12
- Power: 471kW @ 8000rpm
- Torque: 660Nm @ 6000rpm
- Drive: AWD
- Weight: 1,665kg
- Power-to-weight ratio: 283kW/tonne
- Transmission: Six-speed automated manual ‘e-gear’ with paddle shift
- Suspension: Double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar (f & r)
- Wheels: 18 x 8.5-inch (front), 18 x 13.0-inch (rear)
- Price when new: $680,000 (approx. )
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What’s the Interior of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640-4 ‘Versace Edition’ Like?
This is not your average Murcielago. No, it’s a 1-of-20 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640-4 ‘Versace Edition’ that was produced in collaboration renowned Italian fashion house, Versace.
Thankfully, most of the ‘Versace Edition’ madness is hidden away behind the Lamborghini Murcielago’s scissor doors. Pry them open and your eyes are welcomed by a platter of Versace’s iconic Grecian motif seen across the lower dashboard, centre console, door panels, roof lining, and seats.
It’s over the top, and none of it would make sense if it was found inside any car other than a Murcielago – especially one painted in Pablo Escobar white – but here it just works with the mid-2000s aesthetic. At least, it works a lot better than the Fiat 500 Gucci.
Despite being trimmed in full-grain Nero and Bianco Nappa leather, the materials haven’t stood the test of time, and the white elements have faded yellow, the smooth black leather is showing signs of age, and the sheer amount of plastic can become overwhelming. Still, it hasn’t aged as poorly as later-model cars with excessively large touch screens.
I didn’t have time to do anything other than drive, but I can see why reviewers at the time mentioned the confusing button layout. Even if I had time to play around with the electronics, I don’t have any clue how to wire up an MP3, and I’ve never even heard of a WMA.
What Powers the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640-4?
The Lamborghini Murcielago LP640-4 ‘Versace Edition’ is mechanically identical to the updated Murcielago unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2006.
That means you have a bored-out 6.5-litre V12, that produces 640 PS (471 kW, 631HP) at 8,000 rpm. The increased capacity means power is up from the 580 PS (572 hp, 427 kW) seen in the first generation car, but still less than the SuperVeloce’s 6.5-litre V12 that produced 670 PS (493 kW, 661HP) at 8,000 rpm and 660 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm.
It sends this power to all four wheels via a six-speed automated manual ‘e-gear’ transmission with paddle shift.
While it was and continues to be a fairly rudimentary engine that can trace its legacy back more than 50 years to the Lamborghini 350 GT’s original 3.5-litre V12, it’s simply fantastic. Within 500 metres you’re made envious of all those who had the chance to experience this car new in 2006 because today, despite being meticulously maintained by the factory, I’d be surprised if it made the full 640 PS.
We’re spoilt by 1,000HP supercars that make power much lower down in the rev range, and ultimately, it makes the older stuff feel rather sedate despite them being more special to drive.
There was a particular point on the drive where overtaking was necessary, and let’s just say it was interesting to see how much right foot was required. Still, it’s not like the straight-line speed makes the experience of driving this car anything less than extraordinary.
How Does the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640-4 Drive?
Every single Lamborghini V12 experience is special but the Murcielago LP640-4 is right up there with the best thanks to its instrument-like 6.5-litre V12 engine. It’s mechanical, it screams, and it provides the right amount of power to have fun without terrifying its pilot.
The first thing you’re reminded of is that Lamborghini didn’t figure out how to sit a human being in its cars until the Aventador arrived in 2011. Somehow, this only adds to the driving experience of the Murcielago as your eyes watch the road ahead, your hands face left, and your feet face right. I can’t imagine piloting this thing to its top speed of 340 km/h (211 mph). No, pushing it through corners is like trying to wrestle with Hulk Hogan, and I’m sure you could add bus lengths in a new BMW M2 on a mountain road like the ones around Sant’Agata Bolognese, but that’s not the point.
Every flaw of the Lamborghini Murcielago forces a wide grin across your face and an audible laugh. Where modern cars tame the driver and reward them with speed, the Murci’ does the opposite. Like some kinked-out maniac, it rewards you for struggling with it through every input. Whatever the engineers were on in the early 2000s, we want some of it.
You quickly learn to keep the RPMs high enough to ensure the engine and gearbox are happy because despite there being an upgraded clutch inside the 6-speed “e-Gear” automated manual transmission, neither likes being puttered around after 20 years of service.
When a corner approaches, you push your upper body and lower limbs into position, turn the steering wheel, and force the Murci’ through against its will. Then, you do it again, and again, and eventually, you figure out how to talk nicely to the differential’s viscous coupling and the 70 per cent rear and 30 per cent power split starts to make sense.
By the time you’ve done this exercise ten times, you’ve worked up a sweat and it’s time to find the nearest petrol station to give the V12 a drink. 29 litres per 100 km (9.6 mpg) city fuel rating is utterly hilarious, and this made it the least efficient car in 2008 for city and highway driving, according to official figures, which surprises absolutely no one. Of course, you’re going to do this every five minutes because the sound of that V12 engine is worth sharing with the world.
The brakes were a highlight, surprisingly. They bite pretty hard with 380mm ventilated and drilled discs wrapped by eight-piston calipers up front, and the modulation is accurate and weighted correctly.
Finally, the suspension features electronically controlled dampers, anti-dive and anti-squat geometry, and two springs at each rear wheel. However, like the steering, it’s hampered by a tube-framed alloy chassis that just doesn’t have the rigidity of modern cars to provide carbon-monocoque-like precision.
Man of Many’s Verdict on the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640-4
Having only fallen into the supercar driving thing a few years ago, I never thought I’d have the chance to drive my poster car. Yet here I was in Italy, piloting a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640-4 through the hills of Bologna. Thankfully, I wasn’t let down meeting my hero, and the Murcielago has aged with the elegance of an elite athlete. Yeah, it can’t keep up with the young stuff anymore, but it makes up for it with stories that paint the perfect timeline between new and old.
It still wants to impress you when given the chance, and it still loves to eat up some tarmac and drink a tank of fuel, but it knows its best days have passed, and it’s more interested in impressing you with a rawness that bluntly demonstrates the way things were before computers and regulations ruled the world.
Ultimately, to drive a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640-4 is to remind yourself of just how far these cars have come. The new stuff is technically superior in every way, but it’s for these reasons that enthusiasts scour all parts of the globe looking for an experience like driving an old-school Lamborghini V12. Sadly, the truth is that nothing money can buy new today provides this, and it makes experiences like the 1 hour I had behind the wheel of the Murcielago very special.
