|
|
| Lamborghini
Murcielago Roadster |
Broadcast
dates : 14th August 2005
20th August 2005 |
|
Hawk-eyed
viewers will note that this particular Roadster is a
left-hand-drive car, which means it isn’t allowed to
be sold in South Africa.
This is a Lamborghini display car, brought in by
Lamborghini Johannesburg as a demo. In fact, two
right-hand-drive examples have already been delivered
to lucky customers.
The Murcielago is one of the most dramatic cars on the
planet, and the Roadster version adds an element of
elegance to all that raw aggression.
Subtlety has never been part of Lamborghini’s design
vocabulary, ever since Ferrucio Lamborghini, a
one-time tractor manufacturer, decided to build a
"better car than Mr Ferrari" in the early
1960s.
The Murcielago also has variable bodywork. These air
ducts elevate automatically when the engine
temperature rises above a certain point, and an
aerodynamic wing is also raised at high speeds.
An unusual feature of the cockpit is that the two
seats are upholstered in different colours, in this
case black leather and suede for the driver and green
for the passenger.
The instrumentation is traditional analog, with some
rather excessive numbers on display.
|
 |
 |
 |
And
just in case you were wondering where the gearlever
went, this car is fitted with paddle-shift gear
operation. There's also no clutch pedal.
Being a demo that has been shipped all around the
world, the engine mapping had not been fully sorted
for South African conditions. And nor had the
speedometer!
The Murcielago is one of the most specialized cars
that you can buy for road use, and nobody is claiming
it’s an ideal commuter. Yet maintenance and tuning
on these machines has come a long way since Audi took
ownership of the Lamborghini nameplate a few years
ago.
With Audi’s vast financial resources, development of
the cars is no longer left to customers, as it was in
the days of Ferrucio. These days the cars are as
reliable as any econobox-shopping car.
What sort of person would buy a Lamborghini? The
simplest answer would be one with plenty of money.
R3,9 million, this is definitely the most expensive
two-seater on the South African market.
As for the specific Lambo demographic, it’s a rather
eccentric one. Most people would say
"Ferrari" or "Porsche" when asked
what their ultimate car is.
The person who answers "Lamborghini" is
standing just a little left of centre, in a
stratosphere where mainstream considerations are
almost irrelevant.
Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster
- Engine: V12
petrol, 6 192 cc
- Power: 426
kW @ 7 500 rpm
- Torque: 650
Nm @ 5 400 rpm
- Transmission:
six-speed paddle shift, all-wheel-drive
- 0-100 km/h:
3,85 seconds
- Top speed:
330 km/h
- Fuel
consumption: 25,litres/100 km (manufacturer’s
figures)
- Price:
R3,9-million
|
|
|
|
Did you enjoy reading this article?
Why not recommend it to a friend - Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Car Torque is
produced by
|
|
|
|
