LAMBORGHINI MURCIELAGO
Thillainathan Pathmanathan Published 2018 by Veloce, which supplied the review copy ISBN 978-1-787112-19-3 Review by Mark Holman
After
the dramatic Miura, Countach, and Diablo, the Lamborghini Murciélago, launched in 2001, had a very tough act to follow.
In what I think is the first English-language book devoted to the model, Uk-based eye specialist Dr Pathmanathan tries to fill that gap, and I think he has done a good job. OK, I found some of the photo layouts a bit jarring and the book seems quite expensive for its size, but a lot of work has gone into it, and it contains a lot that’s interesting.
The author has owned a number of exotic cars over the years, so he has some points of comparison. He also went to a lot of trouble to set up an interview with Umberto Marchesi, whose company supplied and welded the steel tubing for every Countach chassis: an indication that Dr Pathmanathan was concerned to paint as full a picture as possible.
The book starts with a brief and useful summary of Lamborghini’s key personalities, and the rather complicated story of its various owners. It then moves through the earlier models to the launch of the Murciélago. The author puts the new car in the context of Lamborghini’s timeline — the last model with a Bizzarrini-designed V12 engine — and gives a nice mix of technical detail and how the model was marketed and received. The various coupé and open versions are covered well — everlarger motors and other specification upgrades — as are some special editions produced in tiny numbers.
The book includes plenty of road-test extracts and has some interesting details on the history and experience of the Murciélago: for instance, the bull from which its name is derived, the E-gear transmission, and the complexity of raising the hood in the roadster version — the author admits that it took him 45 minutes the first time! Concluding with comments from a number of marque experts, this book should be a welcome addition to the library of enthusiasts of the ‘Leaping Bull’.