LAMBORGHINI MURCIÉLAGO & AVENTADOR
When every drive is an occasion
IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE, A V12 LAMBORGHINI IS not a purchase for the faint-hearted. This is purebred supercar territory, with bills as alarming as the thrills are exciting.
In today’s world of excess-all-areas styling, Luc Donckerwolke’s Murciélago design remains as fresh and clean as it was in 2001, a simple look that still manages to deliver a head-turning, necksnapping reaction two decades on. It has it all, from its low stubby nose to its never-ending rear deck, the drama of its scissor doors and a footprint to make the jaws of a width restrictor salivate. It’s supercar theatre at its best.
And it continued with the Aventador, a wedge of exotica that unashamedly stuck to Lamborghini’s iconic supercar DNA to deliver a unique driving experience that only a car from Sant’agata Bolognese can deliver.
Yes, there are some traditional Italian supercar hurdles to overcome. It requires suppleness of limb to get in and out, and when you’re inside either car you can’t see much of the outside world. For some the seating positioning is crippling, for others merely excruciating. But it’s oh so worth it.
From pulling that driver’s door down to hearing the starter motor spooling as it wakes those 12 cylinders – in the case of the Murciélago a V12 that could trace its roots back to the company’s very first, evolving over five decades from 3.5 litres and 270bhp to an astonishing 6.5 litres and 690bhp – it remains a moment to savour and drink in.
It’s no less an experience with Lamborghini’s second V12 engine, which made its debut in the Aventador in 2011. It had more of everything thanks to parent company Audi providing the means for an all-new 6.5-litre motor. That engine has seen the Aventador through its entire life cycle and will bow out when the car does later this year, to be replaced by the company’s first hybrid powertrain.
Purchasing a Lambo V12 is not a spur-of-the-moment decision, and it certainly isn’t one to be taken lightly, not least because dropping £130,000 on a Murciélago and at least an extra £30,000 on the earliest of Aventadors is a financial commitment that requires a serious conversion with your supercar finance broker of choice. Possibly several.
Yet, if you can raise the readies, we would strongly recommend you do have an example of Lamborghini’s icon in your life, no matter how briefly. Others will steer you towards equivalent Ferraris, with their wider appeal and an even more iconic nameplate. But there is something about driving a Lamborghini that no other car can replicate.
It generates a smile from both those fortunate to be sitting inside and those lucky enough to spot it running down a road. Yes, the later Murciélago SV and Aventador SVJ models aren’t for the shy and retiring types (what Lamborghini is?), but either model is a prime piece of automotive iconography. As the automotive world rummages around looking for a plug, Lamborghini’s raucous and exuberant pair will still be thrilling those fortunate to be in their presence.
‘BILLS AS ALARMING AS THE THRILLS ARE EXCITING’