2012 Lamborghini Murciélago: The Next Step?
Date posted: 09-03-2009
LOS ANGELES — The Lamborghini Murciélago is due for a comprehensive makeover, and this illustration gives us an idea of what a new car might look like. Is this the Murciélago that we might see at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show? Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann likes to surprise us.
With the recently introduced 2010 Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, the supercar enthusiasts in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, have taken their firm's V12-powered flagship just about as far as it can go. Introduced in 2001 relatively soon after Audi assumed control of the company in 1998, the all-wheel-drive Murciélago is actually very much a relic of the company's past. Built on a separate production line from the Audi-engineered Gallardo, the hand-built Murciélago actually has a lot in common with the Lamborghini Diablo, which was introduced in 1990 when the company was owned by Chrysler. Meanwhile the heavy, complicated 6.5-liter V12 has its roots in Lamborghini's origins in the 1960s.
What we see here is an illustrated look at a Murciélago that reflects the design language introduced by the Lamborghini Gallardo, itself introduced in 2003. The car's angular look expresses Lamborghini's aggressive persona while maintaining the unique, cab-forward look of the original Lamborghini Countach, first seen as a showcar clear back in 1971. But the real question will be whether the new Murciélago becomes more like the Gallardo under the skin as well.
More stringent air-emissions regulations in both Europe and America seem to require the adaptation of direct injection, a technology that Audi has pioneered. The engine itself seems likely to be a V12, more for marketing reasons than performance ones, as this configuration is required to keep Lamborghini's identity unique. At the same time, the Audi R8 platform presents a promising alternative, as it shares the Gallardo's cost-effective modular construction, while its longer wheelbase helps it assume the dimensions of a flagship. Countach-style scissor doors are a given, and lightweight bodywork is a strong possibility.
Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann is well aware of the need to keep his company in the news, and his strategy over the past several years has included a succession of specialty models designed for high-profile introduction at major auto shows. Although Lamborghini maintained its profitability in the first six months of 2009 despite the economic downturn, the company delivered only 825 cars compared to the 1,309 it sold during the same period in 2008. A styling study of a 2012 Lamborghini Murciélago could be a real newsmaker at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show.
Change is on the way for the Lamborghini Murciélago. — Michael Jordan, Executive Editor
http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...lambo1.500.jpg http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...lambo2.500.jpg