2007 Lamborghini Murcielago Review

A new addendum to the Lamborghini Murcielago's name, LP640 signifies a redesigned engine that makes 52 more horsepower for a rip-roaring 632. Other changes were made to the suspension, gearbox, exhaust, brakes, styling and interior appointments. A glass cover can now be ordered to flaunt the vicious V12 lurking behind the cabin.

Outrageous on so many levels, the 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 remains the quintessential exotic thrill machine.

So you've attained the high life, and picking your exotic supercar is this week's dilemma. In your search, it's natural to first turn to the Italians, makers of such exotic items as Lamborghinis and Monica Bellucci. In order to better attract the latter, may we humbly suggest a selection from the former.

As a newly minted multimillionaire (with perhaps a fondness for superheroes), it may interest you that the 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 is the closest thing you can get to actually being Bruce Wayne. Not only was a Murcielago Roadster the vehicle of choice for the millionaire-turned-crime fighter in "Batman Begins," but quite literally, Murcielago (pronounced Mer-see-ah-lah-go) is Spanish for "bat." If only all product placement were so subtly clever. In more practical terms, the premier Lambo is now more powerful and better in most respects for 2007.

The new addendum to its name, LP640, refers to its engine position en Italiano (longitudinale posteriore) and that it makes 640 horsepower. Well, actually it's 632, but Lamborghini at least came close, redesigning the Murcielago's V12 engine to crank out 52 additional horses. The result is a claimed 0-60-mph sprint in less than 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 211 mph. If you want something more extreme, you'll have to conduct a more obscure search for something like a Pagani Zonda F -- or better yet, trade in the yacht for a Bugatti Veyron 16.4.

Yet there's more to the LP640 than the engine. Lamborghini also updated just about everything else, specifically the clutch and shifter, which makes it less of a chore to drive smoothly. Interior appointments were also upgraded, while keen observers will spot the mild changes to the styling. Replacing the twin tailpipes that aimed up into the air like a pair of mortars is a new jumbo single pipe that resembles a torpedo tube -- or the rump of the Batmobile. Either way, it looks like fire should come out of it.

Two varietals of the 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago are available: the standard Coupe and convertible Roadster. The latter features a cloth roof panel that plops atop the cockpit like a toupee and takes several minutes and a degree in civil engineering to erect. It also tends to fly off at speeds in excess of 100 mph -- the owner's own hairpiece will follow shortly thereafter. Considering the Roadster commands nearly $34,000 more than the Coupe, that canvas roof is essentially the costliest toupee since Paramount shelled out a rumored 22 grand for Sean Connery's rug in "The Hunt for Red October." However, when the LP640 is "bald," nothing can match the drop-top experience of 632 stampeding Italian horses screaming into your ears through the optional glass engine cover. Besides, once you're paying more than $300,000 for a car, what's another $34,000?

The same philosophy will have to be applied to the options. Carbon ceramic brakes are $13,000, the "e-gear" automated-clutch manual transmission is $10,000 and that glass engine cover is $7,020. Want carbon fiber or titanium interior trim? That'll be $6,500. A nav system? $2,600. A variety of other customizing options skyrocket the price even further, making it possible to spend upwards of $60,000 on options alone. If that doesn't make you blink, it's a safe bet you really have attained the high life. Congratulations, and should you actually be Bruce Wayne, may we drive your other car? We promise not to touch any buttons.

The Murcielago LP640 is powered by a 6.5-liter V12 that produces 632 hp and 660 pound-feet of torque. All-wheel drive is standard, as are front, center and rear limited-slip differentials. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, while the paddle-shifted "e-gear" automated-clutch manual is optional. The LP640 will rocket up to 100 km/h (62 mph) in a spine-bending 3.4 seconds, with a top speed of 211 mph. Fuel economy with the manual transmission is 8 mpg city and 13 mpg highway, although something tells us you don't care.

The 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago has a host of safety features. To protect the driver (mostly from himself), all-wheel drive, traction control and massive ventilated antilock brakes with six-piston brake calipers are standard. Carbon-ceramic brakes are optional. Neither side airbags nor stability control is available.

Lamborghini has significantly cleaned up the clutch and shifter action, making this supercar much easier to drive. Nonetheless, with a width only a Hummer H2 owner could love, this Lambo can be difficult to maneuver around town and in other tight spots. But enough about practicality. This is a 632-hp Lamborghini: blindingly fast and capable of putting hair on your chest. Like past supercars, the 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago is hardly a tossable, mountain-carving star, feeling generally huge when taking tight corners. Yet because of that massive width and sliver height, longer high-speed turns are taken with confidence and the great hope that a black-and-white Crown Vic isn't lurking behind a billboard.

With its trademark scissor doors, it's hard to confuse the 2007 Murcielago with anything other than a Lamborghini. However, parent company Audi's influence is obvious inside the LP640, with plenty of properly fitting leather and soft-touch materials. The roomy cockpit features comfortable seating that won't leave you reaching for the painkillers. Though not as flamboyant as the exterior, the interior styling is still befitting a vehicle that commands such a high price of admission. The Roadster's convertible roof is more aptly described as a toupee perched atop the cockpit. Also, the top is difficult to put on and due to its tenuous nature, drivers are warned not to use it above 100 mph -- which can be achieved in 2nd gear.