by: Ben Whitworth

Impossibly low, ridiculously wide, a small cabin pushed out to the nose followed by miles and miles of engine, all wrapped in lyrca-tight carbonfibre. The Murcielago LP640 has vicious looks, rabid performance and intimidating presence: it's the way supercars should look.

When it arrives this autumn, the Murcielago LP640 will replace the existing Murcielago. But hold onto your Ł190,000 - the 300 to be produced this year are already sold out. You'll have to wait until this time next year for your order to come through.

LP stands for longitudinale posteriore - in-line at the rear - the correct location for performance-oriented comfort-compromised supercars: 640 refers to its prodigious power output. You'll not mistake the LP640 for the outgoing Murcielago. With its new scalpel-sharp front and rear bumpers, rear diffuser, revised wing mirrors and beautiful alloy wheels, it looks even wedgier, lower and more aggressive than before.


All 300 LP640s have been sold
The V12 has also been extensively revised, with engine capacity up from 6.2 to 6.5 litres. The engine now features variable valve timing on both inlet and outlet camshafts as well as a new drive-by wire system, all controlled for four electronic management systems. The result is 640bhp at 8,000rpm and 487lb-ft of torque at 6,000rpm.

And don't expect that amazing V12 engine to pop up in any other car except another Lamborghini. It won't be poached by Audi, says Gabriele Gabrielli, the LP640's lead engineer. 'It's our property and they can't have it.'

You get the choice of two six-speed transmissions - a three-pedal manual or the two-pedal E-gear semi-automatic, both with shorter gear ratios than before. They run through a more robust rear differential and stronger rear drive shafts.

The dash is a still a mess, filled with buttons. And for such a special car, the Lamborghini's instruments are quite nasty - a broad flat panel housing a collection of basic backlit instruments that look horribly Halfords. And don't even mention those terrible indicator stalks that look like they came from Fiat Uno, circa 1985.

But the rest of the cabin is enticing, swathed in diamond-stitched hide. The driving position is also spot-on: you slouch low and flat with a panoramic view ahead and to the side. The steering wheel sits high and close to your chest and the gearshift paddles are perfectly positioned. Even the offset pedals don't spoil an otherwise excellent package.

Along with its harder-edged restyle, god is in the LP640's details, such as the rear brake lights with their snowflake-style internal reflectors, they look about five foot deep and the (optional) transparent stepped engine cover that gives pedestrians full view of the Lamborghini's powerplant. As for the exhaust - well, we all know what Freud would say.

To drive, the Lamborghini is not a twist-and go-supercar. You don't get in, fire it up and do big speeds in minutes: the LP640 immediately demands respect, concentration and commitment. It's an intimidating car, one with long, sharp teeth that are constantly bared and ready to take a chunk out of your driving ego.

Even at low speeds, the LP460 bristles with anger and aggression. It feels edgy and alive, straining to be unmuzzled. Squeeze the throttle and that 640bhp is unleashed to give instantaneous acceleration, hurling corners towards you with a PlayStation-like rush. The noise from gaping exhaust is guttural and thunderous at low revs, barking and snorting in the mid-range, and just mental above 6,000rpm, a three-dimensional banshee that shreds the air apart. And after a run, the LP640 spews out hot air from every orifice.

Despite its highish peak, a full 80% of torque is available at 2,000rpm - which means even in long-legged sixth, booting the throttle results in serious kidney-punch acceleration. The revised engine also has a newfound appetite for revving: where the old engine felt ready to self-destruct at its rev limiter, the LP640's powerplant makes redlining this engine an absolute joy. It's helped by perfectly spaced gear ratios, and shift times that are brisk in normal driving and wincingly quick in Sport mode.

The steering is chunky, feelsome and unerringly accurate, allowing you to pour the big Lamborghini into corners with real confidence. And it's probably the best way to steer the Lambo: there's so much grip from the car's all-wheel drive, that unsticking those huge bespoke 19" 335/30 profile Pirelli tyres calls for serious commitment.

Apart from the doors and roof panels, the LP640's monocoque is carved from carbon fibre, but at 1,665kg, it's still a big and heavy beast. Up to a very well defined point, the chatty steering, exceptional body control and superbly damped ride quality do a fine job of camouflaging this size and weight.

After that point - the moment you realise you are travelling 40mph faster than you thought, the corner is tightening and your will isn't up to date - the Murcielago is a monster. Vicious and violent, it doesn't do forgiving. If you have a shunt in this car, it will be a very big one.

It's searingly quick, hitting 100mph in the time most muscle cars can reach 60mph - and even at 150mph it accelerates with real venom.

Your biggest allies are the (optional) ceramic brakes, which offer just the kind of action and response you need to rein in 640bhp of rampaging Murcielago. Although the first inch of pedal travel results in little more than a small drop in speed, push deeper and you get instant, shoulder-bruising deceleration.

I've never been so filled with addictive fear as I have driving this car. Lamborghini's new Murcielago LP640 is a proper supercar - the kind I used to read about and lusted after as a 12-year-old. Big, brutish, loud, tricky, unfeasible quick and just jaw-slackeningly good-looking, it's totally over the top and goes like it looks.

col·our ( P ) Pronunciation Key (klr)
n. & v. Chiefly British Variant of color.