It’s a Lamborghini thing

Well, the post on Tuesday on Hugh’s scoop with the Lamborghini Reventon certainly made things a bit lively round here. The website went berserk, and we had some very serious calls on the car. But it got me thinking. I’m not likely to get my hands on the Reventon when it’s ready (I’m pretty sure whoever has it will want it wrapped in cotton wool – shame really; all cars should be driven), so I made a few calls (the joy of finding this sort of car for customers is that you make friends – and friends help you out when you need a car to play with in a hurry – unlike test fleets where you have to wait your turn!) and got my hands on an LP640, just to remind myself how good the Lamborghinis of today are. And it’s the closest you can get to driving a Reventon at the moment.

The LP640 was a new road drive for me. I’ve had the original Murcielago to play with a couple of times, and had absolute mountains of fun with it. But the only time I’ve ever driven an LP640 is on the track (we’re involved with Retail-Charity, a web site that promotes shopping online in aid of UK charities – they had a day out at Thruxton for a competition winner and I get dragged in as the ‘professional’ petrol-head – you have to do your bit!), so a day out in the real world sounded good.

But first I did a bit of homework to see what others thought of the LP640.

Ben Whitworth over at Pistonheads had a play back in July, which is worth a look, and CoverCars did the same. But I was eager to see for myself how different it was to the original Murcielago so, keys in hand, and the grin of an excited seven year old on my face, I wandered down the drive. The LP640 really is a jaw-dropping car. It’s almost cartoon-like in design, and reminds me of Lamborghinis of old – the sort I used to have on my bedroom wall as a teenager. That poster was a Countach, and at 17 was my dream car. But I made the mistake of trying to capture that dream, and a few years ago I borrowed a Countach for the weekend. Good Lord it was a horrible thing. I could have looked at it all day, but I never want to drive one again! The clutch and steering were so heavy I thought my arms and legs were going to drop off. And you couldn’t see a damn thing out of it – in any direction. It was potent enough, but it always felt like it might explode around me at any minute. But I couldn’t help but admire its outrageous styling and mad handling and power. But I didn’t want to own one any more. Please don’t let the LP640 be the same let-down (I know it can’t be – the Murcielago is great fun – but the nagging doubts persist).

It really is a gorgeous looking thing. My tastes are normally a bit more subtle than this (I’ve never been in to ‘pimped’ cars) but the LP640 is in a league of its own. But then so was the Countach. Time to get in. It’s not an auspicious start. The interior is actually very lame for a car of this price. I swear I can spot a few Fiat bits in here, and it’s just downright dismal. Oh, dear. Maybe it’s going to be Countach re-visited. But It’s not!

It doesn’t take long to find out that the LP640 is even madder than the Murcielago! The engine is raw and brutal (it has been around since the Miura – so it’s not exactly new), but in this final iteration it’s awesome. I’m sure it’s quicker than the SLR, but maybe that’s just the rawness that makes it feel faster. The power just keeps coming in an unstoppable wave, but it does need revving. But if you keep the revs up it is so quick it makes your neck ache. But I think it’s actually quieter than the Murcielago (but that’s just relative – it’s not a quiet car!) and it is sharper. The turn-in is more positive; you can feel what’s going on. But this is an old-fashioned, hairy-chested supercar – and it bites. Despite the 4 wheel drive, when you get close to the limit the LP640 is a real handful. I suppose being an old man now (well, not quite – but I’m getting there) helps. I grew up with cars that you had to drive. And I’ve been doing it for a while. But put someone in the driver’s seat who’s grown up with electronically-controlled supercars and they will be in for one hell of a shock. Yes, it does have the usual electronic ’safety’ bits, but they’re much less intrusive than on any other modern supercar. You really can play hard in this car but, just like Lambos of old, you get the feeling that it’s the car that’s in charge, not the driver!

This car is very fast (0-62mph in under 3.5 seconds) but pretty thirsty (I got less than 10mpg!), but there really is nothing like it in the world. In many ways it’s a dinosaur. But who cares! This is the ultimate petrol-heads car (although I suppose that accolade will end up going to the Reventon), but, as they say, buy now while stocks last. With Audi in charge (although there’s talk of Porsche forcing VW to get rid of the brand) there won’t be another like this again.

Facts & Figures:

Engine: 6496cc
Power: 650bhp
Torque: 487lb-ft
0-62mph: 3.4 seconds
Top Speed: 211mph