Lamborghini Gallardo Twin Turbo Tuning by Underground Racing

If most people we know would say that the Lamborghini Gallardo is enough of a monster to get the eye when roaring down the streets, it looks like the crazy chaps from Underground Racing would like to disagree. And not only they disagreed, they also did something to actually take our breath away with — their twin-turbocharged Lamborghini Gallardo ‘Race Version’.

Custom built for one of their customers (some filthy rich guy called Jonah), this new Gallardo coming from their Lambo Pit is capable to put out nothing less than 1,500 hp using VP C16 racing fuel — which could translate to an unbelievable 1825 hp at the crank. Not munch is known on how these guys have managed to create such an amazing vehicle but the six-speed transmission, a sportier exhaust, improved air intake and the engine modifications certainly helped it with a sub-ten second time through the quarter mile at a speed exceeding 160 mph.

Lamborghini Murcielago

Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Picture

It was way back in issue 075 that SG54 LAM first thundered onto the pages of evo, then with a mere 64 miles on its clock. Regular readers may recall that my original plan of attack was to hang on to it for a few months, live the dream, then hopefully sell it on at a minimal loss, since Murciélagos were still rare beasts at the time. Trouble is, it just didn’t turn out like that. Over 122,000 miles later, the orange monster is still here. So what happened?

Quite early on I realised that instead of constantly shelling out, there had to be a way of generating an income from owning such a legend. Fortunately, through a bit of trial and error, I discovered that there was, and the rest, as they say, is history. So not only has this Murciélago rocketed past 120K, it’s also been driven by 1511 people on track and has traversed 16 countries in between.

Of course, SG54 retired from these pages in 2007 – when it had just shy of 45,000 miles on the clock – to be replaced by the awesome LP640. This would supposedly allow the old racehorse to take on lighter duties, but again, it wasn’t to be. So how has it been over the last 77,000 miles? Well, strangely enough it settled down after it left the Fast Fleet, and I’m pleased to report that it drives better than ever and has suffered only relatively minor issues such as the handbrake regularly going out of adjustment (a well-known Italian supercar trait), the odd ‘hunting’ episode at idle (thanks to wayward throttle bodies) and the rear spoiler refusing to go down when the ignition is switched off. On top of this, there’s been regular maintenance, which recently included the car’s fourth clutch at a not insignificant £5000. Interior-wise it still looks great, although unsurprisingly the Schedoni leather driver’s seat looks battle-scarred.

The Achilles heel of the 2001-2005 Murciélagos is undoubtedly the brakes. Derived from the Diablo 6.0, they are just about adequate for the road, but on track they fade dreadfully. Later Murciélagos benefit from the far superior front calipers and discs from the Gallardo, which transform the car’s stopping power, so upgrading SG54 seemed like an obvious move. Unfortunately it’s not quite as easy as one might think to upgrade an early Murciélago to the later spec, since the larger calipers also require the later Hercules or Hemera-style road wheels, as seen on the current LP640, and at about four grand these don’t come cheap. Nevertheless, with all the required parts gathered and delivered along with the car to Mode Performance at Silverstone (01327 855700), the job was done.

Constant use had resulted in some quite severe battle scars on the Lambo’s front bumper, so I put in a call to Audi dealer Smith Knight Fay of Stockport (0161 335 0724). Well used to working on carbonfibre, they actually ended up painting every panel bar the roof, doing a superb job that seemed very reasonable at a tad under £6000. As for the car’s current mechanical status, the tech bods at Lamborghini Manchester have noted that the V12 is now ‘a bit rattly’ – not surprising for a Murciélago that’s covered a mileage equivalent to driving around the planet nearly five times!

Having said that, the V12 consistently fires up like a wartime Merlin, and if I’m feeling particularly energetic I’ll still take the orange monster over the LP640. Why? Well it’s more ‘raw’ for sure, feeling like a Routemaster compared to the slickness of the newer car, but it’s also that bit more rewarding. It lacks the killer punch of the LP, but all the same I enjoy the extra effort required to wring the best out of it.

Car Crash: Lamborghini Murcielago in Switzerland

Late last Thursday in Switzerland a young drunk Russian driver crashed his Lamborghini Murcielago into a Volkswagen Golf, while racing friends in three other exotic cars on the outskirts of Geneva, leaving an elderly German badly injured.

The Moscow Times reports that all four drivers of the cars have been questioned and released, two of which are the sons of Russian multimillionaire Telman Ismailov.

The cars that the four Russians, aged between 20-24, were driving were a Bugatti Veyron, Mercedes Mclaren SLR, Porsche Cayenne Turbo and the Lamborghini Murcielago that crashed, which was apparently rented.

It is reported that the Murcielago driver lost control of his car and hit the Volkswagen Golf in front of him, sending it spinning into a guardrail. This resulted in the 70yr old German driver having to be cut from his car, and is currently in a serious condition in hospital.

The Murcielago is said to have fled the scene of the accident, but was later found by the police. The driver gave a breath test which indicated that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.11%. This is more than double the Swiss legal limit of 0.05% and nearly four times the level of the Russian limit of 0.03%.

1969 Lamborghini Miura P400S vs. 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona

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  1969 Lamborghini Miura Picture

  Racing across the moors in a 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400S and a 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona. | November 24, 2009 | Matthew Howell

Lamborghini Gallardo Nera

The Gallardo Nera is a special edition of Lamborghini’s "entry level" V10 supercar. What differentiates this Gallardo from all others is primarily its color scheme. Painted in Nero Noctis.

$1 Million Dollar Lamborghini Reventon

Are you ready for the $1 Million dollar Lamborghini? MotiveMag got a hold of the official images of Lamborghini's new wallet drainer, and wow! 100 of these examples will be built, and will be officially called the Reventon. All 100 have already been spoken for. The car uses the same engine found on the LP460 and boasts a military greenish color with all suede interior. So.. is this worth $1 Million? Continue reading for more pictures