Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster: First Look

First shown as a concept study at the 2003 Detroit Motor Show, the undeniably beautiful roofless Lamborghini Murcielago has been green lit for production.

Essentially an open topped version of Lamborghini's flagship vehicle, the Murcielago Roadster - or Barchetta - will offer the automotive connoisseur an open top vehicle of highly desirable proportions.

Apart from the obvious stylistic changes that the removal of a roof causes, the biggest differences between the Murcielago roadster over the coupe are related to the chassis.

The Sant'Agata based company didn't want to offer customers a soggy Murcielago, so the exotic Italian automaker reinforced the sub structure of the roadster to improve torsional rigidity.

Even without the roof, the Murcielago Roadster retains an impressive level of structural stiffness, and there's also a rather clever latticework frame covering the engine that again improves the vehicle's rigidity.

Intriguingly, the extra the work that Lamborghini has put into stiffening the Roadster's chassis seems to have paid off, as the marque claims that lap times for both the coupe and roadster Murcielago's are more or less identical.

When the weather turns foul, there is also a small soft top roof that can be affixed to the Murcielago Roadster, but the company suggests it is only for 'temporary' use.

Furthermore, the roof can only handle speeds of up to 160km/h, and while it is true that the Lambo has an AWD powertrain, who among us would be brave enough to drive one at 160km/h along wet roads?

Following in the footsteps of other famous Bulls, such as the venerated Diablo Roadster and the Miura Roadster, the new Murcielago Roadster will be built this year, and is expected to go on sale towards the end of 2004 as a 2005 model.

As the head of Lamborghini Design, Peruvian-born Luc Donckerwolke came up with the edgy new look for the Roadster and went to great lengths to give it a look all its own.

Donckerwolke incorporated things like the integrated air intakes above the headrests that help channel cool air into the airbox, and the seamless window line is another one of the styling changes that give the Murcielago Roadster a very different look to its tip-topped sibling.

More for practicality than aesthetics, electronically controlled roll bars only extend when necessary - which is when the car flips or rolls.

Retractable roll bars also help improve aerodynamic efficiency, as they're not always deployed and causing wind turbulence.

New-look 20-inch wheels are also in order for the Murcielago Roadster, as are slightly reworked exhaust pipes and a new interior design.

In addition to its extreme styling, which ensures that it is still recognisable as a Murcielago, but with more aggressive lines and sharper angles, the new Lambo will sprint from 0-100km/h in just 3.7 seconds, which is mighty quick for a two seater that tips the scales @ 1650kg.

This prodigious 0-100km/h dash is achieved not just by its hulking 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine, but also thanks to an AWD transmission, which helps distribute some 432 kilowatts between all four wheels, or about 580bhp in the old money.

Lamborghini's all alloy 6192cc engine is one mean chunk of engineering, and incorporating 48-valves (four per cylinder), dual overhead camshafts, a 10.7:1 compression ratio and variable valve timing on intake and exhaust, the Italian marque has ensured its new drop top delivers a big bang.

With no roof and 12 cylinders pounding away right behind its occupants, the noise of the Roadster as the 378 cubic inch engine spins up to almost 8000rpm is guaranteed to stir the soul of all who ride in it, and with 432kW of power on tap @ 7500rpm, eyes may water as well.

The 60º V12 engine sits behind the driver and develops 650Nm of torque @ 5400rpm, offering an extremely usable powerband that spans more than 2000rpm. The Murcielago Roadster's top speed is rated at 320km/h, or 198.8mph, which is incredibly fast for a roofless vehicle, and it gets up to speed via an AWD 6-speed manual gearbox.

When all things are considered, a stable of just two vehicles and one variation in the form of the Murcielago, the Gallardo and Murcielago Roadster may seem somewhat paltry, but for an exotic car marque like Automobili Lamborghini, this is a huge vehicle range.

With a bit of help from Audi, Lamborghini is well and truly on the move, looking healthier than it ever has in its 40 year history. Following the Gallardo, and now the Murcielago Roadster, what lies ahead for the Italian marque is only limited by its imagination. And of a Gallardo Roadster? Don't dismiss it at this stage...