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Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale this stunning and ‘as new’ Australian delivered 2005 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster. This factory right hand drive example with an E-Gear transmission was delivered new into Perth, Western Australia through Lamborghini dealer Barbagallo on the 30th June 2005.
As confirmed by the service book, the first owner used his Murcielago sparingly. The car received its first service in October 2013, at which time the odometer read 3, 230 km. Through until 2018 the car was serviced annually, even though the car only travelled some 100 km between service intervals. In October 2018 the odometer read 3, 600 km. The car was then serviced in October 2020 @ 4, 610 km, then in November 2021 @ 4, 875 km and then in January 2023 @ 5, 180 km.
The current Brisbane based owner acquired the car on the 23rd of January 2023 through Barbagallo. At that time he was told this was a one owner car and at that time the odometer read 5, 175 kilometres.
People often refer to the Murcielago as the last of the ‘old school’ Lamborghinis and when you spend some time with the car you will understand why. Yes, it is a relatively modern car, but that Lamborghini DNA is there. And of course it has the trademark scissor doors made famous with the Countach and later the Diablo.
The Murcielago retains that traditional Lamborghini design philosophy which made the marque famous. It is all about the extremity of the design and of course the look and feel of the car. As a result it is wild and perhaps in some areas a bit ridiculous. Whilst functionality comes second, there is no doubt that the Audi influence has made the Murcielago a more usable car than its predecessors.
Walking up to this car you cannot help but be impressed with its presence. From a few meters away the colour looks like just a ‘normal yellow’, however, when you get closer you quickly realise it is not. The colour is called ‘Giallo Orion’ (paint code PPG0056) and it is a pearl yellow which as you get closer actually shows an almost green tint reflecting in the paint. This STUNNING colour was first made available by Lamborghini on the Murcielago.
Given the car’s mileage, it is not surprising that the paintwork presents as new. It has been wrapped in a protective film and the only defect we have noticed is a very small bubble at the bottom of the driver’s mirror. This blemish is to the protective film and the paint underneath has not been damaged.
When you walk around the car you start noticing more and more detail. In typical Lamborghini fashion there are a lot of sharp, angled shapes to be found on the car. From the front indicators to the headlights, the air intakes on the front bumper, the air vents on the engine cover and even in the wheels. A very unique feature on the car are the air vents or ‘bat wings’ on either side of the engine cover which open automatically if the engine detects it needs more air to stay cool. Of course, you cannot miss the trademark black and gold Lamborghini badge on the front of the car.
We love the original Hercules wheels on the car. They are a real piece of art and are in excellent condition with no sign of any curb rash or any damage. The black wheel centres with the gold Lamborghini logo are also in perfect condition. The wheels are shod with Pirelli PZero Rosso tyres, size 245/ 35 ZR18 at the front and 335/ 30 ZR18 at the rear. The front tyres are date stamped 1919 (week 19, 2019) and the rear tyres are date stamped 4219 (week 42, 2019). These tyres are still in excellent condition with the car having travelled only c1, 500 km since they were fitted.
To open the scissors doors, you press on the right side of the recessed handle on the top of the door. That will lift the left side of the handle and you can then pull it to open the door. There is nothing more Lamborghini than opening those scissor doors. The interior of this car is finished in ‘nero’ (black) which provides a perfect colour contrast to the yellow exterior. The seats have yellow stitching to complete the look. Everything inside the cabin is in very good condition as you would expect from a car with such low mileage. The only small imperfection we noticed are some small scratches around the radio. Importantly all the switches are in very good condition and they are not sticky, a known issue with Italian cars from this period.
The Murcielago Roadster is a ‘top down’ car, but if required the top can be assembled and fitted ‘relatively easily’. As they say practice makes perfect and the whole process is perhaps easier than its reputation suggests. The top is in perfect condition.
With the top off it is very easy to get into the car and it does not take long for you to find that comfortable seating position. The seat can be adjusted in multiple ways and you can also adjust the steering wheel.
Once you are comfortable behind the wheel you will start noticing some of the quirks when it comes to the positioning of things you usually find in the cabin.
First there are the seatbelts. Whilst most cars have them mounted on the B-pillar, the Murcielago retains the same set up as the Diablo where they are mounted in the centre of the car between the seats. The air conditioning controls are hidden behind a panel which looks like it is just part of the dashboard above the stereo. The cigarette lighter, which on most cars would be fitted somewhere on the centre console is almost hidden behind the steering wheel. All the options for driving the car, including mode selection, traction control etc are on the centre console. The exception is the button to select reverse gear, which is located on the right hand side of the steering wheel. These idiosyncrasies are all part of the Lamborghini Murcielago ownership experience.
The stereo in this car has been upgraded to a Pioneer system which includes a reverse camera. This is a very useful and practical improvement.
The most important part of the car is located exactly in the right spot. And that is of course the engine, which sits right behind you. The power plant is Lamborghini’s naturally aspirated 6. 2 litre V12 engine which traces its roots back to the 350 GT from 1964.
It was with great anticipation that we fired up the engine in this fire breathing monster. At the turn of the key the big V12 fired up easily and very quickly settled into a smooth idle. We gently pull on the right lever behind the steering wheel to select first gear and get ready to take the car out on the road for a quick test drive. The gear selection is smooth and the accelerator pedal has a good feel which allows you to control the speed of the car easily. The car is fitted with a lift system at the front, which will operate when the car is travelling below 70km/ h. This makes it easier to get out of drive ways and go over speed bumps whilst looking after your front spoiler.
Once out on the road this car is surprisingly comfortable and very easy to drive. The gear changes are smooth and quick which actually refines the driving experience. That said, the Lamborghini V12 behind your head challenges your decision making about right and wrong. This car will accelerate to warp speed and beyond at the blink of an eye. The big vented disc brakes pull the car up quickly and in a straight line when needed. In summary, this car performed exactly as it should.
Needless to say we got plenty of thumbs up on our test drive. Back in our showroom we get out of the car with a big smile on our face. It was quite a surreal moment . . . what a car! This Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster is just a fabulous car to drive and it is a true ‘modern classic’.
Accompanying the car is the original soft top, a toolkit which has never been used, a Lamborghini branded Ctek battery charger and a original Lamborghini pouch which contains the owner’s manual and a fully stamped service book.
Of the 899 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadsters built only a relatively small number were factory right hand drive, making this a very rare car. Of these, there wouldn’t be many ‘as new’ examples with 5, 220 km on the clock!
Highlights:
- Australian delivered factory RHD example..
- Fabulous original colour scheme.
- ‘As new’ with only 5, 220 km on the odometer.
- Books, tools and accessories.
- Ready to use and enjoy.
Price AUD $569, 950.
Background:
The Lamborghini story is fascinating in itself but for the company to have survived all these years and indeed celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2013 is quite amazing. Ferruccio Lamborghini was an entrepreneur, a very successful businessman and a lover of the finer things in life, including sports cars. He was fortunate enough to own some wonderful cars including Ferraris, however, he found fault with them all. According to the legend, following a meeting with Enzo Ferrari to discuss some of the shortcomings of his cars, Enzo dismissed Ferruccio and he subsequently decided that he could and would build a better car.
Not long after, in May 1963, Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini SPA was established and the small town of Sant’Agata Bolognese, located between Modena and Bologna, was chosen as the location to build the factory. Born under the Zodiac sign Taurus, Lamborghini chose the raging bull as the emblem for his sports cars.
Lamborghini knew what he wanted and he put together a highly skilled team. His first car, the 350 GTV, was shown at the Turin Motor Show in October 1963. This car received mixed reviews, however, Lamborghini was not deterred and made a number of improvements and design changes to the original concept. The first Lamborghini production car, the 350 GT, left the factory in 1964.
The 350 GT evolved into the 400 GT 2+2 and later the Islero. In parallel to building these classic front engine V12 GT cars, Lamborghini wanted to build a supercar. Enter the Miura, which was first shown as a rolling chassis at the Turin Motor Show in November 1965. Fast track to the 1966 Geneva Motor Show and the stunning Bertone designed Miura was officially released to critical acclaim. The Miura is considered by many to be the first real ‘supercar’. The first model was known as the P400, followed by the P400S introduced in 1969 and the P400SV which was introduced in 1971. Even though the Miura was a great success it was starting to show its age.
Under the project name LP112, chief engineer Paolo Stanzani and his staff began working on a successor to the Miura in 1970. For this project, he collaborated with test driver Bob Wallace, assistant engineer Massimo Parenti and designer Marcello Gandini of Bertone.
Ferruccio Lamborghini had a preference for Grand Tourers, but he recognized there was a real market for uncompromising sports cars. He gave the development team his approval to push the boundaries even further than what they had done while designing the Miura.
The first prototype, designated LP500, was first shown to the world at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show. The prototype Countach shocked the world. Surely ‘just another show car’ they said. The Miura was a tough act to follow and Bertone’s design team pushed the boundaries to create what is today one of the most recognisable shapes on the planet! The word ‘Countach’ is a slang exclamation of astonishment in Piedmontese, a northern Italian dialect. This expletive was uttered when one of Bertone’s design team members was building a scale model of the car . . . and it stuck! The Countach became reality when the first production car rolled off the Sant’ Agata production line in 1974.
The original LP400 was replaced by the LP400S in 1978. The “S” model had the wide wheel arches and uprated suspension to accommodate the massive Pirelli P7 tyres / Campagnolo wheel rims along with other subtle improvements. In 1982 the LP500S (also referred to as the LP5000S) was introduced. The major change here was the increased engine capacity from 3929 cc to 4754cc. The Countach continued to evolve and in the 1985 the LP5000 Quattrovalvole (or “QV”) was introduced. With the “QV” the engine was improved again, bored and stroked to 5. 2 litres (5, 167 cc) and given four valves per cylinder (quattrovalvole in Italian). The final variant of the Countach, the 25th Anniversary, was released in 1988.
What an impossible act to follow, but Lamborghini was up for the challenge and development of the successor to the Countach, code named Project 132, commenced in the mid 1985 whilst the company was under the control of the Mimram brothers. It was a difficult time for Lamborghini and whilst the sale to Chrysler in 1987 pushed the project backwards because the bosses in Detroit were not happy with Marcello Gandini’s proposed design, the end result was no doubt worth the wait. The Diablo (or ‘Devil’) is an illustrious breed of Spanish fighting bull and it was the name given to Lamborghinis new supercar. It was first shown (formally) at the Chicago Auto Show in January 1990 and with a claimed top speed of 202 mph was to be the world’s fastest production car.
The Diablo entered production by mid 1990 and evolved through a number of different models including the VT (all wheel drive), Roadster, SE30, SV and the 6. 0 being the final iteration of the eleven year production run.
Lamborghini introduced the successor the Diablo’s successor, the Murcielago, at the 2001 Frankfurt Motorshow,. In true Lamborghini tradition it was named after a Spanish fighting bull. The Murcielago was the first new model designed and built under Audi ownership and was available initially as a coupe and later a roadster. In total 3, 983 Murcielagos were produced between 2001 and 2010, of which 3, 084 coupes and 899 roadsters.
