Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT 2003

Engine Sounds: © Copyright by 24h-le-mans.dk Le Mans 2006: Lamborghini #53 accelerates after the Ford Chicane Thursday at qual Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Designed for ... GT1 of Le Mans, LMS, FIA GT Teams JLOC Isao Noritake (Le Mans 2006-07,09) Reiter Engineering (Le Mans 2008) All-Inkl.com Racing (FIA GT 2007) IPB Spartak Racing (Reiter) (LMS 2009) Country of origin Italy Introduced in 2003 Engine Type Type 535 60º V 12 Horse Power 580 bhp / 433 KW @ 6100 rpm hp/kg 0.53 bhp / kg Engine Displacement 5.998 liter Engine Aspiration Naturally Aspirated Engine Fuel Feed Fuel Injection Engine Location Mid, longitudinally mounted Engine Valve Train 4 valves / cylinder, DOHC Drivetrain 6 speed Sequential, rear wheel drive Successor Lamborghini Murciélago LP670 R-SV GT1 2010

A lot has changed since the Audi take over of Lamborghini in 1998. One of the more surprising moves was the introduction of a racing car at the 2003 Frankfurt Motorshow. In its 40 year history Lamborghini has only rarely been tempted to enter motorsport, often with little to no success. Although the cars were intended for privateers, support from the factory would be included in the package. To make sure it was not another failure, development was setup as a joint operation of Audi Sport and Reiter Engineering.

Since its introduction the races often ended with a DNF (Did Not Finish). In 2005 at the Monza 1000 km race it demonstrated for the first time the real potential of the car. Against a strong field consisting mainly of the Le Mans winning Prodrive Ferraris, the Peter Kox and Norman Simon driven Murciélago was in the lead with less than an hour to go. Sadly on its final run down the long straight an oil fire was clearly visible, prematurely ending the race for the 'Raging Bull.'

The Monza race showed that the car has a lot of potential, but also still needs more development. It does look like Lamborghini is not as committed as announced at the car's launch. The Italian manufacturer should either stick to building road cars, or get their act together; the many half baked attempts of the past have not done the manufacturer much good.

The R-GT has a rear-wheel drive unlike the standard Murciélago to comply with the FIA and ACO rules.

Major Wins: 1st in Zhuhai 2 Hours race of FIA GT 2007, 1st at 1000km of Catalunya LMS (against Corvette C6.R, Saleen S7-R)
Le Mans History: 2006 (failed in last lap), 2007 (gearbox failed in 2nd lap), 2008 (unclassified as only 266 instead of minimum 267 laps were driven), 2009 (could not start from last place due to mechanical issues)