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The Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster
The Roadster is a continuation of the Italian tradition of open cars, particularly the cars that have made the Lamborghini name what it is today.
Confirming and strengthening the extreme, exclusive character of the Murciélago Coupé, the Roadster is the "icon" of the new Lamborghini era.
The design of the Murciélago Roadster is exclusive, aggressive and extreme. Whilst designing the Roadster, Luc Donckerwolke – the head of the Centro Stile at Lamborghini – did not settle for simply "cutting"
the roof off the Coupé, but gave the open car an original look and a special feeling, a styling of its own, making the Murciélago Roadster absolutely unique.
The Murciélago Roadster was recently voted as the world's most beautiful supercar as part of the „The World's most Beautiful Automobile 2004" awards. The decision was taken by an international jury comprising
designers, car and art historians, and specialist journalists.
Based on the technology of the Murciélago Coupé, the Roadster version differs in several key features, such as new parts of the frame, in steel and carbon fibre, designed for additional torsional and flexural
rigidity. Incorporated into the overall design philosophy, one of these features, the engine frame, is offered as an option in visible carbon fibre.
Without altering the extreme nature of the car, a soft top can be fitted. It is designed – as is the tradition for this type of vehicle – solely for temporary use (for example a sudden shower) and for speeds of up to
160 km/h (100 mph).
Special attention was nevertheless paid to safety. The Murciélago Roadster is fitted with a special automatic, electronic roll bar which is activated in a few milliseconds from the housing behind the seats in the
event of an emergency (roll-over).
The dimensions are the same as for the Coupé. Only the height is different: the Murciélago Roadster is nearly 70 mm lower.
The engine is what a Lamborghini is all about: a 12 cylinder V60° of 6192 cc producing 580 HP (426KW) at 7500 rpm and maximum torque of 650 Nm at 5400 rpm with L.I.E. Lamborghini electronic control. The
gearbox is the same as in the Coupé: a manual 6-speed. A robotized 6-speed e-gear system is also available as an option.
The Roadster, like all Lamborghinis, is equipped with permanent 4-wheel drive.
The top speed of the Murciélago Roadster, depending on aerodynamic configuration, is over 320 km/h (around 200 mph).
The Murciélago Roadster is the most extreme and exclusive product line. The interior has so-called asymmetrical open-worked leather upholstery (left-right split). The driver's area is a genuine "Pilot-Oriented
Challenger".
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