4 reasons the Lamborghini Murcielago is the most underrated supercar right now

The claim is, and you won’t be able to dispute this, that the Lamborghini Murcielago is the most underrated supercar of the moment. That’s not to say that it isn’t universally loved – it is – but people just don’t look at it seriously enough and consider buying one. It’s all YouTube exhaust videos and millenial car enthusiasts spouting their love for the car that adorned their televisions and bedroom walls when they were younger. Beyond all that though, there are a number of reasons why it could very well be the best Lamborghini ever made and furthermore why, if you have the money, you should jump on it. Here are a few. 

It’s a steal 

We’ll start with the obvious. If you say Italian 570bhp mid-engined 6.1-litre V12 supercar, you imagine the number written on the pricetag will be much higher than £125,000. That’ll actually buy you a 2005 circa-40,000 mile 6.1-litre manual example advertised currently on many reputable classifieds listings. You can get near that if you play fast and loose with a 911 Carrera S options list… Forty-thou sounds a bit much on the odometer of a car that was once at the head of Lamborghini’s lineup, but then we remember the famous stories of a car that’s reached over 200,000 (and counting), albeit with some serious bucks spent on maintaining it. It’s also not that high when you consider the next point.

It’s the perfect Audi-Lambo compromise

The Murcielago was the first Lamborghini to go from conception to sale under the stewardship of Audi. At the time, it was considered too Germanic as a result of its parentage but, in hindsight, it’s the perfect blend. It’s shot through with dependable Audi-ness in its electrics and gizzards that don’t necessarily have to be bespoke Lamborghini, but still has that delicious Bizzarrini V12, click-clack shift (on the manuals), and a quintessentially Lamborghini knee-quivering blend of beauty and aggression in its styling. We think it might be the prettiest Lambo since the Miura. Dependable, beautiful, dramatic, and an aural delight: Countach meets A4 in the best way possible.

It rubbed shoulders with giants

Back in the early noughties, we were in the middle of a bit of a top-flight supercar boom, nurturing the aspirations of a new generation of car-lovers. The Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera GT joined boutique new-boys Koenigsegg and Pagani at the spearhead, with the McLaren-Mercedes SLR and yes, the Murcielago, bringing up the rear. When Top Gear returned in 2002, the first episode featured a well-known tall curly-haired motoring hack thrashing a Zonda and a Murcielago against each other on an airfield. One of those cars is seldom attainable below seven figures now. The other is the Murci…

It’s the last V12 Lamborghini offered with a manual

The very last V12-engined Lamborghini made with a manual transmission will have come off the production line in around 2010, and it would have been the last of three LP-670 SVs ordered with it. After that, it was paddle-shift ISR only in the Aventador. Manuals of previous versions, LP640 and the original, are much more common, though it won’t be long before they leave their E-Gear equipped kin in the dust value wise.

All in all, the Murcielago shapes up as the perfect all-round Lambo package. Whiffs of the lunacy of Lambos of old, with little to none of the tedium. Looks to swivel heads with the best of them and that glorious V12 engine, accompanied by a manual that would not return for the sequel, and it’s (relatively) attainable. What more needs to be said?

We’ll take a manual LP640 in Verde Draco, please and thank you.