Stephan Winkelmann, the President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini introduced the dramatic new Murciélago LP640 during a packed press conference held in Geneva on Tuesday. The first supercar to arrive on the market after Audi bought the Bologna-based sportscar maker, the potent V12 engined Murciélago has been given a major makeover after half a decade of production.

The facelifted Murciélago is set to be known as the LP640, the two letters standing for "longitudinale posteriore", while the digits refer to its new maximum achievable horsepower of 640bhp. Major work has been carried out to most areas of the car, including the engine, drivetrain, suspension and braking, in the field of safety, while the car now features a host of instantly obvious new minor detailing changes such as the LED tail lights, a new front spoiler that draws on the Gallardo to give the LP640 a 'family' look, and a new, large exhaust exit.

As has become the recent fashion for Automobili Lamborghini, the car was presented on Tuesday in a show consisting of bright lights and very loud music. A large, moulded cover was winched upwards, and with Lamborghini's stand plunged into darkness, a film portraying the virtues of the sportscar brand was flashed across a giant screen. As the darkness was lifted, the grey Murciélago LP640 was revealed, its headlights dazzling the on-looking media, as it slowly began to revolve on a large, flush turntable.
 

The Murciélago LP640 is officially the work of a new design team which is led by Walter de'Silva, now that Luc Belgian designer Donckerwonlke, who was responsible for penning the original Murciélago, as well as the V10 Gallardo has switched to Audi's SEAT division. The LP640 was well received by onlookers in Geneva, who believed that it certainly looked the part, and that its impressive dynamic upgrade could allow it to continue to take the supercar battle to its Maranello rival. These improvements have included increasing engine capacity from 6.2 to 6.5-litres, which has resulted in horsepower being raised by 60bhp to 640bhp, reached at 8,000 rpm. Maximum torque has also jumped, now at 660Nm, and the car's 0-100km/h time has been shaved to 3.4 seconds.

The LP640 was developed using facilities belonging to the Italian airforce, and this fact was commemorated by an exchange of gifts once the car had been revealed. Winkelmann presented two airforce representatives in attendance with metal scale models of the LP640, while they in turn gave him a reproduction of the squadron's shield mounted on a wooden plaque.

Winkelmann was upbeat about Automobili Lamborghini's prospects for the future, pleased that the sportscar division has recently been able to announce that it had turned in a profit last year, and also seen its total sales increase. He is looking towards building and improving the dealer network worldwide, and sees recent expansion into Russia, India and China as being important steps forward, although each market will be handled very carefully, allowing demand to build up. The Murciélago LP640 is flanked on Lamborghini's stand by the Gallardo MY06 Coupé and Spyder. The Miura concept car, which was first shown at the Detroit Motor Show in January, is also present in Geneva located in a first floor viewing area.

by Edd Ellison, James Granger & Hendrik Nuyens in Geneva