2010 Lamborghini Murcielago

With a launch-controlled start, the E-Gear-equipped LP670-4 SV will sprint to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds. The standing quarter is dispatched in 11.4 seconds at 125.8 mph. That's about what you'd expect.

The car's biggest weakness, though, is the single-clutch electronically actuated manual transmission. Even in Corsa mode, it's slower than the state-of-the-moment dual-clutch manuals, with much more variability in shift quality -- full power first-second and second-third shifts thump home harder than a Mike Tyson right cross -- and you'll get only a handful of launch-control starts before the clutch cries uncle and demands a rest. The E-Gear system is still quicker than a conventional stickshift when you're driving the SV fast -- Lambo test drivers prefer it -- but you have to remember to treat the paddles like devices that move real pieces of metal instead of video-game controllers. Feathering the gas slightly on critical upshifts helps smooth forward progress.

For all that, it's hard not to love the Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce. Yes, there are technically better supercars around. And yes, it's stupidly expensive -- our tester was priced at an eye-watering $480,325, and it is not four times as good as a ZR1 Corvette. But there's nothing -- nothing -- on the road that has the sheer theatrical presence of this Murcielago. It looks like a supercar. It sounds like a supercar. And it makes the driver feel like Superman.

With a launch-controlled start, the E-Gear-equipped 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV will sprint to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds. The standing quarter is dispatched in 11.4 seconds at 125.8 mph. That's about what you'd expect.

The car's biggest weakness, though, is the single-clutch electronically actuated manual transmission. Even in Corsa mode, it's slower than the state-of-the-moment dual-clutch manuals, with much more variability in shift quality -- full power first-second and second-third shifts thump home harder than a Mike Tyson right cross -- and you'll get only a handful of launch-control starts before the clutch cries uncle and demands a rest. The E-Gear system is still quicker than a conventional stickshift when you're driving the SV fast -- Lambo test drivers prefer it -- but you have to remember to treat the paddles like devices that move real pieces of metal instead of video-game controllers. Feathering the gas slightly on critical upshifts helps smooth forward progress.

For all that, it's hard not to love the 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce. Yes, there are technically better supercars around. And yes, it's stupidly expensive -- our tester was priced at an eye-watering $480,325, and it is not four times as good as a ZR1 Corvette. But there's nothing -- nothing -- on the road that has the sheer theatrical presence of this Murcielago. It looks like a supercar. It sounds like a supercar. And it makes the driver feel like Superman.

It costs about $450,000 and delivers a monstrous 670 hp, but the meanest Lamborghini since the legendary Miura SV must do without such modern conveniences as direct injection, a dual-clutch transmission, bixenon adaptive headlights, active differentials, a starter button, a radio, and stability control. Lamborghini engineers even considered eliminating four-wheel drive, which would have shaved another hundred pounds off the grand total. But in the end, they refrained from creating an even more radical rear-wheel-drive Murciélago, which might have made the 42/58 percent weight distribution unwieldy in the wet.

Even with all-wheel drive, the Murciélago LP670-4 SuperVeloce's rear-biased torque split lights up the rear tires with stability-threatening urgency. The only available electronic antidote is traction control, which cuts in too early and hangs in longer than necessary. You can switch it off, but if you do, be prepared, because the Murciélago fights the road, the driver, and its own idiosyncrasies in one of the noisiest, angriest, and most expressive supercar performances ever.

Still, if a Murciélago SV is ever overtaken while accelerating flat out from 0 to 62 mph, the other car is likely to be a Bugatti Veyron, which does the run in 2.5 seconds versus Lamborghini's still-incredible claim of 3.2 seconds for the SV (the stock Murciélago coupe is rated at 3.4 seconds). Predictably, fuel economy is an oxymoron: our test car averaged 9 mpg. But that's beside the point. After all, the SuperVeloce is a very special vehicle for very special occasions, like your favorite stretch of country road on Sunday at 5 a.m., your favorite show-off boulevard on Saturday at 5 p.m., or your favorite expressway when the conditions are right.

In the latest iteration of the aging Murciélago, the 6.5-liter V-12's output rises from 632 hp to 661 hp while the weight drops by some 220 pounds, resulting in a car that Lamborghini says will vault to 62 mph in a mere 3.2 seconds. Only 350 examples will be built, and buyers will choose between two rear wings: either the "Aeropack Wing" shown here, which purportedly allows a top speed of 209 mph, or the smaller, standard wing that enables you to soar to 212 mph.

Imagine, if you will, placing Lamborghini's million-dollar Reventon into a blender with a brand-new Murcielago LP 640-4, and pushing the button marked "blend." Although we wouldn't perform such a sadistic act on our own accord, we've no doubt that the result would look something like the 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce.

Engineers first reworked the Murcielago's aluminum-block 6.5-liter V-12 engine. At first glance, it differs little from those in the LP 640 and Reventon, but thanks to a new intake manifold, exhaust system, engine computer, and optimized valvetrain, the engine now pumps out a substantial 670 hp - 10 hp more than the Reventon and 30 hp over a Murcielago LP 640. Unlike the Diablo SV, which eschewed the Diablo VT's all-wheel-drive system in favor of a rear-wheel-drive setup, the Murcielago LP 670-4 SV continues to send power to all four wheels via either a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual.

The end result is a lighter (3450 lbs), meaner Murcielago that's ready for either road or track. Lamborghini claims the SV-spec Murcielago can hit 0-62 mph in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 212.5 mph. That's certainly fast, and we expect the entire production run (limited to 350 examples) to sell out just as quickly.

It costs about $450,000 and delivers a monstrous 670 hp, but the meanest Lamborghini since the legendary Miura SV must do without such modern conveniences as direct injection, a dual-clutch transmission, bixenon adaptive headlights, active differentials, a starter button, a radio, and stability control. Lamborghini engineers even considered eliminating four-wheel drive, which would have shaved another hundred pounds off the grand total. But in the end, they refrained from creating an even more radical rear-wheel-drive Murciélago, which might have made the 42/58 percent weight distribution unwieldy in the wet.

Even with all-wheel drive, the Murciélago LP670-4 SuperVeloce's rear-biased torque split lights up the rear tires with stability-threatening urgency. The only available electronic antidote is traction control, which cuts in too early and hangs in longer than necessary. You can switch it off, but if you do, be prepared, because the Murciélago fights the road, the driver, and its own idiosyncrasies in one of the noisiest, angriest, and most expressive supercar performances ever.

Still, if a Murciélago SV is ever overtaken while accelerating flat out from 0 to 62 mph, the other car is likely to be a Bugatti Veyron, which does the run in 2.5 seconds versus Lamborghini's still-incredible claim of 3.2 seconds for the SV (the stock 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago coupe is rated at 3.4 seconds). Predictably, fuel economy is an oxymoron: our test car averaged 9 mpg. But that's beside the point. After all, the SuperVeloce is a very special vehicle for very special occasions, like your favorite stretch of country road on Sunday at 5 a.m., your favorite show-off boulevard on Saturday at 5 p.m., or your favorite expressway when the conditions are right.

In the latest iteration of the aging Murciélago, the 6.5-liter V-12's output rises from 632 hp to 661 hp while the weight drops by some 220 pounds, resulting in a car that Lambo says will vault to 62 mph in a mere 3.2 seconds. Only 350 examples will be built, and buyers will choose between two rear wings: either the "Aeropack Wing" shown here, which purportedly allows a top speed of 209 mph, or the smaller, standard wing that enables you to soar to 212 mph.

Imagine, if you will, placing Lamborghini's million-dollar Reventon into a blender with a brand-new Murcielago LP 640-4, and pushing the button marked "blend." Although we wouldn't perform such a sadistic act on our own accord, we've no doubt that the result would look something like the 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce.

Engineers first reworked the Murcielago's aluminum-block 6.5-liter V-12 engine. At first glance, it differs little from those in the LP 640 and Reventon, but thanks to a new intake manifold, exhaust system, engine computer, and optimized valvetrain, the engine now pumps out a substantial 670 hp - 10 hp more than the Reventon and 30 hp over a Murcielago LP 640. Unlike the Diablo SV, which eschewed the Diablo VT's all-wheel-drive system in favor of a rear-wheel-drive setup, the 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SV continues to send power to all four wheels via either a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual.

The end result is a lighter (3450 lbs), meaner Murcielago that's ready for either road or track. Lamborghini claims the SV-spec Murcielago can hit 0-62 mph in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 212.5 mph. That's certainly fast, and we expect the entire production run (limited to 350 examples) to sell out just as quickly.