THE DEAFENING Lamborghini SHRIEK OF A V12 destroying itself isn't something I wish to ever hear again. After the gut-wrenching realisation that this would be gigantic money to fix, it also began to dawn on me that, given my Murciélago's colourful history, it might just be time to close the curtain on it for good and strip it down for parts.
Long-standing evo aficionados may remember the big Lambo regularly appearing in these pages from 2005 to 2018. Back in 2004 it was the first Murciélago to be delivered by Lamborghini Manchester and one of the few with a manual 'box. Within weeks of it poking its short snout out of the showroom, it was earning its keep on track as a driving experience supercar, clocking up a huge mileage over the next seven years.
The 8000-odd paying drivers over that period enabled me to hang on to the car despite the eye-watering running costs, which included forking out for nine clutches, three engine rebuilds and a nut and-bolt restoration after a devastating high-speed crash in 2013. That two-year rebuild meant there was actually little left of the Murciélago that made its way down the production line at Sant'Agata, so its nickname of Trigger's Broom became more apt than ever.
Since retiring from circuits, SG54 LAM has led a more sedate life, albeit one that has still seen it traverse Scandinavia in the winter and enjoy summertime trips to every country in Europe and a few more beyond. Its last major outing was a 3000-mile tour of Scandinavia in 2018, since when its owner has been busy building Britain's Biggest Model Railway, meaning its fat Pirellis have spent more time resting on a barn floor than they have exploring unfamiliar asphalt.
Denne historien er fra March 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra March 2023-utgaven av Evo UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
