LAST BOOKING FOR 2008 AT PRODRIVE

Mike completed his last day for Ross Jones of Driving Experiences Direct last Saturday. Unfortunately the Ferrari 360 he normally drives came back broken while he was taking lunch, so the afternoon was spent in a Lambo Diablo. Mike has been booked for 2009, but for now he can concentrate on preparing his race car for the next Stock Hatch season starting in March.

EXCELLENT DAY AT BRUNTINGTHORPE

Mike collected the car Sunday morning and it ran like a dream all day. For such a heavy car, he said it handled much better than the DB9 he normally drives, and almost as good as the 360 Ferrari. The Lamborghini Murciélago is a high performance sports car produced by Italian automaker Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. and designed by Luc Donckerwolke. It was introduced in 2001 as the successor to the Diablo. The Murciélago is a two-door, two-seat coupé.

The Murciélago sports a 6.2-litre version of the Lamborghini V12 engine, a six-speed manual or six-speed sequential automatic transmission, and four-wheel drive. It also has a rear spoiler that can be raised to an angle of 70 degrees, side mirrors that fold in to improve aerodynamics, and side scoops that automatically open to the needed size to let in just the right amount of air needed to cool its engine.

LP stands for Longitudinale Posteriore, referring to the longitudinally-mounted, 6.5 L V12 engine, capable of producing up to 472 kW (642 PS/633 bhp) at 8000 rpm. Along with a new six-speed manual transmission, which can come in Lamborghini's optional paddle shift "E-gear" package, the LP640 can go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.3 seconds: 0.4 of a second quicker than the previous Murciélago, and reach a top speed of 219+ mph. The LP640 is accommodated by an electronic Launch control device called "Thrust." At a purchase price cof over £150,000, this is the most expensive car Mike has driven to date and looks forward to driving it again.

As you well know, Lamborghini has been producing beautiful, fast cars for the last 40 years. The Miura was probably their first real hit car - and one of the most beautiful ever - but the car that made Lamborghini the stuff of every schoolboy's dreams was the wildly styled Countach.
The Countach stayed in production from 1974 to 1990 and then bowed out to make way for the awesome Diablo. The Diablo saw many variations, everything from luxo Roadster models to stripped out SV models, ending life with the 6.0.

In 2002, the Diablo seized production, and the workers at the San't Agata factory started production on the Murcielago. Murcielago, named after a courageous bull is certainly one amazing car. The figures are one thing, the experience is another - it's fast, bloody hell fast!

Years ago supercars were fast in a straight line, but some lacked finesse through the twisties. Not anymore. This massive beast is surprisingly easy to toss around twists and turns. The steering might not give the greatest feel of what the front wheels are doing, but still, the grip is amazing, and now you can carve through corners as if in a small roadster. In fact, it does remind me a lot of the Audi TT. Audi owned Lamborghini may not be comfortable with the analogy, but if you can imagine an Audi TT with 600 hp you'll be getting closer to what this car feels like!

Lamborghini Murcielago Weekend

Mike is out in the Lamborghini this weekend at Bruntingthorpe. This is Ross Jones own car, so Mike feels honoured to be trusted with such a rare machine.The Lamborghini Murcielago is four wheel drive, has 580 BHP, 0-62 in 3.8 seconds and capable of 206 MPH

ANOTHER FERRARI TRACK DAY GOES WELL

Another excellent day at PRODRIVE for Driving Experiences Direct. Plenty of tracktime and several HOT LAPS to show clients the excellent handling of the 360. Next activity will be at Bruntingthorpe at the Driver Dream Days event. With the race car still being sorted it looks like the final signature before the upgrade will have to come from a bit of marshalling.