Thinking of buying a first gen. Murcielago

The first generation Murci is often referred to as "Pre-LP". I've owned two of early Murci's and currently own an LP (all gated) and they are great cars. I think that the difference of the pre-LP and LP are exaggerated by many opinions, the cars are different, but they aren't that different. I think the biggest difference is from an early Murci to an '05/06, but between the '05/06 and LP is the power. LP is significantly faster, much more than the stated 60hp gain suggests. Lambo/Audi cleaned up the chassis for the LP, but there are no major differences. Every year there have been egear revisions, so the egear Murci became better to drive with every year. LamboPower has a lot of Murci info.

2002/2003 ("early Murci"): claimed to have the most power of the pre-LP; underpowered 4piston/4piston brakes; Speedline wheels; adjustable Koni suspension (most comfortable Murci); all manual; Magneti Marelli ignition coils are prone to failure
2004: egear as optioned, first year of VW ignition coils, updated pedals on egear, VW key
2005: 8piston/4piston steel brakes standard & 6piston/6piston CCB optional; adjustable suspension gone; Hercules wheels introduced; valved exhaust tip; roadster introduced; new pedals on manual
2006: Hermera wheels introduced as option
2007: LP640 introduced
2008: Reventon
2009: Bosch throttle bodies; updated window switches
2010: LP670/LP650, handful of LP640 roadsters

If you're looking for long term value on a pre-LP, 2005/2006 manual are expected to be more collectible since they have a lower manual production than the prior years and basically have the upgraded brakes & suspension of the LP. With a manual, I assume any newly purchased Murci will need a clutch when buying because a lot of sellers have lied about clutch life in the past, the LONGEST life I've gotten out of a clutch after buying a Murci was 14 months, shortest was 3.

I've bought well maintained Murci's and poorly maintained Murci's. The poorly maintained car (cheap) was a nightmare to own and I didn't keep it long. The other two were taken good care of and both have been wonderful to own. I've done cross-country road trips, driven in snow, stuck in death valley, road rallies, etc and not had problems. All my cars have been converted to 2WD and exhaust modifications, which really clean up the driving experience.

 

I love the early Murcielago, I think it looks better than the LP640. Early Murci, dark grey Hercules wheels is a winner in my book. Not the LP640 lights, either.

If only it came with the supersweet 6.5 LP640 engine

 

I love my Murcielago, and have not met an Lp640 that was faster yet. The car has also been rock solid reliable for the last 5 years. I personally prefer the front and sideskirts of the early 580 to the Lp640, but like the back of the lp640 better. I would never buy a Murcielago in an egear.

 

I really want a manual 580 at the moment. Make it RWD, different seats (height issue for me), lighter exhaust, maybe slightly shorter gearing to make it really come alive.

 

They are great cars.

 

We could always change that.

 

You can try

 

i am looking at a 2006 murci.
but the build sheet says it was made in 2005. its an egear.

i drove one of these way back in 2002, but not since.
can anybody give me some comparison to cars i am familiar with like the 430, or the 512tr?

 

I currently have a 2005 F430 f1 and a 2008 LP640 egear. They are COMPLETELY different experiences driving as the F430 is more nimble and "tossable" but the LP640 is more powerful and stable. I still think the LP640 is the best sounding and most aesthetically pleasing Lamborghini ever but I'm obviously biased. I absolutely love the Egear in the LP640, i had driven a PreLP Murci and prefer the looks and driving experience of the LP640 but YMMV.....those egear downshifts bring a smile to my face no other car has

 

thanks for that ^

 

My advice is dont buy an Egear

 

pics

 

i may have no choice.
but, i believe the egear in the murci (pre lp640) is the same generation of magnetti marelli thats in the 430.....so how is it any different?

 

The shifting is terrible, and whats worse is the cost to fix it.

 

A manually shifted Murci is the way to go. Extremely easy and fun to drive(add aftermarket exhaust) . In this case you would getting the benefit of many years of perfecting the manual unit. The Egear is primitive in this case as well.

 

ok. i understand you may not like the egear, but the question remains, if it is the same unit as installed in the 430, then i am used to that, and can live with it.
so how different can it be??

 

I hate the pause between shifts, the clutch pickup off the line, and the general feel. Not a fan of the 430, but if I was to buy one, Id buy a manual as well.

 

thanks for that.
the 430 sometimes hesitates off the line, but there is no pause between shifts on the fly. maybe they are not the same units?

anybody else have impressions of the 2006 e-gear?

 

There is a pause between shifts in the 430 as well. Recently drove a 599 and it was horrific as well.

 

ah ok. now i understand where you are coming from.
there is a slight pause in the 430, as compared to a 458, but since i had the 360CS, the 430 seems smooth to me.
now i believe i can live with the murci egear.

one issue that seems to come up very often though is that the egear clutch doesnt last very long. am reading anywhere between 7 and 12k miles. my 360cs clutch did not need changing in the 20k+ miles i had it, and my 430 does not need a new clutch in the 20k miles i have on it.
what is it about the murci that kills the clutch so fast? the weight? the drivers?

to elaborate, i do not play around with lifting off the accelerator when upshifting, i do not use the gearbox to slow the car - if i am coming to a stoplight i just use the brake and the system downshifts itself; if i am coming onto a turn, i slow down before i change down gears, then do the change manually. i hardly ever reverse, i hardly ever try to edge around in 1st gear - i just park straight in. so maybe it is just my driving style that is easier on clutches?

 

There is huge difference between the 430 and 458. The 458 is a dual clutch, the 430 is not. The F1 in the 430 is certainly better than the 360 though. How long the clutch lasts on the Murci is vastly dependent on how you drive, but also on how its setup. Many are setup to slip far too much off the line.

 

thanks. yes i know the difference, hence the example.
when you say the clutch life on a murci is dependent on how it is set up, what do you mean? is there some programming into how much clutch slip there is?? never heard of that.

 

Yes there is.