New Lambo Murcielago spied

These are the first clear pictures of the all-new 225mph Lamborghini Murcielago, which will go on sale early next year with a price tag of over £300k, alongside a mission statement to put Lamborghini back at the very top of the supercar tree.

See the Lamborghini Murcielago spy pictures

Beneath its heavily disguised bodywork, the new Lambo features a bespoke carbon composite chassis and a brand new 7.0-litre V12 engine, rumoured to have between 700-720bhp. As ever, Lambo’s new range topper will be four wheel-drive, but because its chassis is made from carbonfibre it will also be unusually light for such a big machine.

Sources indicate that a kerbweight of less than 1500kg is Lamborghini’s target, in which case expect nothing less than outrageous acceleration, given that the power to weight ratio will be in the region of 470bhp per tonne. How outrageous? If the rumours are true then 3.0sec to 62mph and 6.0sec to 100mph are entirely feasible, with a top speed on the far side of 220mph.

Unlike some rivals the new Lambo will not feature a DSG transmission because it would be “too complex and too expensive” to engineer. Instead, the new Murcielago may come with the option of a sequential seven-speed manual, with a more conventional seven-speed paddle shift as standard. A traditional open gate manual will almost certainly not be available this time round.

Inside, the driving position will no longer be offset towards the centre of the car because, at long last, Lamborghini has been able to start with a clean sheet design, meaning there will be no architectural compromises to work around. The cabin itself will represent as big a step forwards design-wise as the carbon chassis and new V12 engine, and will be “totally cutting edge” in the technology it offers.

Aerodynamically the car will also push the boundaries of current technology as far as possible, although it’ll still look unmistakably like a Lamborghini. “We’re not going to throw away our design DNA just to make a statement that we’re 21st century” said a source.

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