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20C4S said:
RC,
just curious. have u driven the Lamborghini Murcielago yet?
maybe it's just me. i drove one & hated it. maybe just me but it felt so damn heavy, handled poorly & uncomfortable to drive. car felt aged & the built quality is not there. can't beat the look though...
that's just my person opinion. if i'm looking for a driver's Lambo i'd take the Gallardo anyday.
Yes, I had the luck to drive a Murcielago long enough to get in love with this car. It may feel heavy (I'd say it is the steering setup but of course this car is no lightweight) but it drives like on train rails. Handling is spectacular, the look is even more spectacular and when you sit inside this monster, you get the feeling of sitting in the cockpit of a space ship.
And I won't even speak about the sound of the engine and exhaust.
In my opinion, the Murcielago is one of the most underestimated sportscars in the world, people think of it as the bigger, heavier and more expensive brother of the Gallardo but the truth is: it is a different kind of beast, offering almost the same if not better performance.
And I hope I don't tell you guys a secret: around 620 HP are rumored for the next facelift, coming next year.
Look at the track time in Hockenheim (Kleiner Kurs): 1 min 12 sec. With street tires, no semi-slicks! Wow!!!
Nordschleife in 7 min 50 sec, same: street tires. Again Wow!!!
From 0-125 mph, the Murcielago needs around 12.8 seconds, this is F430 time. But the new 620 HP version is rumored at under 12 seconds. Wow again.
And finally: top speed at 330 kph but there are claims that the Murcielago achieves even real 335-340 kph. With the "old" engine.
Yes, in my opinion the Lamborghini Murcielago is the last "affordable" supersportscar of the "old" kind and I truely hope that Porsche does a better job with the 997 Turbo this time than they did with the 996 Turbo.
And a last point I'd like to make: why is everybody comparing the five years old 996 Turbo with the new F430?
Look at the handling difference betwenn the 996 and the 997 and you realize what a couple of years of development mean.
IF somebody compares the F430 to a Porsche, it has to be the 997 Turbo, not the 996 Turbo. And since we don't know the final specs yet...
Regarding resale value and production numbers: Ferrari plans to build as many F430 as Porsche built 996 Turbo. So the F430 may be in high demand right now and resale value may be still very high but wait another two years when over 10000(!) F430 made it to customers. And we talk again by then.
And as a really last word I would like to add the words of a Porsche engineer (when I told him my worries about the 997 Turbo performance compared to the current competition): "Don't worry, we always make them a tick faster". Unfortunately I can't describe the grin on his face but it looked very convincing. Of course he may be just proud of his company and maybe the 997 Turbo will disappoint us. If so, we'll have enough time in the future to brag about it and to tell ourselves how horrible the 997 Turbo is. IF true. Til then: happy motoring in the F430 but don't be disappointed if we're right about the 997 Turbo. Sh.t happens...like my italian friends used to say.