This marks the 2nd time the next-generation supercar has been totalled on public roads - and it's not even available on the market yet !
Monday, June 19, 2006

Lamborghini officially unveiled the next generation Murcielago, known as the LP640, at the Geneva Motor Show this past March. Originally projected to hit the streets in spring, the date had been pushed back to September, which means this exotic is not yet available for consumers.

Lamborghini is on schedule to produce a total of 300 units this year, all of which have already been sold out. Although the LP640 is not yet available to the public, there are a handful currently being driven on public roads usually with automotive journalists or Lamborghini drivers behind the wheel.

That's why it comes as a shock that not only one, but two of these pre-production models has already been wrecked on public roads. The most recent being in St. Andrae, Austria on June 15, 2006.


According to witnesses, the Lamborghini lost control and crashed into a tree after attempting to pass another vehicle. The car burst into flames - the driver had to be flown to a nearby hospital after suffering severe burns. The Lamborghini was on its way to a press event at the time of the accident.


Although it's not unusual for exotic cars to be wrecked on test tracks prior to full production, it is rare to see wrecks piling up on public roads when there are only a handful of the cars available. The question begs, is the LP640 more difficult to handle than its predecessor or is this simply a case of bad luck?


The LP640 certainly has more power, adding 6 mph to the Murcielago's top speed and slashing the 0-60 mph acceleration from 3.8 seconds down to 3.4 seconds. But more power doesn't necessarily make a car harder to handle. The LP640 is still very similar to the older Murcielago which is not without controversy. There is at least one case of an owner who claims the car simply veered off the road by itself, causing a terrible rollover accident. The owner even created a web site documenting the accident and his concern over the safety of the Murcielago.

On the site, he writes:


"The car suddenly turns right on the Autobahn which is straight, dry and in quite good condition with hardly any traffic, and after a very fast 90 degree turn goes through the guard rail and then lands with the top down in a forest about 150 meters from the place where the guard rail was broken through. The possibility of a tire failure is being eliminated by experts, also the road was in good condition and no hindrances."



First LP640 Wreck
The first accident involving the LP640 occurred a few months ago. Details on the crash are sketchy, but the car was apparently being tested on public roads when it lost control, hit a guardrail on the highway and rolled over.


Obviously, it's always a concern when a high-performance vehicle is wrecked during pre-production. On the brighter side, engineers do get an opportunity to fine-tune and correct any issues that might be responsible for the accidents.
Safety has become a big issue for exotic car manufacturers lately, especially after a recent lawsuit was filed against Porsche for "selling an unsafe car". The suit claims the Porsche Carrera GT has design defects that make it a poor-handling car, mainly that the rear end can lose traction easily. The suit also claims that the car is too difficult to handle at high speeds for the average driver without instruction. The suit was filed by the wife of Cory Rudl, an internet marketing superstar who was killed when the Carrera GT he was riding in crashed at a track.



Many people feel drivers of exotic cars should realize that getting into a high performance vehicle has inherent risks that you won't find with your average car. Whether or not the manufacturers should be held liable for inexperienced drivers is a matter of debate we'll see played out with the Porsche lawsuit. As for the LP640, only time will tell whether or not the car has any handling issues.

source HERE

 

That just sucks Such a beautiful car.

jonny

 

Just wait till G sees this

 

for that much money....those cars should handle way better...

 

dang that suxs.

 

People can't seem to handle the power.

 

crashed one already, that didnt take long. Hope the driver is ok though

 

I can make a Kia lose traction if i wanted, maybe I should sue also

 

sueing porsche for its Carrera GT losing rear traction is just stupid

that car has a powerful engine and thats why it loses traction easily to amateur drivers


most of the Murci crashes ive seen are all losing steering towards the right
wonder if this is the same thing

theres gotta be some design flaw or bad components

 

I can also flip it and make it go up in flames too and give myself second & third degree burns...

 

 

to that guy. Probably was out having fun trying to see what it can do.

From the Lambo forum it says that the driver was the Sales Manager of Lamborghini Vienna/Austria. He suffered a lot burns. The car was probably not a pre production model as they have built a ton of production models already and are on sale( but spoken for for the next few years).

All the reviews I have read so far have all stated that its an outstanding car, probably the best Lambo yet, but unlike the regular Murci and like supercars of the 90's it is more car to handle in a sometimes scary but exceptionally thrilling way. He probably overstepped his boundaries and didnt realize the true potential of the updated car.

 

That's too bad for Lambo owners crush and burn! It's very few Lambo Murcielago LP640 at the world. 100% driver fault what so ever.

 

I guarantee you this guy was hot-******* it out on the road just to show off. How stupid to push the limits of a super-exotic that you havent had track time in on a public road. Manufacturer's defect my ****.

 

Again, another example of a car with too much power for public roads and it is DANGEROUS. PEriod.

We seem to be so obsessed with power.

GOtta give BMW kudos and Porsche for offering those high performance driving courses, especially when you buy M vehicles.

People can't drive in their 100hp Corolla, nor in 600hp supercars!!!