[AussieExotics via Motive]

Photo credit: Ash Simmons

Frankly, we're already impressed with the base model Lamborghini LP640, so any tuner's got an uphill battle in our book to make it look better. Still, the full press release below if you're still interested:

Lamborghini LP 640 JB-R - by JB Car Design

JB Design presents the ultimate car among the coupés. The LP 640 JB-R is a sports car of breathtaking fascination, menacingly power and uncompromising luxury. The 12-cylinder engine performs now after power level I (28.000,00 Euro) 525 KW (710 hp). The Lamborghini comes in combination with a changed underbody (ground effect) to an unbelievable final velocity. Not until the sports car has reached 370 km/h the air drag decelerates it. Gears are changed using a F1 steering wheel rocker switch.

No question, with the upgraded LP 640 JB-R JB Car Design has raised the bar for competition in the section super sports cars again a lot: with his increased performance up to 710 respectively 750 hp and his VIP-finishing in "Blood to Black Diamond" he not just delivers again a clear growth in output but an individual visual appearance as well. The patent registered finish is only available through JB Car Design. It costs (ready to be sprayed on) 280,00 Euro per litre and is limited to 911 litre worldwide, whereby the exclusivity is guaranteed.

The sharpened version of the LP 640 JB-R is as close to racing as no other car with MOT approval. But luxury is also to be found, as for example in the interior. The whole interior was colour adjusted to the exterior by using high quality materials in combination with dark red Ultrasuede and black smooth leather in bi-colour as well as little extras made of carbon fibre. In addition very decent and in black: tinted windshield, back and side windows (2.370,00 Euro including the approval of the Technical control board).

After having made over the interior it is now turn of the wheelset. New three part 20" Schmidt Revolution aluminium rims with hardened outer rim made of stainless steel in combination with Michelin wide base tires size 265/30-20 and 335/30-20.

As impressive as the sprint on the long straight stretch might be, most fun with the LP 640 JB- R you have in the curves. This is the reason why JB Car Design has intensified the abrasion by using their own aerodynamic-package consisting of front- and rear spoiler, rear diffusor, air intake in the front, side coverings, side skirts, the front opening hood as well as the engine hood. They have newly adjusted the running gear and tuned the super athlete thus he practically sticks to the street.

The built in, premium flap controlled sport exhaust systems offers the best sound at the push of a button. With the provided remote control the customer can change the sound of the exhaust pipe while driving.

The demonstration car is available for a price of 355.000,00 Euro ( YOC 2008, 9.000 km). The original price incl. the costs of the conversion is 500.000,00 Euro!

Where were you when the matte meme began? I was looking at photos of the then-unveiled Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 from the 2006 Geneva Motor Show and reveled in the punk gesture of gunship gray from a carmaker known for Miura green and Day-Glo orange.

Kustom kulture has probably employed the device before, but its spread in the past few years has been wildly expansive. Observing it first-hand on a short-lived matte black hood of a Toyota Corolla AE86 drift car, I couldn’t help but notice how the finish attracts and amplifies grime from dust and rain like no other.

But then cars are supposed to be shiny shiny, aren’t they? At least according to Nick Maggio of A Time To Get, who writes:

Show me the ‘69 SS with the cheap-ass primer, the ‘32 Coupe with the patchy, flat gray, and I’ll show you a smile. Like all trends, there is a time and a place. But let me tell you, a ‘10 Lambo perched on mirrors, rotating behind velvet ropes at SEMA… ain’t it. […] If Enzo wanted his cars to be murdered out, he would’ve petitioned to have Italy’s race color changed, and trademarked a matte black instead. Show some respect.

If naval technology were suddenly to regress to its state in the early 1900s with madly colored Razzle Dazzle camo battleships, we could do an honest comparison to decide whether ships and cars can carry each other’s colors. Until then, it’s a question of style—and I honestly cannot make up my mind. What do you think? Should cars ever be camouflaged as military equpiment?

Photo Credit: Metro, saebaryo/Flickr, Razzle Dazzle

So what's the man on the street think? Well, apparently, exotic car owners are pleased to see that a fellow gentleman of means is taking care of his car, as are Lamborghini salesmen. The average Brit, at least the average Brit interviewed, is horrified by the carbon footprint created from shipping a car, especially a gas guzzler, that far for an oil change.

Joe Blow UK's reaction of outrage mimics a similar outpouring of detest from earlier this year. Remember, this is actually the second time this year, at least, that our English friends have been up-in-arms about car shipping. Remember how upset Sir Paul McCartney was when his Lexus LS600h hybrid was flown in from Japan earlier in the year.

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Though we're sort of impressed by the guy's commitment to proper care and maintenance, just because you can afford to do something like this doesn't mean you should. Are there really no shops in the Middle East that can handle an oil change on the new Lamborghini? Seriously? This is the perfect opportunity for a wealthy Jalopnik reader, or a group of readers pooling money together to head on over and open one up right now. Think about it — we'd be rich just working on the Sultan of Bruneis' garage. (Hat tip to Daniel and goatrope!)

[Photo/Story: The Sun]

The Lamborghini LP640 isn't the only amazing vehicle in the upcoming Batman flick. The Joker is representing a big old truck, while Batman has a bike and his classic Tumbler. [MTV via WR]

Veni Vidi Vici - It came, it saw, it conquered. Nardo, the epitome of high speed on the fastest oval track in the world.

October 21st, 2007. A 4am wake-up Espresso has to suffice. The remaining drowsiness disappears as soon as the 6.5 ltr. V12, now with 663 hp, is fired up. Re-torque the wheels once again. After checking the pressure of the new Continental V-max tires the edo competition LP 640 Versione Nardo rolls onto the 12.6 km (7.8 miles) long oval.

Each contestant has 3 laps: The first one as the warm-up lap, the second one as the high-speed lap and the third one as the cool down lap. By now it's 6am, the sun is rising over the test track. It's chilly with light winds, but above all - It's dry. On this Sunday morning the warm-up lap is driven at speeds between 280 and 300 km/h (174-186 mph). Particular attention is paid to vibrations, oil- and water-temperatures. It feels good, the LP 640, and thanks to the newly developed rear wing it's so fantastically stable, as if the tires were glued to the south-Italian tarmac.

Now it's on. The second lap counts and the growl of the V12 is turning into an infernal shriek as the revs rise - similar to a chainsaw cutting through a giant sequoia tree. Wide open throttle is the norm now and even at 280 km/h (174 mph) one is still being pushed into the seat. Meanwhile in 6th gear the raging bull comfortably eclipses the 340 km/h (211 mph) mark, but there's more. 345.7 km/h (214.8 mph) is what TÜV-Rheinland's meticulously accurate and incorruptible GPS-based measuring system shows.

Cool down lap - Not without pride the engine is brought back into more sedate rev ranges, with the knowledge to have achieved the fastest ever recorded top speed of a Lamborghini!

Even the newly developed rear wing could prove itself in these extreme conditions. No drop in top speed - far from it, and absolutely stable driving behavior even at these high speeds.

With this result Edo competition has clearly proven that even small modifications like an ECU recalibration, new high flow air filters and high performance catalytic converters specifically designed for the LP 640 can have a resounding effect.

Our thanks go to Continental, AutoBildSportscars, TÜV-Rheinland and Mr. Thomas Budde, Prof. M.D., who measured the heart rate of Edo Karabegovic and the other pilots during the runs.

While for some test drivers heart rates equaling those of top athletes were measured, our results were well within the comfort range with a peak of 150 beats per minute.

Driven by this fantastic success the team of edo competition Motorsport will field the Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640 with considerably more power next time. The goal is 700 hp, which should allow for a top speed in excess of 360 km/h (224 mph).[World Car Fans]

Miura

The Miura blew the doors off the 1965 Turin Motor Show. And that was just the chassis. Crowds were sent reeling five months later in Geneva when the Miura showed up clad in its luscious Bertone skin. Inspired by the success of the Ford GT40, the Miura was the first mid-engined sports car available for the (filthy rich) layman. True, the DeTomaso Vallelunga came along in 1962, but no one really cared. The Miura however, changed everything. Here at last with its muscular V12 mounted sideways mid-ship, the world had its first supercar. In fact, the term "supercar" was coined by journalist L.J.K. Setright in his review of the Miura. High end sports cars would never be the same.

Pros:

• Impossibly good looking. Every curve, ever angle, every pronounced bulge is exactly right. Even the Venetian blind slats over the back window (lifted directly from the 1963 Corvair Monza GT, we should add) are perfect. Despite its mid-engineness, the Miura mostly maintained the proportions found on such rolling pieces of sex as the Jaguar E-type, only with a longer rear. Utterly beyond bellissimo.
  
• Lamborghini was of course trying to punch Ferrari between the eyes, so all Miuras had potent V12s, even if they mounted 'em funny (transverse). With 350 to 385 horsepower nestled just behind the driver's skull, it wasn't just the outside of the Miura that was sexy.

Cons:

• Because of Lamborghini's decision to use racing Weber carbs, fuel would collect while the car idled at a stop light. When the driver hit the gas, the engine would catch on fire. Small price to pay for all that beauty if you ask ask us.
  
• The front-mounted fuel tank would and empty and get lighter, causing the car to become quite unstable. So high speed runs were only for the very brave. And as Lamborghinis should only be purchased by out and out studs, that's not really an issue either.
  
• Though Setright described the Miura as a "supercar" in Car magazine, the contemporary Ferrari Daytona out performed the Lambo, even with its engine up front.

Of Note:

• The Shah of Iran owned one, which was confiscated by the Ayatollahs after the revolution in 1979. This Miura was eventually sold to Dubai, and later purchased by Nicolas Cage for $490,000, the most ever paid for a Miura.
  
• Frank Sinatra owned an orange Miura, with matching orange leather and shag carpeting.

Countach

If the Miura shook things up at Turin and Geneva, the Countach's 1971 debut was a paradigm shift. A moon landing. Columbus setting foot in the New World. 35 years later, the Countach still looks as wild and impossible as ever. A veritable symbol of excess, the design was so ground breaking that Lamborghini was able to produce the Countach from 1974 to 1990, a remarkable run in the "what have you done for me lately" world of top shelf supercars. Their plan, of course, was to just keeping stuffing burlier and burlier engines in the back while simultaneously slashing scoops and strakes into any flat surface left unmolested. By the time the 25th Anniversary Countach bowed in 1988, the poor thing looked more like a Transformer than the gorgeous icon penned by Marcello Gandini, the same man who drew up the Miura, Dino and Pantera. If it were up to me and only me, we'd be inducting the wingless and still utterly flabbergasting earlier LP400 iteration. Though Davey and I had an hour long IM chat about it, and he feels strongly that the LP500S is indeed the uber-Countach. But you know what? Any Countach is utterly mind blowing, so just imagine your favorite.

Pros:

• Frickin' scissor doors
  
• Whereas most Lamborghinis are named after bulls, the word "Countach" roughly translates to, "Holy shit! Did you see her ass?"
  
• Still as freakishly bonkers now as it was then. Much like the SR-71. Its shape and overall zeitgeist will never be improved upon.
  
• Kinda looks like a vampire crossed with shark.
  
• Towards the end of its life, performance finally caught up with the perception.
  
• You had a poster of a Countach on your wall in high school.
  

Cons:

• Countach is now a synonym for cocaine.
  
• Looks like 1984
  
• While extroverted to the nth degree, it lacks the subtle, timeless beauty of the Miura.
  
• Horrendous to drive. Hot and cramped with a clutch set in cement and no rearward visibility whatsoever. Lamborghini employees soon learned that you must pop the door and sit on the sill to reverse.
  
• So many of us had posters of the Countach because it is a cartoon that appeals to the 15-year-old mentality. Like Hulk Hogan.

Of Note:
Lamborghini made three Walter Wolf Specials with a hoony 447 HP V12 that reved to 7,900 rpm. As these Wolf Countachs were based off the LP400s Models (albeit with flared fenders for the massive Pirelli P7 tires) they featured massive performance without the garishness of subsequent models.

Murcielago LP640

We still remember seeing the Murcielago for the first time at the 2002 Los Angeles Auto Show. We we stunned. Here was a car as wide as any full-size pickup truck, yet so low as to not even come up to our crotch. However, in 2003 on the opposite side of the room sat the all new Ferrari Enzo. The Murci, by way of comparison, just didn't have it. All that changed in 2006 when Lamborghini introduced the LP640. Equipped with a larger 6.5-liter V12 (and still mounted "backwards"), the Murcielago now produces an Enzo-besting 640 horsepower, with 0-60 acceleration squarely in the "Jesus F''n Christ" range (3.4 seconds — the much lighter Enzo takes 3.3). We simply love the asymmetrical air scoops and the fact that you can stick your foot up to your knee in the massive tailpipe. Did we mention you can get it as a roadster? Hot damn.

Pros:

• Even though it was, as Clarkson never tires of pointing out, designed by a Belgian (Luc Donckerwolke), the Murcielago is exquisite looking. Calling upon the best elements of the Countach, Donckerwolke managed to create a wedge that is fresh, distinct and modern, yet instantly recognizable as a Lamborghini. Compare the LP640 to Ferrari's new 599 GTB, and the prancing horse looks like Corvette in a funny suit.
  
• Friggin' scissor doors; still got 'em.
  
• Bat wings
  
• Asymmetrical bodywork — no longer just the parlance of British SUVs.
  
• Interior by Audi
  
• F1-style launch control lets you light up all four wheels. We love that.
  
• Batman drives one, natch.
  
• 11.8 in the 1/4 mile and a top speed of 211 mph is just plain whacky. In a great way.

Cons:

• While the Miura and the Countach were both breakthrough designs that set the car world on its ear, the Murci is just an evolution of Lambos past. While we love looking at it, there is something slightly retro and derivative.
  
• Does it have to weigh nearly two tons?
  
• A 70/30 rear to front torque split is cool, but wouldn't making the Murci RWD drop a couple hundred pounds of weight? And improve the steering?
  
• Expect 4 mpg. Downhill.
  
• Uh... the name is hard to pronounce (yes, we're grabbing at straws).

Of Note:

• Kobe Bryant bought one for his wife, only she couldn't be bothered to learn to drive stick. So, he had the manual swapped out for an automatic to the tune of $100,000. Karl Marx made a lot of good points.
  
• From Wiki: "The name Murciélago comes from a bull that survived 24 sword strokes in an 1879 fight at the arena of Córdoba, and fought with such passion and spirit that the matador chose to spare its life, a rare honor." We're just curious what the hell the matador was thinking after the 23 sword stroke. Prick.

Conclusion:
So there you have it. Three utterly desirable Fantasy cars, but only one parking space. In our mind, the LP640 gets the nod. However, the second we complete that thought, in pops the Miura and we're instantly filled with regret. And if we convince ourselves that yeah, it's the Miura, we find it impossible to deny the Countach. That's why this decision falls squarely on your stout shoulders. Will you listen to your brain, your heart or your balls? Happy voting.

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The Jalopnik Fantasy Garage, So Far:
RUF RT12 | 1978 Aston Martin V8 Vantage | Honda 1300 Coupe 9 | 1931 Daimler Double Six 50 Corsica Drophead Coupe | Ferrari 288 GTO | Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 | 1970 Buick GSX 455 | First Generation BMW M Coupe | Bugatti Veyron 16.4 | Ford GT | Citroen SM | Porsche 928 | Jensen FF | DeTomaso Vallelunga | Audi Quattro S1 | Buick GNX | Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R | Honorary Fantasy Garager: The LS1 Powered Rotus | Lamborghini LM002 | Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe | Ferrari 250 GTO | Bentley Speed Six | Talbot-Lago T150C SS Figoni et Falaschi Raindrop/Teardrop Coupe | Porsche 917 | Audi RS4 Avant | Maybach Exelero

Let it never be said that a factory tuner car can't take just a little more juice from the aftermarket. Edo Competition futzed with Lamborghini's top-of-mast Murcielago LP640, finding an extra 23 hp under the seat cushions. Actually, they found it in the ECU, the airflow setup and exhaust. The Euro-spec V12, they say, now produces 663 hp and 498 lb-ft of torque. Edo also fitted its tuner with a rear wing with adjustable lip, carbon fiber interior trim and a backup camera, so Lambo drivers might actually be able to avoid stuff behind them, without having to stick their heads out the door. Pretty sneaky, Edo. – Mike Spinelli

Technical data - Lamborghini Murcièlago LP640

Engine
6.5 ltr. V12 cylinder

Output
663HP / (487.5 kW) at 7.800 U/min

Max. Torque
675 Nm at 5.600 U/min

Performance
Top speed est. 348 km/h (216 mph)
0 - 100 km/h (0 - 62 mph) est. 3.8 s

Features

Engine:
* ECU recalibration
* Special high-flow air filters
* Newly designed high-performance catalytic converters
* New exhaust butterfly valve control (remote-controlled on request)
* New high-flow muffler
* New stainless steel exhaust tips

Body:
* Specially designed rear wing with adjustable lip

Wheels:
* Custom paint on request

Interior:
* Rear view camera
* Tire pressure monitoring system
* Carbon fiber interior trim

Lamborghini Murcièlago LP640 [Edo Competition]

Related:
Edo Competition Ford GT; The Flying Bus: Edo Competition's Porsche Cayenne Turbo [internal]

That Jeremy Clarkson writes about cars by writing about other cars is about as predictable as an iron-gray sky and slight drizzle over Leeds. But even ol' Jezzah must have broken the soft-launch threshold in his latest Times piece. He doesn't mention the subject Lamborghini LP640 by name before word 786. And then, he lambastes its smart all-wheel-drive setup as "such a dim-witted set-up that you're usually going backwards before it's noticed the rear has lost traction." But in the end, with about a score of words left, he compares the alacantara steering wheel to dog fur and evokes the name of M torhead's Lemmy. And it's a positive review. Like digging for sushi-grade clams, this one. – Mike Spinelli

Mad, bad and utterly wonderful to know [Times (UK)]

Related:
More on the Lamborghini LP640 [internal]

The Lamborghini Murcielago was named for a bull named for a bat. Bruce Wayne, well, he dresses in a bat-themed costume and calls himself "The Bat-Man." Apparently, Lambo honcho (and dapper man) Stephan Winkelmann felt that the synergy was a fine, fine fit, noting that the company only allows its vehicles to be used in films it likes. The flick, tentatively titled The Dark Knight, drops in '08. No word as to whether the Austin, Texas Ice Bats will be making a cameo. – Davey G. Johnson

Q+A: Lamborghini Signals Batman to Sell $350k Cars [BrandWeek]

Related:
Top Gear: Clarkson on the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 [Internal]