Test drive Lamborghini V12: Twelve evil

Now that the Lamborghini Aventador opens a new chapter in the history of the V12 company, let's look back at a perfectly normal - that is, noisy, fast and wild - family reunion in the vicinity of Sant'Agata Bolognese.

I want to get back on the road, I want to sing - not beautifully, but loudly and loudly. Serge Ginzburg's song could become the soundtrack for the entire family of Lamborghini V12 models. They are fast, wild and erotic. Just like Ginzburg. Smoking, drinking, in a word, politically incorrect. And just like him, irresistibility for women is one of the perks of those who live at high speeds and leave early.

However, this is not the lot of cool V12 engines, without which the top Lamborghini models would not be what they are - aristocratic creatures with a difficult to predict character.

A start

The future heroes of '68 are still warming up in the school ranks as Lamborghini fires the first stage of the rocket that propelled the brand into major league motoring orbit - the Miura. Originally as an engined chassis shown at the 1965 Turin Motor Show. With a support frame made of steel profiles with large holes for lightness and a transversely mounted V12. Some visitors are so inspired by this performance that they fill out and sign orders with an empty price field.

A year later, in 1966, daily life was still mostly black and white, and 27-year-old designer Marcello Gandini of Bertone created a body that looked like Brigitte Bardot and Anita Ekberg. Wind music of twelve cylinders thunders behind the driver. Flames sometimes come out of the suction funnels when the throttle valves click. If this model is approved for Euro 5, employees will simply swallow their pens. It's like putting Hendrix and Joplin's bursts into Lena's lullabies.

So far with preliminary impressions - we enter Miura. People with a thin figure below 1,80 m are relatively comfortable with the ergonomics of the longitudinally adjustable seats. Twelve cylinders snort, heat up, and no one is sure if the pistons are connected to one crankshaft or assembled in groups, deliberately disturbing the smoothness of the ride. Concepts such as perfect mass balance and mechanical finesse are only important to spoiled tasters who close their eyes with a long “Mmmm” even before trying a snack. At Lamborghini, you are immediately served the main course - a huge, full and smoky plate. Now we look at her with wide eyes, tightly squeezing the cutlery. Miura rumbles to the rhythm of rock. The pros know that if you can find a well-maintained specimen that has all suspension points in place, the center-engined sports beast will run exactly as it looks.

In any case, it behaves better than we expect. The yellow SV gently presses the gas pedal, moves confidently in the right direction and enters the turn without hesitation. Particularly impressive is the loud itching that is heard every time you inject or evacuate gas. Considering the fact that gearshifts are via 1,5m levers, it feels almost clockwise precise – and at the same time intoxicated by the sight of the transverse four-liter V12 in the rearview mirror. It is as if we are in a time machine that melts both our professional journalistic distance and the pre-XNUMXs distance.

Contrary to everything

Obsessed with this mood, we rush to the Countach, which makes us wonder if designer Marcello Gandini has ever put a Miura and a Countach on his table next to a bottle of heavy barol and taken a long sip, it really is. said: "Well, I'm very good!" If he didn't, we'll do it: Yes, Gandini was really terribly good. The author of such creations deserves to be ranked among the saints of the sports car industry. What if it doesn't win awards for functional design - because visibility, space offered and ergonomics are not the strengths of Lamborghini's central engine monsters.

Probably, today the design engineer Dalara would not have put the Miura tank over the front axle.

Amusing changes in wheel load depending on fuel level made even experienced drivers sweat. With a full tank, steering precision is acceptable, but gradually begins to lose stability along the way. This is not what you want if you are dealing with a workshop where a centrally located engine develops over 350 hp. In fact, Lamborghini's accurate power readings are as reliable as Berlusconi's pledges of allegiance, and as with him, the reality is far more chaotic and wild.

The Countach pilot enters the modern world, but must meet certain requirements. In order to easily get into the car, it must have at least five physical advantages and be extremely benevolent and benevolent in terms of free ergonomics, modest workmanship and lack of visibility in all directions. The abbreviation LP in the model name means Longitudinale Posteriore, i.e. The V12 is now located not transversely, but longitudinally in the body. Even at high speeds, your palms stay dry because the Countach performs surprisingly well in the right direction. In addition, the Anniversario's 5,2-liter V12 lacks lightning responsiveness and quick acceleration. This is not surprising, because thanks to the sluggish environmental requirements of his time, he could safely swallow high-octane gasoline.

We drive on the roads of Emilia-Romagna, very close to the pavement, resting our heads on the side frame, feeling like part of the car, enjoying decent suspension and putting an imaginary cross against the power steering requirement. In the current situation, any maneuver to turn direction makes us gasp with effort. On the other hand, the interior design does not irritate anything and is perceived with joy. The angular dashboard could also have belonged to a dump truck, and the workmanship leaves room for serious improvements. As we have already mentioned, on the left it is limited by small sliding windows in the large side windows, and in the front there is an almost horizontal windshield, under which the pilot experiences serious thermal discomfort on sunny days. But it is precisely the combination of incompatible difficulties that makes the Countach especially attractive.

Bridge in the third millennium

The transition to Diablo is perceived as a serious qualitative leap. Equipped with ABS and an advanced electronic engine management system, the model bridges the third millennium, and the latest series, the 6.0 SE, creates the same driving experience. Decent build quality, carbon fiber body and interior combined with leather and aluminum, clean shifting through open channels and modern standards of steering wheel operation - all this brings the supercar to the level of modernity without delay. in annoying familiarity.

In the latest Diablo modification, its V12 reaches a displacement of six liters and creates a corresponding feeling - powerful and assertive, but with more refined manners than its predecessors. And although he was cured of the grossest signs of bad manners, he still retained his stormy rock intonations.

Before Aventador

This does not change when Audi takes over the brand and introduces the Murciélago. Designer Luke Donkerwolke continues the tradition without interrupting it, and introduces a "devil" detail - side "gills" that open when moving. The dual drivetrain provides good traction, and the increased space in the Alcantara-lined "cave" keeps you from getting stuck.

However, the big Lambo remained a rather rude, healthy man and at the same time very stubborn, as parking is still a challenge, the steering wheel is heavy and the temperature of the tires is important. In cold "boots" the behavior is only bearable, but when they get warm it becomes excellent. You stop at the last moment, turn the steering wheel firmly and accelerate hard to accelerate. If all goes well, the front axle will hardly skid, and the SV exhibits such longitudinal and lateral acceleration that even the pros are out of breath. No difference. Importantly, the V12 continues to sing its loud and sonorous song.

text: Jorn Thomas

a photo: Rosen Gargolov

technical details

Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 SE	Lamborghini Miura SV	Lamborghini Murciélago SV	Anniversary of Lamborghni Countach
Working volume	-	-	-	-
Power	575 k.s. at 7300 rpm	385 k.s. at 7850 rpm	670 k.s. at 8000 rpm	455 k.s. at 7000 rpm
Maximum torque	-	-	-	-
Acceleration 0-100 km / h	3,9 with	5,5 with	3,2 with	4,9 with
Braking distances at a speed of 100 km / h	-	-	-	-
full speed	330 km / h	295 km / h	342 km / h	295 km / h
Average consumption fuel in the test	-	-	-	-
Base Price	286 324 euro	-	357 000 euro	212 697 euro