Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV (2009) CAR review

If you’re one of those twisted souls who thinks Lamborghini’s scissor door-ed 631bhp V12 Murcielago wasn’t quite mad enough, this lighter, more powerful and carbon-clad limited edition SV (that's Super Veloce) just might do it for you. You can read our full first drive review of the new Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 Sport Veloce in the new June 2009 issue of CAR Magazine, but for now here's our brief web drive.

Why is the most hardcore Lamborghini Murcielago an SV and not a Superleggera?

To maintain differentiation between the model lines Lamborghini has decreed that small hot Lambos will use the Superleggera tag and the big gun uses the SV suffix. This isn’t the first time the SV – or Super Veloce – badge has been attached to a V12 supercar. The badge first turned up in 1971 on the back of the fastest Miura, and then again in the 1990s on a hardcore Diablo. That's provenance for you...

So what has the Murcielago done to earn the SV moniker?

Get rid of its beer gut, basically. By using more carbon for the bodywork and a lighter steel chassis, stripping the interior and fitting a lighter exhaust, Lambo engineers trimmed 100kg from the kerbweight, which now stands at a respectable, if hardly Lotus-like 1565kg. Carbon brakes are standard, as is the semi-auto E-gear transmission, although you can have a traditional three-pedal manual set-up if you prefer. 

The final touch is a mildly reworked version of the 6.6-litre V12. The new exhaust, changes to the induction system and valve timing result in 661bhp, up from 631bhp in the standard car. Factor in the weight reduction and the power-to-weight ratio jumps by 43bhp to 422bhp per tonne.

So the LP670-4 SV is hugely faster?

It doesn’t look that way on paper, the sprint to 62mph dropping by two tenths from an already sensational 3.4sec. And top speed climbs by just 2mph to 212mph, unless you order the Aero pack which includes the big wing (surely a visual must-have – as fitted in our pictures), dropping the max to 209mph.

The Lambo SV feels more urgent in a straight line, emitting a harder-edged wail under full throttle, and tweaks to the E-gear system mean shift times are quicker too, albeit not as harsh as the LP560-4’s in Corsa mode. But when it comes to turning and braking, that’s when you feel the difference. The carbon brakes are actually identical to those available optionally on the regular Murcielago but you’d never believe it from the pedal feel and stopping power. It’s all down to getting rid of that 100kg.

The handling benefits of the diet are equally noticeable. The SV turns in more satisfyingly and doesn’t understeer as much. And with less mass to keep in check, the body control is much improved on really fast corners when the back end of the standard car can get a little floaty. We drove the two back to back and the SV was in a different league.

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